THE COUNCIL.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1579, 24 October 1912, Page 6

THE COUNCIL.

,fli'lj'STATE-iNOTE ISSUE. The Legislative Council met at 2.30 ._- -yesterday afternoon. Tho Hon. T. KELLY moved that there be laid upon tho tablo of the Council the dispatch from the Eight Hon. Earl Grev to Lieutenant-Governor. Grev dated February 2, 1847. The mover pointed out that the dispatch in qnestion dealt with the matter of a Staf o Note ' Issue and f showed that-'this question, which is now i . in the minds of many had been in the minds of ■ statesmen C 5 years ago. In his opinion it was necessary for tho ad-

vancement of New Zealand and the re- \ printing of the dispatch ,-nt the present ftago would bo for tho convenience of

membeis. . THei Hon. H. D. BELL said tho dispatch in question had been printed in an ani i eient gazetto. -He did not quite understand what advantage the Hon. Mr. Kelly expected to obtain by the laying on the ' table of a paper which had already been ■printed in tho Gazette. However, hs \ would leave the matter to the Council. i Tho motion was carried.i ' TOWN BOARDS' AMENDMENT. Tho Hon. H. D. BELL introduced the ' Town Boards' Amendment Bill which ■was road a first time and set down for ; its second reading to-morrow. Tho Bill' ,' provides, amongst other things, that after tho presentation, to the Governor of a ' petition praying that.any locality be constituted a town district the Governor may, if he thinks fit, direct a Commission, consisting of the Commissioner of Crown Lands and the officer in charge of tho valuation district in which the locality, is situated, to inquire and report to Mm as to tho suitability for municipal control of the locality defined in the petition, and to make such alterations of tho boundaries as they deem advisable. AUCKLAND HARBOURS BILL. , .The Hon. S. T. GEORGE moved the second reading of the Auckland Harbour Board Bill. During tho course of the discussion on the Bill several members took exception to the long term of lease provided for, considering that the land concerned might in the course of' time become extremely valuable. The Hon. S. T. GEORGE remarked that tho leases in question already had a long I term to run and unless some inducement .was given to the lessees to surrender their present leases and take the 50 years they would not do so'nor would they be iii--1 duced to erect up-to-date buildings which . was one of tho objects the Bill had in .view. l In Committee on tho Bill ' The Hon. .r. E. JENKINSON moved that the term of lea.se "bo reduced from 50- years to 21 years. i The Hon. S.' T. GEORGE opposed tho amendment which ho said would really mean, asking tho lessees to take a shorter lease than they now held. Some, of tho leases had still from 32,t0 .38 .years to Tun, so that the leoso was not really for ,50 years. ' The amendment was lost on the voices. Tho Hon. J. AN'STEY moved au omendIment that, the Harbour Board should, at. the end of the lease, be obliged to pay the lessee the value, or a portion of the value, of. improvements made, but this also was lost. Tho Bill was reported without nmend--1 ment and was put through its final stage and passed, TAIERI LAND DRAINAGE. In Committee on the -Taieri Land Drainage Bill. . : The Hon. Sir GEO. M'LEAN moved that Clause fi, which preserves tho fishing rights of tho Natives over Lake Tntawai be struck out and replaced by a. new clause which, he urged, gave every, j protection to Natives. 'Tho original clause . he sa.id enabled the Maoris to hold up the whole work of the Drainage Board and ho did not think tho Natives themselves wanted to do this... '■ \ , After a lengthy discussion the new clauso was agreed to. The Bill was reported with amendment and was. subsequently put through its' final stage and passed. h PUBLIC SERVICE BILL. ,The. Hon. H. D. BELL moved the thud reading of tho Public Servico Bill, , This was agreed to after a short discussion. Tho Hons. J. 33. Jenkiuson and J. T. Paul remarked on the courtosy displayed by tho Leader of the Council in meeting tho suggestions miulo whon the Bill was in Committee. 'The Bill was passed. iho Council .rose, afc.-35.25 pan, j