A NEW DEVELOPMENT.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1524, 21 August 1912, Page 6

A NEW DEVELOPMENT.

LEASEHOLD AMENDMENT MOVED.

DECISIVELY REJECTED.

ANOTHER ATTACK ON THE DOMINION.

' MR. ISITT'S DIATRIBE.

The proceedings of the House of Repre- T: Bentatives been me rather animated during a.' the debate on the Budget yesterday. , Less than half an hour was devoted to tl] formal business. Answering a question re by the member for Buller, tho Hon. W. M Fraser denied the accuracy of a report, f»r published in The Dominion on August 19, ! that tho Government intended to closo m down the retail State coal depots. c\ Iu reply to Mr.; H. M. Campbell cc , (Hawke's Bay), tho Prime Minister stated Pi that the Government did not intend to tl bring down legislation to increase the annual honorarium paid to members. Although, at the Tising of the House on Friday, Dr. To Rangihiroa had moved tho adjournment, the Opposition did not cc put up a speaker to carry on tho Finan- B cial Debate .'when it was resumed at 2.53 p p.m. Mr. Speaker was putting the ques- jr tion when Mr. R. Scott, Government . member for Tuapeka, Tose.to his feet. Mr. Scott dealt mainly with such as back-country development, irrigation, and tho encouragement of mining. Mr. J. 11. Bradney, who followed, contended in the eouvse of a vigorous speech that too much importance was attached to labour agitation and unrest. The workers of to-day, he declared, had very little to complain about. Mr. J. Craigie (membor for Timaru) provided a mild sensation. At the end of ■a speech of moderate tone lie proposed _ an amendment to the motion before the House (tliat the House should go into % Committee of Supply), providing for the ii rigid conservation of the ' remainder of u tho national estate in land. Mr. Craigie explained that ho was fulfilling a pledge made on tho platform at -Timaru, and in answer to a question by the Prime Minis- (J ter ,he stated that he was acting entirely o upon his own initiative and had not con- | suited the Leader of tho Opposition. It c was not stated who the Leader of tlie s Opposition was. » The debate was carried on before and K after the dinner adjonrhment by Mr. J. , Robertson, member for Otaki, who sup- g ported tho amendment and enlarged upon n the land problem as it is looked at through t Labour spectacles.' Ono effect of the j moving, of tho amendment was emphasised ® when tho Speaker informed Mr. Robertson that ho must restrict himself to the issues t raised in the amendment, unless the Gov- ( ernment accepted it as a no-confidence c motion. Mr. Robertson failed to draw the 1 Prime Minister as to whether he intended ' to accept the amendment as a no-confid- * once motion, and had to bring Tiis speech j to a premature conclusion. 1 Mr. Wilford spoke briefly and an- t nounced that he would oppose the amendment. He predicted that twelve leasehold votes would be cast in the impending j division (not a bad forecast as the event £ proved), and- opined tliat the division 1 would settle the question of land tenure £ for all time. 1 Mr. Laurenson appealed to all reason- j able, fair-minded, and patriotic men to ( support thq retention of the remainder i of the national estate, and Mr. Pearce < replied vigorously as an advocate of tho ' freehold tenure. Mr. Laurenson cited the I case of a tenant (in Scotland) who appeal- ] ed in vain to a hard-hearted landlord, i Mr. Pearce retorted that tho Government < desired to so build up the class of small farmers that no man would be at tho beck ' nnd call of a landlord. , Mr. G. W. Russell stated that he would ( oppose the amendment, although he had always supported the retention in the ' hands of the State of a large portion of tho land of the country. Sir. T. H. Davey (Ohristchurch East) • said that lie had seen a good deal of ( twisting and turning, but that the member for Avon "took tlie cake."' The debate was carried on by Messrs. Ell and E. IV Bollard, and at fivo minutes to nine o'clock a division was taken, with the result that Mr. Craigie's (intendment was defeated by 52 votes to 14. 'The first speaker after the division was Mr. L. M. Isitt, who began by attacking ,Thk Dominion and its editor, and went on ' to attack the Government and its graduated tax proposals. Mr. D. Buick, who followed, commended the Budget proposals seriatim, and finished up with a searching criticism of the appointment of tho Hon. T. Mackenzio as High Commissioner. The debate ' was adjourned, on tho motion of Mr. A. E. Glover, and tho Bouse rose at .1],20 p.m.