THE HOUSE

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2209, 23 July 1914, Page 4

THE HOUSE

!■' The House of Representatives met at 2.30 p.m. . -• Mr. J. M'COMBS (Lyttelton) gave, notice to introduce the Legislative Amendment Bill and 'the. Industrial Unions and Trades Unions Bill.Mr, J. PAYNE (Grey Lynn) gave notice,of his intention to'movo m Committee amendments to. the' .Licensing Amendment Bill, to provide for compulsory voting, and for tho reduction of the majority required to carry Na-, tional Prohibition from - 55 per cent, to 51 per confc.

.FIRST READINGS. The Dunedin City Council Empowering Bill (Mr. C. E. Statham) and the New Zealand Loans Amendment Bill (the Hon. J. Allen) were introduced and read a first time . v . .»•.

BETTERMENT PRINCIPLE. APPLIED TO RAILWAYS. Mir. : R. M'CALLUM (Wairau) moved the'second reading of the Railway Improved' Lands Bill! Ho said that 12 the principle of the Bill, under the, name of tho Betterment, Bill,, was approved. Consequently he would be very brief this time. The country had lost many millions of pounds •'through not carrying out tho .policy' of Sir Julius Vogel of IS7O. The Bill was on attempt,to .get'-backitoithat'-policy. It was objected now tliat it would bb unfair to the large landholders. There ; we're still inany..;valuablo estates,that iy'ould-,-be'.benefited'by the future'-rail-way polioy. Suroly it was a fair thing that the largo landholder., whoso property would be benefited by those railways should pay -something to. tho country'• which Was carrying out. tho' work. ■• By clause 12 of this Bill he had provided' that the landholder, through whoso property a railway went, need not pay a penny in cost. Ho could cede aiportion of land to tho Government for. closer' settlement. 'That was an improvement on the Bill of-last year; This, year he had also included Nativo lands, which could ■■ bo dealt with separately. This year lands not possessing an unimproved value* of a greater amount than £5000 had been exempted from the provisions of the.-Act. Last year the unimproved value: was £2000, but he' thought it. wise to raise the amount. Thero was no doubt the Government was committed to a- railway policy; "Absurd and Unfair." Mr. G. V. PEAIICE (Patea) said he would oppose tho Bill and call a division upon it. - He considered tho Bill an absurd and most unfair one. Under the proposals in, tlio Bill tlie lands: already, served by railways.would pay no betterment, ."while 'the lands to be served'by new railways would have to pay. In any case he,challenged the" truth of the statement that all the increased • value of the land was caused by the railways. , Mr. G. .WITTY-XRiccarton). supported the Bill. . „'•: Mr. L. M. ISITT (Christchnrch North) said it .was a-great pity the railways, pf tho country had been built on the principle on which they had' been built '—without some sort of betterment scheme. The present system favoured the big landownpratthe.expense of the rest of the community..'' .. Mr. W. A..';YEITCH (Wangauui) approved tho principle in. the Bill, though not of all tho details. in it. Mr. F. H„ SMITH (Waitaki) pointed' out that there-Tvero, other improvements which added value to land—sucli as tramways and harbour' works—and no betterment principle was applied to such added 'values. - ■;' '. ,: Mr.; G. W. RUSSELL (Avpn)" said the principle, pf betterment was absolutely sound; the objections to it were only on the ground .that it wpuld bo difficult ef applioaiipri. -i Mr. : G. J. ' ANDERSON (Mataura). said he thought it would havo been a very good thing if tho bcttermont principle bad been applied to all railroad construction in New Zealand. Now it could bo applied fairly, onlj to branch, lines, and ho. believed it should be so applied. . . Mr. AV. D. S. MACDONALD (Bay of Plenty) said that if he had his way he Would do alvay with'even the little betterment that was applied under our present law. It was a very unfair system. He could see nothing fair or reasonable in the Bill. Mr. C. K: WILSON (Taunfarunui) agreed with tho member for the Bay of Plenty that tho Bill contained a. proposal that was improper and inequitable/ ■ ■'■ : The debato was carried on by Mr. J. A; Hanrin, Mr. H. G. Ell, and Mr. J. Payne, who supported tho Bill, and Mr. C. A. Wilkinson and Mr. J. G. Coates, Who opposed it. I At -11.25 p.m. the debato was adI jom-iied, on the motion of the'Hoil. J. Allen, and the House rose.