THE NEW REGIME.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1488, 10 July 1912, Page 6

THE NEW REGIME.

STATEMENT BY THE PRIME . MINISTER. SUPPLEMENTED BY. MR.. MASSEY. Prior to the adjournment, The PRIME MINISTER (the Hon. T. Mackenzie) said: "In consequence of the vote that iyas taken on Saturday morning, I have placed my resignation in the hands o£ his Excellency, and recommended his Excellency to sind for Mr. Massey, tho Loader of the Opposition. I understand that Mr. Massey has seen his Excellency, and it is my intention to move, and I do now move, that tho House at its rising do adjourn until the usual hour to-morrow. I do this after having consulted with the Honourable the Leader of the Opposition. Mr. AV...F. MASSEY: I don't think it is necessary to add anything to what has been said by the Prime Minister. As already indicated, his Excellency the Governor has dono mo the honour of' sending for me and asking, me to undertake tho duty of forming a Ministry. I have complied with' the request. I am at present in communication with my friends, and I hope to meet the House to-morrow and, announce the names of the new Ministry. (Hear, hear.) The House adjourned at 8.30 p.m., havhaving sat for procisely one hour. PRIVILEGE. :' ' / EXTENSION OF TIME GRANTED. The Hon. T. Mackenzie moved in the Housa yesterday that the committee set up to investigate and report upon a question of privilege raised last week by the member for Wairau, should be granted an extension of time. He explained that the three days originally granted to the committee had expired without its being found possible to call the committee together. It was agreed that the committee should bo granted' three days further time.

The committee is to meet to-day at 10.30 a.m. REFORM PARTY. AN IMPORTANT CONFERENCE. A conference of Reform party delegates i 3 to bo held at Wellington on August 3. Delegates will attend from each of tho various brandies of the Reform League, and tho sitting members of the. party will also attend. Arrangements 'are being made to send at least two delegates from every electorate, and many electorates will send a larger number. The principal business of the conference will be, fo discuss methods of improving tho organisation of the party throughout the Dominion. TARANAKI LEASES. A COMMISSION REPORTS. Tho report of the Commission appointed in April'last to report on the West Coast Settlement Reserve leases, in Taranaki, was presented to Parliament yesterday by tho Hon. W. D. S. Macdonald (retiring Native Minister). Tho findings of the Commission are, briefly, that .none of the lessees should be allowed to surrender their leases. Threo opportunities, it is stated, have been given tliem. of surrendering their leases, and they hayo not availed themselves of such opportunities. Somo of those who hold the leases did not acquire them until tho opportunities of .surrendering them had expired, but it is held by the Commission that the present holders know, or should have known, the conditions under which they took tho transfers. As to whether any lessee was misled by any act of the Public Trustee or any other officer of the Public Trust Department into believing that there was no limit to tho amount of compensation to' which they were entitled under their leases, the Commission states emphatically that not a single witness on behalf of the lessees convinced it that they were so misled.

The third inquiry in tho order of reference poiiQcrnea the. interests of KatiTe

owners. The Commission reports that all the areas leased under the West Coast Settlement Reserves Act, 1881, and _ its amendments, may hereafter be required by the Native owners for their use and occupation. The interests of the Natives, it is stated, furnish another reason, if it were required, for refusing to give another opportunity for conversion. The report states that, as the law stands, the Natives cannot obtain financial assistance from private persons and lending companies. The. Commission states that it cannot recommend any other provision for enabling a Native lesseo to obtain financial assistance save through the Public Trustee. "TIMELY HELP." A potition was presented to the House of Representatives .yesterday by Mr. T. W. Rhodes (Thames) on behalf of 16 settlers of Hauraki Plains. The petitioners ore settlers on the Hauraki Plains, who balloted for their sections in May, 1910. These sections are on what was formerly knovtn as the Piako swamp, which has been drained" by the Government, l. and made fit for cultivation. It appears from the. petitioners' statement that the soil is something churlish, and they cannot pay their rent and feed their families, to sav nothing of their flocks and herds. They complain that there is a groat deal of peat on the land, and neat cannot bo removed at once. The land must bo drained and a great deal of rubbishy growth has to bo burned off. Owing to the wet season this year the 'burn was a failure, and the prospects of grass are poor. Tho settlers see prospect of ultimate succe&s, but meantime they ask that three' years' rent bo Remitted, the' amount so remitted to bo added : to fflie capital value of the land, or. to be'repayable in half-yearly instalments of .£5 after the expiry of the three years' period. They insist that what they fsk for is not "charity" but "timely help." LAND HOLDINGS. A return presented to Parliament on the motion of Mr. Witty sets out tho names of persons and companies owning land valued at ,£20,000 or more (unimproved value). The number of owners of land of values indicated is as follow:— .£20,000 and under £30,000, 157; £40,000 and under £50,000, 59; £50,000 and under £00,000, 39; £60,000 and over, 65. MR. HERRIES ARRIVES TO-MORROW., Mr. W. H. Hemes ■ mil not arrive in Wellington to-day as was expected, for a wireless message from the lonic states that will not arrive until daybreak to-morrow morning. AUSTRALIAN PRESS COMMENT. By TelceraDii—Press Association—CoDyrieht Sydney, July 9. The "Daily Telegraph," in commenting on Mr. T. Mackenzie's defeat, says:— "Whatever happens in the immediate future, things seem to be shaping towards the realignment of parties, probably with the object of forming a strong Liberal party by the union of the two main sections now practically fighting for the name."