PARLIAMENT.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1215, 25 August 1911, Page 6

PARLIAMENT.

THE COUNCIL, PENSIONER SETTLEMENTS. The Legislative Council met at 2.30 yesterday afternoon. The Hon. Sir Maurice O'Rorke's motion in regard to pensioner settlements was further debated. The Hon. W. 13EEHAN.(Auckland) said such a scheme as that proposed was impracticable at the present time. He oould not support the motion. Tho Hon. J. ANSTEY (Canterbury) said he was struck with the absurdity of the motion when ho read it through. We in New Zealand had not a tingle acre to give away. If the laud was available there were ploaty of people here only anxious to get it, and to pay a full price for it. Oμ trouble was that we could not cot our land surveyed fast enough lor those who wanted it. .

The motion was lost on a division, the voting being: Ayes, 5; Noes, IG.

AN IMMIGRATION PROPOSAL, Notice of motion has been given by Sir Maurice O'Borkc: "That in tho opinion of this Council that it is desirable that the Government should appoint two emigration officers —one in Ireland a,ud one in Scotland—to facilitate emigration from those countries "to New Zealand, such officers to be under the control of the Higb Commissioner, and not to exceed in any one year the number of emigrants he might have authorised; that each emigrant of twenty-one years of age should receive 40 acres of freehold land in New Zealand, and half that amount of land for children over ten years of age; that tho salaries of these emigration officers should be at tho rate of .£SOO per annum, 'terminable after the first year of employment by three months' notice from the High Commissioner in London."