HAURAKI PLAINS DRAINAGE.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1213, 23 August 1911, Page 7

HAURAKI PLAINS DRAINAGE.

MORE -MONEY WANTED. Tho lion. D. BIiDDO, Acting-Minister for Lands, moved the second reading nf tho Uauraki Plains Amendment Hill. It authorised tho Minister for Lands to borrow .£.(0,000, in addition to flic siim of i£Bo,ooo already expended upon the drainage of tho Piako Swamp (lfanraki Plains). The total area to be reclaimed was 90,000 acres. Some 21,000 acres had already been reclaimed, and 22,000 acres had been taken up by settlers. An additional area of GSOO acres would be available for settlement during the comiilg summer. Tho report upon the drainageoperations showed that land worth .£135.000 had besn reclaimed. The Bill further empowered the Minister to levy a rato from settlers for tho upkeep of the drains. It was undesirable that tho drainage area should bo controlled in part by a drainage board and in part by tho Minister for Lands. The drainage work would take some years to complete, and it was considered advisable that tho Ministry should have power meantime to levy rates. The additional sum might seem a largo one, but it was difficult to estimate beforehand the outlay on drainage works. „ ,_, . , Mr E H. TAYLOR (Thames) supported the 'Bill. The engineers wore to be congratulated upon the success with which the operations had been conducted. At the same time it would not do to me too ro=y a view of matters. A great ((cat «t help and sympathy would have to be extended to tho settlers in the future. Mention Lid been made cf rates. At present it was a question who should bo responsible for the roads. On some of them the day was two or three- feet deep. The sooner this reading question was defined the better it would bo for the Government and the- people. It was going to cost JSSOO or .£6OO a mile to metal thoso roads, rroteedi™ banks also called for attention. The future prospects of the plains were great, but there were many difficulties to be surmounted. He did not want to see a draina»e board put into full operation, and rates imposed, until tho roading and bridging problems had been settled. Mr. #. H. HEERIES (Tauranga) raised a point of order as to whether this Bill should not bo treated as a local Bill. The SPEAKER stated that the Bill was not a local Bill. Like the measure _it amended, it wr.s a public Bill. Having carefully considered its character, however, he ruled that it must be referred to. the Lands Committee.

Mr. HEREIES pointed,out that the Act which this Bill proposed to amend was bound in the Statutes along with the local Acts. The SPEAKER stated that it was very unreasonable for the Crown Law Officers to overrule the decision of Parliament as to what class a Bill belonged to. This was a case in point, and he was glad of an opportunity- to publicly express an- opinion on the practice before members. He hoped the Hon. tho Acting-Premier would inform the law officers of the Crown that they should not issue instructions to the Government Printer to alter the character of a Bill after it had been defined by tho House. As this Bill dealt with Crown lands, it must.bo referred to the Lands Committee. The Hon. D. BUDDO said he had regarded the Bill as a Money Bill, but must of course accept the ruling of the Speaker. Mr. MASSEY suggested that the Minister should communicate tho contents of the Bill to the settlers affected, particularly Clause 4, which referred to the special rating of settlers for the support of the drainage works. It would be a very good thing to refer the matter to leading settlers. " Mr. H. POLAND (Ohinemuri) asked the Minister to give effect to the suggestion of the Leader of the Opposition, and recommending that ho should consider tho question of imposing some obligation on I'rivato owners who had derived benefit from the prosecution of the / drainage operations. ' The MINISTER stated that the Bill had noiv been circulated for some time. No doubt it was in the hands of the settlers. As to 'Mr. Poland's question it was quite impossible to bring in the private owners,, as he suggested until the drainage 'a'rda had been defined. The arrangement proposed in the Bill was of a temporary character, - ! TWO LABOUR BILLS. Tho Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Amendment Bill, and tho Workers' Compensation Amendment Bill were read a second time, pro forma, on the motion of the Hon. .T. A. Millar,' and referred to the Labour Bills Committee. On the motion of the Acting-Premier, the House adjournal at 10.35 'p.m.