THE ROTORUA LEASES

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 17, 15 October 1920, Page 8

THE ROTORUA LEASES

LEASEHOLDERS OBSTRUCTING AGAIN

LANDS COMMITTEE FAVOURS THE BILL

THE REPORT "TALKED OUT"

The Rotoruo. Town Leases Bill, which proposes to grant the option of freehold to holders of Crown leases in the town of Ilotorua, was before the House of Representatives again, yestorday afternoon. The Lands Committee reported that it had coifsidered the Bill and recommended that it 6houkl be allowed to prooeed without amendment. . Mr. G. Witty (Uiccarton) moved that the report' should bo referred back to tho committee. He said that the report represented the opinion of a minority. The Lands Committee had twelve members. Seven had attended a meeting that morning, and live of them had voted in favour of tho report. Mr. Witty proceeded to object to the sale of the ltotorua leases and to charge tho Government with sacritlcing publio interests to the desires of a few greedy leaseholders, liotorua was a great national asset, and it was to bo turned Into private property. Mr. Mnssey: We are not going to port with the thermal springs or anything of that sort. Mr. Witty was proceeding to dilate on the statement that the Government was selling the nation's asset whon the Hon. C. J. Parr asked: "Is there a successful leasehold town in the world?" Mr. Witty: Yes, so long as you tell them .there is no chance of setting the freehold. Tho Prime Minister: Where Is it? Mr. Witty then said the buildings in Wellington city on leasehold land were an illustration 'of the soundness of tho tenure. Tho Hon. D. H. Guthrie (Minister of Lands) said that as a declared leaseholder Mr. Witty had said only what might have been expected of him. 'The Bill had been introduced at the repeated request of tho people of Rotorua.. A response to that demand had come from all sides of the House. Both Sir Joseph Ward and the late Hon. W. £). S. Mac. Donald strongly favoured granting the freehold. Even If no member on the other side favoured it, the Government would still believe that the right thinjr was being proposed. The Rotorua people who appeared before the committee had said that if it was maintained they were merely seeking their own advantage , they were prepared to give way on their request. With regard to the proposed terms of sales, it had been contended that the land was being asked for 'at the original value. This was not the case. It was to bo 6<>ld at the present day value, loaded with eight or ten per cent, for the reversionary interest of the Goverwnent. Witnesses before the Lands Committer had said that if they did not got the freehold they would bo so disheartened that .tho town would inevitably go right back. He hoped that the report would not be returned to the committee, for 119 other report would como back, and it would merely be « waste of time.

The Hon. J. A. Hanan (Invercargill) said that one of the main arguments for the Bill was that lar<,'e expenditure in the town was essential. It was further contended' that by giving the ; freehold and laying responsibility for tho town on the people, the Government would be gaining a financial benefit. But in view of the huge public debt and the high interest charges, it was not improbable that a demand for the read j justment of tho incidenco of taxation would arise, and it was essential that all sources of public revenue should be conserved. The fact that llotorua did not produce revenue was an argument against the management and not the principle. He suggested that the question should be referred to a special committee. He predicted that the grant of the freehold would ultimately result in private landlordism. , Other supporters of the leasehold suggested that tho Government wis "dissipating the public estate." They pre. dieted that tho sale of the Stnte townships, Te Aroha and Rotorua was going to bo followed by tho sale of the national endowments.

"What does tho Government propose to do with tho springs?" Mr. Veitch (Wanganui) inquired of tho Minister of Lands.

Mr. Guthrie: Tho Government will administer rho springs as Government property, ns it does to-day. Mr. Veitch; If tho Government charges for admission to the springs where does the money go? Dors it como back to,th* Corsolidated Fund? Mr. Guthrio: Ym. The debate lasted up to the time u! the dinner adjournment, and the opponents of the Bill "talked out tho committee's report. SPORTING CLUBS 7 " MATERIALS NO REMISSION OP DUTY. A reiterated pica for a remission of the duty on sporting material required by rowing clubs was made in the House of Representatives yesterday afternoon by Mr. I). G. Sullivan (Avon), who addressed a question on the subject to the Minister of Customs. He said that all tho material had to be imported. The rowing clubs had suffered very much during tho war, and a large number of returned soldiers were now going back to the sport. Sir William Herries said that as an old rowing man himself he had every sympathy with tho clubs, but nt tho same time if he took tiny such action in regard to one sport he would bo forced to do the same thinp; for them nil. It was an extremely difficult proposition and he was afraid it would hav? to wait until thero was a general revision of tho tariff. The only way it could be done was to put an item on the Supplementary Estimates for the remission of tho duty, and he could not take this course because there wern other sporting bodies with claims equal to those of the rowing clubs. ■ WOMEN POLICE PATROLS Tho Hon. M. Cohen has given notice in tho legislative Council that 'he intends to move the following ' motion "That, in the opinion of the Council the time has arrived when the Government should consider tho desirability of appointing women police patrols, of appointing a \yjman as colleaguo of the censor of picture films, and of appointing women as justices of tho pence." MASTER AND APPRENTICE BILL PASSED The Master and Apprentice' Bill was yesterday considered by the Legislative Council in Committee. A new clauso providing that a master who ill-treated or failed to instruct his apprentice should bo liable to ft fino of .£SO instead of .ClO, was inserted on the motion of Sir Francis Bell, wlio said that it wnt> brought forward in accordance with a promise of tho Prime Minister to meet tho wishes of the Labour Party. The Bill was read a third time and passed. The House agreed to tho amendment made by the Council. The Minister oi Justice (tho Hon. E. P. Le«) reminded members that the .£SO penalty was not necessarily tho only one to which a master maltreating a boy would .bo liable. The offender would bo visited with any of the punishments to which he rendered himself liable under the criminal law.