PARLIAMENT IN SESSION.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1827, 13 August 1913, Page 8

PARLIAMENT IN SESSION.

PUBLIC TRUST OFFICE.

FORCEFUL REPLY TO CRITICISM.

LOCAL BODIES' LOANS.

MUNICIPAL LAW-THE ELECTION OF MAYOR.

The House of Representatives met at 2.30 p.m. > The Commercial Bank of Australia (Limited) Hill (Air. A. M. Myers) and the il'Dougall Truist Estate Bill .(11 r. E. I*. Lea) were read a second time. The Ilon. IV. I'. MASSEY gave notice of liis intention to introduce tho Auckland "Weekly••• Ha lf-liol id ay Bill. THE RECIPROCITY TREATY; lir. T. BUXTON (Temuka) aske<l a question without notice. It had been staled, he.said, that tne Minister for Customs sucetsafully had'negotiated a reciprocal tariff treaty with Australia, but New Zealand tradois were!entirely in the dark 1 as to tlio terms of the treaty; or as to; what the position was. it was very important, in view .df'thi fact that ill New Zealand goods were Wugnt aud sojd for future delivery from aLroud; that traders should know whou the change in the tariff was likely to come, if it was to come at all. Ho ■wished to know what the position wai>. Mr. A. M. MI'EKS (Auckland lvast; asked whether the .Minister lor Customs had had an opportunity of discussing tariff reciprocity with the'Ministw' for-.Customs lor the Do'iiiinidp of Canada (Air. Foster), and, if t.o;'wnethor it was likely that the present reciprocal treaty between Jiew 'Zealand and Canada. was likely to bo extended. . LUr. T. M. WILFOIiD (Ilutt) asked: Whether, consicUiring that the' treaty 'hasbeen successfully negotiated, !yee can' see it? ' The Hon. W. F. MASSEY; The hon. gentleman will be able to 'see it when it is laid on the table of the House. He went on to a-eply" to the member for Temuka. 'The lion. member should ' know that a change of Government had taken place in Australia, aud as soon as the present Government -notified the Government of New ZeoAaml. as to whether they would accept the treaty or nut, their decision would l>e laid before Parliament. Nothing could be settled without the approval of Parliament. He could assure the lion, member that sufficient notice, would be given to traders before, any chaugo in the tarilf was made. The Hon. F.>M. B. FISiIEU said that a conference had taken place ill Melbourne of the Ministers for Customs for Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. An..attempt had been mado'to bring about a-reciprocal agreement tor the three countries, but'unfortunately it had failed. _ With regard to the point raised by tlio member lor Temuka, lha wished' to say that the skite : ment that the treaty had been successfully iiegotiated meant only that tho document was signed'and awaited ratification by Parliament. Owing to the / chango ol' Government in Australia, the Now Zealand Government did'not know 'whether tho neiv Australian Administration was going to carry out the' compact of its predecessors. Until this was known here, tho treaty could not ba kid on the table of tie Housra. LOCAL BODIES' LOANS. THE NATIVE LAND. DIFFICULTY. ' The Hon. J. ALLEN (Minister for Finance) moved that thie amendments made by tho Committee in the Local Bodies' Loans Bill bo agreed to. Un the motion that the-Bill be read a third time, ' - ' .The ■ Ho®. ■ A; ■ T. NGATA (Eastern Maori) urged the llinistw to make an amendment of the existing law, governing the power of the State Advances Board to grant loans. The law at present a loan should not l>e granted on the security of a sptcial rate, unless the rateable vaiuo of so much of the rateable property as consisted of Native lands or Grown lands was" less than two-thirds of the ratenblo value of all title rateable property on which the rate was levied. He suggested that the Minister ought to accept an amendment to exclude from tho commutation ■ Native land held under lease granted cither directly, by, or on behalf of tlio Native - owners. He argued that the important. point was the security .for the rate, and ,if the la'nd was held for long terms by responsible people who would pay the rate, ' tho bccurity should bo good enough for State advances. Owing to the amount of Maori lands in his district, it would be impossible for the district to be opened up and developed without assistance iroiu tho Government. Owing to tho fact that the land was a graziers' country, the assistance of the Government ' would never be sufficient, and it was imperative that the settlors should be able to raise 'loans for reading. Mr. V. D. S. MACDONALD. (Bay of Plenty) endorsed what ill'. Ngata had said. A great deal of the Native lands was now under European occupation, and it was more necessary than ever before that they should lie opened up. Mr. C. K. WILSON (Tauniarunui) said this was another instance of how Native lands were blocking settlement in the country. He 'would' urge the Minister, if it was possible to do so, to make Native lands less . obstructive than they were now, and: to accept .Mr. Ngata/s amendment if he could safely do so. •'.• The Hon. 'J. ALLEN?s'aidthe matter was not quite an easy -one to settle. There were - many, technical, difficulties. He believed, that sumo further steps should be taken to accept Native land rates a.s security!', ami if ho could safely accept Mr. Ngata's proposal ho would accept it. At aiiy rate,, the law draftsmen liad the clause under consideration"," and if tho amendment could be safely made ho would introduce the amendment later. The third reading was . agreed to oil the voices. STATE ADVANCES. THE NATIVE LEASES ACjAIN. Amendment* in the Stato Advances Bill 'were introduced by Governor's Message. The Hon. X ALLEN 'explained;,that ;th'e amendment:),' were io correct a misprint in one case, and to make a clause leh'.cin*: to sinking funds operative. The clause had been discovered to be defective in structure, and it had ibeen redrafted. There was no alteration in the principle of the Bill made the -amendments. He moved that tlio Stutt Advances Bill be recommitted, to. permit of the amendments being inserted in the Bill. In Committee, Mr. ALLEN moved that the proviso tc Clause IS relating to cumulative borrowing authorities under tho Act should be deleted. ' i These authorities were increasing rapidly, and there was not sc much need -how, When repayments wer< being made','as there was formerly foi tho Government to retain cumulative borrowing powers. The proviso was struck out, and thf amendments ■ introduced by Governor'! Message agreed to. The Bill was reported as amended, ant the Hon. J.' Allen moved that it be real a third time. ' Mr. W. D. S.-MACDONALD (Bay o: Plenty) and V. H. REED (Bay o Hands) again-raised tho question of tin advisability 'of making leases under th Main Land' Settlement Act of 1909 secur iti- far advances tinder' the Act. The Hon.' W. H. HEERIES (Ministe fW-Native Affairs) said that the reasoi for tlue of theso Native leas? from the Act was ,r.ot due. to slow wor. in the Labour Department. The matte had been the' subject'of voluminous corn snondencc between tho Native Departmen •uvl the Taxing Department, anddt wa only recently that the Native fte.parl jpeiit had received the legal opinion o ' which tho distinction between the 15(1 ar.d the 1905 leases was.based, tor hi own P<".rt, he thought the difference wa onCv fc microscopic one, but if the 150 teases were wrong in any way he wcul

have them put right in the Native Bill this se.-^ioii. The Hon. J. ALLEN said that as scon as tiro leases wore liiailo safe securities, the Government would redeem their promise to make it pdaaib'.e. to' have loans granted-to les-tes. This'could be done either by amendment introduced in tho 'Lngislativo Council, or by Ordcr-in-Coiincil. The Bill was read . a third tiino on the voices. METHODIST UNION BILL. The Methodist-Union Bill (the Hon. W. F. Jlassey) was committed, reported without amendment, read a third time, and passed.