PARLIAMENT

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2797, 15 June 1916, Page 7

PARLIAMENT

SOLDIERS AND THE LAND A SETTLEMENT SCHEME DISCUSSED : WAR PENSIONS The Legislative Council met at 2.30 p.m. Tho Military Service Bill -was received from the House of Representatives, and read a. first time. The second reading was set down for to-day. The Hon. W. BEEHAN asked the Leader of, the Council whether in case of any amendment being made to tho Old Age Pensions Act the Government would provide that the Act should apply to residents of the Kermadec Islands. Mr. Beehan mentioned a case of hardship. ■ SIR FRANCIS BELL said that the Government would make inquiries to ascertain Whether such an amendment was, necessary.. If, however, there was a person affected, that person should petition Parliament this session.- It might be possible to remedy an individual. grievance without an- amendment of the Act. SIR FRANCIS -BELL informed the Council that' 'he proposed ;to take tho second Trending. ,of the Military Servico Bill to-day, sitting in- the evening ,if necessary ,to complete the debate.; lhcn he proposed to take the committal on Friday. . Possibly by that time other Bills would come from- another place, and if there was time they, could be dealt with; But in,any case tho Council would not adjourn beyond Tuesday. The New Zealand. Insurance Company Trust Bill was .received from the House of. Representatives, and • read a first time. The ...Council rose at 2.57- p.m.

THE HOUSE

.. The House of Representatives met", at 2.30 p.m. •' Three days'- leave - of . absenco wero granted to Mr. -H. G. Ell on account of. .illness in his. famUy. : A PRIVATE BILL. 11 r.: A.' S. MALCOLM' presented the report of-'the Private Bills Committee on the New Zealand Insurance Company •Trust Bill, a private Bill in charge' Of. Mr. J. S. Dickson .(Parneli). The report stated .that tho Committee had gone "carefully through the Bill. There was some 1 diii'crenee..of opinion as to whether tho company should not be required to set aside a portion of "its assets, specially". ear-niarlc6d, to .meet any liability that'might arise out of its operations'iti the business of trustees. The'company, from its- balance-sheet; appeared "to 'be in a, strong ; financial position. llr. Witty: What is the' amount of the company's capital? : ' Mr. J. ..Si. Dickson':. Over one and a half millions. . . ' Mr. Malcolm shid-that other companies doinff trust business were required to mako special provision in regard to security. However, a majority of tho members of the Committee decided that they -would'not require' this in:the present' case; - but he had /been informally asked by tho members of tho: Committee to suggest i to the Minister : of Finance the desirability: of asking all companies talcing up trust business to. take out fidelity bonds with other, companies. The report was agreed to and. the Bill was read, a third time; and passed. - .. ALLEGED GERMAN TEACHER. ■ Mr. J. VIGOR'BROWN (Napier) inquired of the Prime; Minister, without notice, if ho wore aware that the teacher at-the Native school of Waiotapu was a German; and was now 'at' Rotorua taking part in the teachers' physical training class there, much to the . disgust 'of other teachers. The Eight Hon. W. F. MASSEY (Prime . Minister) etatea.. that; this,.was the, first he .had \he'ard : bf the matter. He. did not know of) any' Germans, employed by this Department or any other, and fancied it' was contrary, to an Act which was passed last year. However, he-would have inquiries made, into the matter. RAILWAYMEN'S INCREASE. . Mr.'J..PAYNE ,(Grey Lynn) inquired of the Minister of -Railways if the shilling a. day increase which had been granted to the permanent railway men had. been stopped or withdrawn; l'f so, why? The Hon. W; H.HERRIES.replied that the ■ advance had not been stopped. It would be paid as soon as the House voted it. FIRST. READINGS. ; The' following Bills were introduced and read a-first time:—Auckland- CityParts Improvement' and Empowering Bill (the Hon'. A. M. Myers), .Napier High School Board of Governors Bill (Mr. J. Vigor' Brown). WAR PENSIONS AMENOM ENT BILL, The War Pensions Amendment Bill, embodying further-amendments to the War Pensions Bill, was introduced by Governor's Message. .' . ' ' The Hon. J. ALLEN, Minister of Defonce, explained the purport of the four or five ■ amendments. Tlie' first. amend- ■ ment (in Clause 3) did away with the necessity of the oath of allegiance as a qualification. for a pension as under tho new -Military Service - Bill it would not; be required. In Clause 9 an amendment was made abolishing the limitation of i ,£6OO as applied to: a wife's income, and 1 enabling her to receive a pension as of right, no . matter, what her income was. New sub-clauses were added to Clause 12 enabling the -benefits of the Bill to be extended to the officers and crew of tho I\ T ew_ Zealand transports' under oertain conditions; The aim of this eonccssion ■was to induce the officers. and crew to remain in the service of the Government until the end of tho war. The pensions would be payable only in this, event of the officers and crew entering, into a- contract to continue on board .the vessel until , the termination of the_ ■ war. .' No pension would bo payable if compensation wero made under the Workers' Compensation Act, 1908. A new. sub-ciause. provided that where a pension had'been refused to an applicant on .the ground of bad character, such applicant, if he or. she felt aggrioved, might appeal to a Stipendiary Magistrate for an investigation, such Magistrate to report to the board, which shall then act as it-thinks proper,; A new sub-clause, lib, extended .the provisions. as .to a trustee receiving pennons for persons unable properly to-look after their own affairs. The Bill was read a first time.

LAND SETTLEMENT

FOR DISCHARGED SOLDIERS SECOND READING The PRIME MINISTER (the . Eight Eon. W. F. Massey), in moving'the second readiDg of the Discharged Soldiers' Settlement Amendment bill, said it was tho duty of the State, to 'provide land for soldiers, and to place them on the land. The demand on tho part of soldiers for such land had not been heavy up to the last two months, but then a heavy demand had set in, and been maintained. New Zealand, however, while anxious to do its duty to these soldiers, had to recognise that there was practically no first-class Crown land left. There was a considerable area of second-class land, but even this land was often remote and difficult of access, both by road and Tailway. He wanted to say, in justice to the officers of the Land Department, that all of them, from the Commissioner down to the cadets, were doing their level best to provide laud for tKoso who needed it. Mr. Witty: What about Native land? Mr,. Massey. Wo are buyiug Native land as we £et the opportunity. That was the position up to the present. Even large blocks of privately-owned land ■were not so easily obtainable as some people imagined them to be. Honourable members would see that in the Bill the Government was taking power to take private land compulsorily, whenever it became necessary. What they were trying to do was'to provide small sections iultablo foi; poultry, farms and fruit

farms, but also agricultural and pastoral sections to rueet. all demands. It was their duty to do everything possible for these returning soldiers, not only for their own sakcs, but also for the sake of the country and the Empire. Sir Rider Haggard's Schome, In this connection ho referred to the visit of Sir llider Haggard to New Zealand. This was not only to obtain land in this country for Imperial soldiers, but to endeavour; so far as possible, to direct the stream of emigration from the United Kingdom which was expected to take placo after the war to the overseas Dominions within the Empire, rather than to alien countries. _ li these _ men were allowed to go to alien countries it would strengthen them and weaken us. The area of good land here was limited, and our own soldiers had first claim upon us, as he had made perfectly clear to Sir Eider Haggard. He had written to Sir Rider Haggard assuring him of the full' sympathy of the Government, but pointing out, on the lines he had indicated, that four own soldiers were entitled to first' treatment. Ho had promised that the ' Government would give preference to discharged Imperial service men over other classes of immigrants, and would also grant assisted passages to men approved by the London representative, of the New Zealand Government, livery member, 6aid Mr. Massey, would endorse what; had been promised in this connection. ' Work Already Done. ■ Returning- again to discussion of what the Government had done to, ltflp returned soldiers to ■ get land, Mr. Massey explained that no single man of military age who had not served with the forces was allowed to take part in a ballot for land; and that a member of the forces cpuld, by proxy, take, part in such a ballot. He explained also, the extent of the concessions given to Crown tenants going on active service, and the steps taken to make it easy for returned soldier settlers to get advances from the Government to enable them to work their land. • The rules made regarding advances were framed to protect the, interests of the State, and to be as generous as possible to the settler. Mr. Massey- detailed the Government scheme ■at considerable-length, reading a set of very complete instructions regarding details issued to 1 commissioners of Crown lands in every district in New Zealand. These details had, he said, been very carefully' thought.- out, although certain precautionary measures were necessary.

' The Land Available. '; The Crown. Lands Department had set apart about 500,000 " acres of land, of which iOO.OOO acrcs was, however, only tentatively set aside. All this land might, not. be suitable, and all of it might not be required.: But his instructions .to' the Department , were to make preparation if possible for placing 5000 . soldiers on the land. He did not mean to say: that these men would all be placed .on the land in the noxt year or two :'yeaTS. . They might not all bo settled for five years. ' Mr.' Witty: How-long will it take you.to acquiro private lands? . .Mr. .Massey: So.' far as private la.nds are .concerned, we are in negotiation now for four,or five blocks. .. . I quite expect that the acquisition of'the necessary private lands'will occupy two or three years. But when the soldiers came back they were not anxious to settle down at once, and one could'not find fault with them for.'this.. So it,might happen that' this scheme would-last, for at least five years from the. present date. He read a list,of- the lands reserved in different parts of New Zealand. Unfortunately, as lie said,, there was very little land available in Canterbury. . Mr. Witty: What about the rung falling in? : . Mr. Massey: In the opinion of the Lands Department, and in my own opinion, very few of these runs are Suitable for settlement by soldiers. Among the j! blocks mentioned by Mr. Massey was one of from 25,000 to 30,000 acres in the Wairarapa 'district, for which the Government. was negotiating. He had been rather disappointed, at the outset to find that blocks of good land were not plentiful, and lie would be glad, if any honourable member .would advise him of any block of-'suitable land' in his district. He had been informed, however, that up till - June 1; 106 soldiers were supplied with sections. A good . deal had been done-since June and it was probable that up till now 140 or 150 soldiers had been supplied tfith sections. And tha demands were-increasing. : Mr. 'Massey went on to explain the Bill clause by clause, and the meaning and effect .of every section. . . ■ Drastic Action Advocated. ! Mr. J. T. it. HOENSBY (Wairarapa) six>ke, on the general principle of the Bill, and: of the need for doing the best possible for .'returned soldiers. It was idle, he said,: tor us to think of finding.larid for soldiers of the British Ariiiy. These, men should-be sup|)iied with land, by ,the landlords of England. The British ' soldiers should be repatriated, not oxp'airiatod, and it would be wrong for us to perpetuate a wrong, by finding land for tiieui. here. ' Mr. W. A. VEi'i'CH (Wanganui) said that the Bill was undoubtedly a good Bill; He would point out, however, that tho Government ( proposed no relief for relatives of soldiers who had served, and for soldiers who did not want to go on the land. He urged that the Government should, take steps «t once, .to tackle the land settlement problem- with energy,' and to this end 'the Government should inaugurate and carry out a scheme of compulsory land purchase. He advocated compulsory land cliase at the land tax value, the Government to make payment in 5, per, cent, debentures. '' It would be useless and unfair to send returned soldiers on to bush sections. The Government should acquire the highly-improved big estates adjacent to our railways and main road systems. Advances to returned soldiers ■were provided for. But, more than advances were required.- These soldiers must-be given money in order to be able to get on their feet, and one possible way of providing for these grants would be by subsidising patriotic funds sufficiently to make it possible for the societies to help-soldiers materially.

.Administration the Difficulty. Mr. E. NEWMAN (Rangitikei) defended the Piirno Minister against 'the general charge of the member for Wanganui that the Government had not shown a real desire' to deal with the land settlement problem.. Since he (Mr. Newman) had been in Parliament he had never known a Minister of Lands so keenly interested in land settlement as Mr. Massey had shown himself to be. Mr. Newman reminded the member for Wanganui, also, that there was a Discharged Soldiers' Information Department, which was doing' valuable work in the assist-, ance of returned soldiers who did not wish to go on the land. Tho success of this Bill would depend on the .administration of it. One difficulty which must bo reckoned with was that the returned soldiers would not be an easy class to deal with. The life of adventure and excitement they had led at the war, the discipline to which they had been subjected, and the companionship they had enjoyed in tho Army would tend to make them disinclined for a quiet life in the oountry. He knew of the sons of a settler wlio before they went to the war were quits content with their life on the farm, but now that they had come back from the war they found country life intolerably dull. He disputed the assertions of the member fo: Wairarapa .that the land of England was no longer- held by the farmers. Tho truth was that there was no country m the world so well farmed as England and Scotland, and the English and the Scotch farmers wero very contented men. fie spoko also of tho schemes for the settlement of returned soldiers on land in Great Britain, concluding his remarks on this subject: "So, you see, they do tilings not so badly in the Old Country, after all" (which, statement several honourable members' endorsed with hearty "Ilear, hears"). Ho suggested to tho Minister that ho might with advantage appoint two experienced furmers, one in the South Island and one in the North Island, to help the Government in the administration of the soldiers' settlement scheme. He thought the Patriotic Societies and County Councils should have an opportunity of helping tho schenic. None but men experienced should be put upon these farms. The days had gone by when men without experience could inako a success of farming. If the system of grouping, which ho commcnded, wero adopted, mutual instruction could be

given. It was simply inviting_ disaster ' to put mon on the land without giving them tho opportunity of learning their business. It was not a, philanthropic sohome—the men would have to find interest on high-priced land—and its success would depend- upon sympathetic administration. He considered . that the areas of land should be kept as large as possible, and that a separate department should be formed to deal with tho men. Amendments to be . Moved. The Hon. D. BIJDDO (Kaiapoi) said ho looked upon the principal measure and this amendment as establishing a now era in land settlement. They should be just as generous to these soldiers as they wero to.the settlers put upon the land in 1892 and 1893, who were , allowed to go a few years without paying their rent. He suggested that men who were now on active service, and who had been there for a certain time, should be allowed to compete for the sections which were being made available—especially those men who had gone through the Gailipoli campaign. Special care should be taken to Bee that the men remained on the land, and to secure this transfers should not be made easy, and so permit of a traffio in these lands. The areas set aside should not be too small, because if they were the settlers would gravitate to the towns. In conclusion he said he would probably move, in Committee, that soldiers who had served with the New Zealand Expeditionary Forces or naval forces, for, 6ay, twelve months, should be deemed: to ba discharged soldiers for the purposes of this Bill. This would enable them to secure land under its provisions pending their return. Mr. W. T. JENNINGS (Taumarunui) said that the Bill, in his opinion, would not be disputed. It was a good measure. He referred to the early military settlements established in Auckland Sind Taranaki, and detailed portion of their history. The men from them had risen to high Legislative and commercial positions. Ho did not share the apprehension of the member for Rangitikei as to the settlement of our returned soldiers on the laud. He. was sure, judging from the experience'of the past, that they would be successful.' . He. was glad to see. that in this Bill no distinction was made between officers and privates as had been dono in tho first' Act passed by.. the Auckland. Provincial Council.' ,

Land Must Be Good. Mr. C. A. WILKINSON (Egmontj saic} that tho Government should-aim at the settlement of men on small holdings of good land, near tho railways, where the soil was kindly and the- rainfall good. It would bo useless to 6end men out into the backblocks to sections now in the rough. There was plenty of good land in New Zealand to supply tho needs of returned soldiers, -but the difficulty would be that the price of tho land would iireclude the purchase of very much ,of it. He was of opinion that the holders of this land should come forward and offer it to the Government at reasonable prices. If they would not, tho Government should do something drastic to acquire blocks of land of, say, over 1000 acres in area, something that might, be regarded as a little "bit. harsh. ! . He hoped that the Government-would give to the men as generous concessions as possible in the matter of rent. , ' Mr. A. HARRIS (Waitemata) said that in the North of Auckland there were 'considerable areas of gum lands, suitable for fruit-growing,'which could readily be settled by returned solders. But a start should be made in tho preparation of theso lands ready for tne mon on their ■ return," and in the planting of'them'in'fruit and shelter trees. Mr. J.' -A. YOUNG (Waikato) com-, mended tho Government for having introduced the Bill. Ho agreed with other honourable members that' the Government ought to soldiers only on improved or partially-improved land. Mr. ,T. AfLSTBY (Waitaki) did -not think that the process of talcing land as proposed in £ie Act, being the same as that for the resumption of land for public works purposes, would be found suitable. It would bo far too "slow and cumbrous. . , At 11.42 Mr. H. J. H. Okey moved the adjournment of the debate, and tho House rose. ■. THE FINANCIAL STATEMENT

' TO BE PRESENTED TO-MORROW. Sir' Joseph Ward (Minister of Finance) announced in the House yesterday that the Financial Statement would be delivered at 7,31) on Friday night,, and the debate on it would commence at 7.30 p.m. on Tuesday.