PARLIAMENT IN SESSION

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2549, 25 August 1915, Page 4

PARLIAMENT IN SESSION

FOREST RESERVES;. 1 IMPREST SUPPEYx, BILL - \.... \ i THE' COST OF MVJMG. -. ; PRIME MINISTER QN THE WHEAT PROBLEM

: The':- LegtsTaUvo •.Council' . met' at. 2.30 p.m. . ■ /Tho .Whakatane Harbour 'Amendment Empowering Bill and tho Tauranga .Borough Council and Harbour Board Empowering Bill wore introduced from tho: House of Representatives,'and read a-first'time; ' - Tho Tramways Amendment Bill was introduced from tho House of Repre- ; sentatiy'es; and the Standing! Orders : were suspended to. allow it to. pass a!" stages. ■ The. Bill was put through remaining stages and passed;. . '■ • ' SELLING .FOREST RESERVES. . The Hon. G. JONES, moved: "That the Council objects to a: portion of the State forest reserve, situated in Block 11, -Mahurangi Survey District, Rodney : County,. being_. withdrawn from State i forest reservation in order to be disposed of on settlement conditions to tho owner of an adjoining as an addition to his holding." 1 He said that he was convinced the proposal under consideration was singularly unfair, for under it some persons might be favoured at'tho expense of others. ■ The report of the : Committee was to the effect that the 33 acres - were no longer' of use-for forest •reservation. _ It was valued at 15s. per acre. ■ He said that no reason was given why the land should be taken from reservation. As far as he could hear; tjie Government would.have to pay as many '.-..pounds'if-tliey wanted to purchase the . land. If it was only worth los. per acre for' settlement purposes, it would he worth' much more to grow trees'on. It seemed to him the report of the i Commission appointed 'to deal with afforestation was being ignored, and all the time the tree supply was rapidly decreasing. European nations were planting _ trees for - timber . purposes, "and wnil,e they are doing that we .are \ whittling away our timber, reserves for a mess of pottage:" -That day they had another paper suggesting land should be taken from*a forest reserve.: Ho also objected to the land being-given ■as a . gift to those who already held more than tho average holding; it should ' be retained, with other small, areas, for ■ tho soldiers who would return, or for those who had not an acre and had tried for years to get land. This was not an isolated case, for last, year he objected to about 100 acres being given to settlers' who, had contiguous lands. Our State lands were all too small how,, and tlieV should not be given away. Tho Hon. R. MOORE, seconded the motion,- pro -forma, * but said he. proposed to oppose it. They all recognised .'..that'the State land should not be wast- . eel, butv when: it ; was a question of a . small area on which the hush had. Been destroyed, the position Tas different. , If/ it " could • .be oultivated it would. bo betters,than leaving it idle. Ho qiuto admitted the Government should plant trees -on land suitable for that purpose, but mot suitable for cultivation. . ■ The Hon. SIR FRANCIS BELL said that he ; sympathised! so much with'the real object, the hon;, member.:had in. view-that he''Tfigrette,d very hiucli' that he/took the opportunity ; of discussing'.it . on ' this occasion..! Such an important discussion should be taken on a. matter of more importance.' He. felt certain that the Council could not support'him intlie present instance., He wont on to explain- how carefully the matter under consideration was dealt with- before it proposed to sell -the land to the adjoining settler. /He made'it clear that on the general question Jie . strongly, supported conservation, .but .there was anejrtreme/.'dajiger J of" leaving; small ■ areas • of dand:; which had ceased to bo forest, . adjacent to large forests. In the pre- • sent/case the land was adjacent, to a v large forest reserve. • v

• The Hon, SIR WM. HALL-JONES said that-he agreed that this'was not so •bad a, case as the one they had before them ; last year. ' He believed the lion, member; "jvas> actuated solely by a desire to do the best for the country! The land, was land which belonged to the people, and he asked were they disposing of itito the. best advantage? '■. He ventured' to say that if. the land was thrown'-, open to public auction it would bring twico the amount they were to receive for it. They Should have hada report from , the Land-Board.

The Hon. W. 0. F. OARNCROSS said that there: wjis_ «• great principle concerned; a principle that had been neglected:* in/, tko past. Wire-pulling was sometimes indulged in by people to gain fnrther.'land, for there were people who would cut down every tree in tho I)o----niipion if it would permit them to graze another slieep or cow. The Hon. 0; SAMUEL said that tha conservation of our forests had-given, them a great deal of troublo in the past, end it . was not until a comparatively recent date that they had been able to conserve the forests.' There was an in-clination-to gradually reduce them to small areas. I Useless Scraps of Land', 'Tho Hon. J. DUTHIE did not think the prop'qser of the motion had shown sufficient to warrant his challenge to the Committee's report; These scraps of .land over tho country were a useless pest to the neighbourhood,' and it;;,was.,Essential that they should :be putiin-'the hand's.of somo persons.who. iwriiiid prevent noxious- weeds growing on them. The Lands Committee. had given careful consideration to all mat— ters wheiyhe was connected' with it. The officers of the Department had also to he trusted; .when they, made reports .on .these areas. • . .

The Hon. J. BARIi said that some of the arguments that afternoon were a direct incentive to settlers in outlying parts to' denude small areas of forest' reserves;with the hope of getting'the land.- ; . Tho Hon. W. EARNSHAW thought that they should support tho motion if it was only to compel tlie Government to put up every piece of such land to public competition. They should not alj'owc the' land to be "mopped" up in such way. The lion. G. JONES said that lie was very pleased that he had brought forward the motion, for it had aroused the Council out of- its somnolence. (Laughter.)- ' A member: "Much, ado about noG: Jones': Well, the lion, member should have said something. (Laughter.) He contended that if the land was not fit for cultivation it should be left as n forest reserve. Jt.it was fit for 'cultivation it .should .be given to'those pe<)ple'Who.cquld'iiot get lana. ' The motion 1 was lost by 12 votes to o. expeditklnary force bill". '. The Expeditionary Forco Bill was received' from' the '*Hotis©; of tiv.es. and read a first time. : Tne Staguing Orders .were sus^ndedj

The Hon.' SIR FRANCIS BELL moved tho second reading. Ho said that he would move the committal tlio following day, when'ho would fully, explain tho "Bill. • The Hon.. J. T. PAUL referred to tlie discussion in the '-House On Clause 28, permitting mobilisation of the militia duvinc a time of war, .and making a time of ivar in Europe a. time of war in New Zealand. Anything that ■' would tend to put an end to the power of the man who had been, referred, to as anything, from tho ".mad dog of Europe" to the "Supremo War Lord," would have b'is hearty approvaj. Referring to recruitiua.' ho said that the long lapse between tho. time, a man enlisted and the time he was called up, was a seriojis obstacle in the way. It was a pity some machinery could not be put into ' operation to let men go in at once. Tlie Hon. Sir >Francis Bell: Wo are short of training officers. The Hon. Mr. Paul: "I am not making this an indictment against the Bill." He said that there had been some talk of conscription, biit he would like to see the' Empire come through the struggle without anything than a call to the common patriotism and love of country of every man. ' The Hon. Sill WM. HALL-JONES said that he ' was sorry ,to hear the Leador say that the shortage of instructors was one reason why more men were not. called up. He would like to see double tho number sent to end the striiesle. He believed the compulsory calling up of the militia in tifiis of need was 'desirable. The lack of some such'system was-to be regretted at Home. There was a limit to voluntary effort. ' The Bill was read a second time. Tho Council rose at 4-20 p.m. till 2.30 p.m. to-day.