PARLIAMENT.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1201, 9 August 1911, Page 7

PARLIAMENT.

I « THE COUNCIL. ADDRESS-IN-REPLY DEBATE. CORONATION INVITATIONS. LAND SETTLEMENT PROBLE/VV The Legislative Council met at 2.30 yesterday afternoon. The Hon. W. BEEHAN (Auckland) said ho would probably not have spoken but for the remarks of the Hon. Mr. Barr on Workingincn's Clubs. Mr. Barr said he wished them all wiped out. .Ho (the speaker) did not waut to see them wiped out. Ho spoke of tho Auckland Mechanics' Club and tho Workingmen's Club, Wellington, which he knew, and which were, and had boon for a long time, admirably conducted. A great many of the members of these clubs were total abstainers, and joined tho club only for the social -intercourse and recreation. Inferring to the land question, the speaker remarked on the necessity for enabling the young men to go on the laud. Hβ thought the mode of taking land should be at the using value only, and tho limitation of area would have to be gone into. He did not think there were enough Agricultural Colleges and experimental farms, and he thought Cabinet should take this matter up. The Hon. C. H. MILLS (Wellington) referred to tho matter of tho invitations to legislators to attend the Coronation ceremony. It seemed to him that tney had been placed in an invidious position. He wondered that none of them had received a copy of the first invitation to eight members of both Houses. It also appeared from a newspaper report that there was later a special invitation to eight members of the Council, and he thought it peculiar that members of the Council had not been given tha opportunity of seeing the invitation. 'As tar as he knew no one had received a copy of the invitation. Looking at articles which had appeared broadcast throughout tho Dominion, ho therefore thought the matter should bo brought up in tho Council. There might be an explanation, and he would not make any comment now. Apparently the committee at Homo felt hurt at New Zealand's want of courtesy. He thought an explanation should be sent showing that none of the members of tho Council had been guilty of discourtesy. The Hon. J. ANSTEY (Canterbury), referring to the recently-conferred titles, said he wa3 one of those who thought that titles were an honour. He thought the title conferred on Sir Joseph Ward and on the Leader of the Legislative Council we're well deserved and very appropriate. With regard to the hereditary nature of tho title- assumed by the Prime Minister, ho would not condemn it now. Ho would wait until ho heard tho explanation. There might bo reason for it. lie himself had no timo for these hereditary title's. He had been pained by the somewhat slighting remarks passed in regard to tho title conferred on Hie Leader of tho Council. Referring to tho agitation for more scientific agricultural education, Mr. Anstey said they did not want onv morfc agricultural colleges. There was only one, place to teach farming, and that was on the farm. H-; thought they should establish agricultural ceutres on a small farm, and put them in charge, of a. practical and scientific man, who would oxt?nd his experiments all over the district. Mr. Anstey went on fd refer to the administration of Crown lands by tho Department and the Land Boards. Dealing with the offering of certain liind in the Mackenzie country, he said the conditions under which tho land was offered (11 runs by ballot arid U by auction) were such as to encourage every kind of land monopolist, arid speculator arid debar the bona£de settler. He saw these runs disposed of in Timarii. and it was the saddest, sight ;hp had ever'seen in his life; 'There were fourteen sections offered by ballot,' and land speculators of overy sizo, sort, and description were encouraged to come in. They simply went in with the distinct intention of selling out the goodwill. Under the circumstances, tho bona-fide settlers, and there were a number of them, were" simply , swamped but by numbers. The sections put up for public auction were even worse, in their way, than those disposed of by ballot. Of these 14, there, were 11 which wero pure aggregation of one kind or another. He would like to sea the" Government propound something like a definite policy. He begged them to propound a good, sound, progressive land policy. The Land Bills of the last two sessions were what-lie termed flirting with the freehold. What was'wanted was not the frtehbld, but to pive a thoroughly secure tenure of pastoral arid other lands. The Council rose at 5 p.m.