RAILWAY SERVANTS.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1893, 30 October 1913, Page 4

RAILWAY SERVANTS.

Tho' Legislative Council sat at 2.80 jun,_j The. New Zealand Society of Accountants Amendment Bill (the Hon. H. D. Bell) Was . introduced and read a' first .time./. .-' fj' ' '■ ;; ; jhe;land BILL, V : ■ PASSAGE .THROUGH COMMITTEE; The'Jjand Laws Amendment Bill was committed.- '' ''(4 riie-Hon. H...D. Bell explained. that, tho amortdments'insertod' ; by the. Lands Comniirtteo introduced no ne\y principles.. TlioiHon. J;;,E. Jenkinson mftveu an amondfnent to Clause. 10, which; provides that {every person acquiring an allotment of Crown.or settlement land, and subsequently 'disposing of it by assignment', or sublease shall.bo disqualified for tls; period of ten .years after such disposition from' acquiring ariy interest in Crown or pettlemont .-land.^-Mr., Jenkinson moved to : add stojthe cWtlso tho words "except' by TVilli ■ or mortgage." He argued that it was'a hardship that a maa'Having acquired and sold a holding, yhowevei 1 small, shouldibe deEarred from receiving land by succession,, or. in some .similar., way for ten-years. . ' ■ ■.. ThCHonr H. D. Bell asked ftlwt consideration' ; of.-jlthe;amendment should be postponed.'promising to give it' doii- " : " Revaluation' Proposals. ' 7 Softie; opposition His offered' to Clause 13, vfliich ;provides' that- certain Crown lands'iiow. leased fit ; too vhigh rentals EhoufdAo'reValued.'' "" ThfetHdn.'J. T.: Pnul " moved; to add ■to tho clause the words:,.'' Provided that such 'reduction of rent shall not operate for a''period of-more'.than five years." . ThS'Hon.'.Captain Tucker said he happened 'io know that there was need for the clause,'-and he did' not .think very many-settlers -would avail themselves. of it. , The amendment was rejected by 20 votes to'; 6.; :. :,. r V. •

• ' .. Buying the Freehold. • ' - The Hoif. J. Anstey moved to add to the clause " the' 1 following proviso:— "Provided that if tHo lessee or licensee of the said ■ land' hereafter acquires the fee-simple thersqf, the price of tho land shall by referonco to the original' Valuation,' and not.to, the valuation uwlnv this section." The Hon. H. D. Bell, said the principle of'.'the clause was quite clear-r- ---, that the present tenant should-not bo put in a worse position than a tenant would Ixi 'who succeeded him after for- • ' feiture. Jle -would, not, accept the amendment. ' ,iV' m The iinendmcnt '.was rejected, by 1J votes to 6.;, •;'« „ Too High Rents: The Hon. J. Anstev. moved .to .amend Clause 21. •. The clause; lays down. special ' provisions, for the disposal of lands comprised iii forfeited.'or. sijrren''tiered leases. Among the • provisions was one to the offcct that tho rpnt or price should be fixed by tho board, and should not be less than tho ront payable undef the' forfeited or'surrendered lease or'license, or the value ,ut>on which such reiii was calculated; Mr.' Anstey said that this would mean _that the land would remain in the hands of the hoard, because if leases were forfeited the reason probablv would bo that the rents wero too high.- He therefore move:! to allow tho board to dispose of the' land by sale or lease at less than the . former rate if Minister approved.- • ' ', , w The Hon. H. D. Bell accented the amendment, which was l carried on tho voices. .' Liind for City Dwellers.In : Clause ■ 22, which permits _ town,' dwellefs to'take up. Crpwn land IB tho. country Vrithout being required to reside upon it, tho" Hon.' H. D. Bell moved to increase tho limit of income for persons to whom the clauso should apply from £300 t0;.£850. Tho amendment - was. agreed ;to. . . , ■ Clause-. 22,' dispensing with compulsory resilience- in certain cases,- was discussed at'considerable length. Faulty System of the Past. The Hon, J. Duthie, supporting the clauso, condemned the system of land eeHleracttt/ii'ow- obtaining, in Now Zealand. Thero were, ho said,'great blocks of land, mostly rough country, -along, the route of- tlie Main'.Think .line'cut up into, small holdings. This merfnt that the cost of reading these areas would bo enormous and- tho result was that thoy : could not be roaded. Families went on to these small , sections and could not make a living. Some increased iheir holdings /b.y buying a neighbouring section arid then arose the cry - - of aggregation; but it should be the aim of Parliament to make our laws so that;our people would not bo unwilling to go on-tho land as they wero now. Parliament should -not,;after 20 years of Liberal' legislation, havo' to dragoon people to go on the land. Tho law ought to bo such that ' everybody should want to go on the land and live thero the'-independent, life of the farmer, .As. things wore nowHhd -Itind ofitho.'wjrthIsland was cut up into such small blocks that people could not make, a living on it. -Tho cry for reading of the backblocks was largely duo to a misconception'of how land should bo, settled. It should bo the aim of the Government now< to undo tho troublo caused by tho bad of the past, and to allow such aggregation as would enable a man to bring up his family dccently in tho country. Under tho present system,"many people spent ye.ars trying to get ion the land.. Tho ballot system was;so much humbug; it retarded tho gennino settler from gotting on the land, but encouraged other people who weri' not settlers to go to land ballots as they might go to the totalisator. This childish cry that every holder of a back-block scction should bo compelled to live on it was simple nonsonso. Tho present Bill did not entirely solvo all -^'he-difficulties but it went a long way towards making settlement on the land desirable to many people.

■ Clauses Retained. Ia the end a. motion by tho Hon. J. Anstey that tho clauso bo struck out was' defeated by 19 votes to 7. Tho ;Hon." J. Anstoy moved that Clause 26, exempting a lessee from residence on small grazing runs of Crown lands, "after-ho had be«n ton years m residence on tho run, be deleted. The clause, was retained by lb votes *°Tho Hon, J.:

INCREASE FOR FIRST DIVISION. BEER DUTY BILL A PROPOSAL TO DOUBLE THE TAX.

Clause 28 permitting licensees of Hauraki lands to acquire tlie freehold bo struck out. He objected to tho granting of_a particularly advantageous tenure to'people in the district in preference to similar settlers in otlier. districts. Ho urged also that the lands Bhould have beon retained by tho Government and leased on a secure tenure. Tho Hon. H. D. 801 l said he had received a telegram approving tho Bill from the secretary of the Miners' alid Prospectors' Association of Thames, tho Mayor of Thame's, the chairman of tlio County Council,; and tlie Chamber <f Commerce. -. clause was retained on tlie ■Toices; •••• • ' On Clause 30, whic'h permits certain tenants to acquire tho freehold, the Hon. J. Austey moved an amendment to limit tie effect of tho clause by denying the right of the freehold to tho holders of. leases of small grazing runs of Crown and settlement land. Tlie amendment was rejected by 9 votes to 7. ' • • On t'he same clause tho Hon. H. D. Bell moved an amendment, which was carried, prohibiting tho acquisition, of the freehold of Village Settlement lands in excess of tlie maximum holdings permitted for, such areas undor leasehold. - Progress was reported, and the Council rose at midnight.