POLITICAL NEWS.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3746, 18 July 1883, Page 3

POLITICAL NEWS.

|_I)Y TELEGRAPH.]

[from our oavn correspondent.] AVellington, This clay,

The most interesting part of last night's proceedings was the debate on the Land Amendment Bill on the Act of last session. The question of the future in reference to tlie land policy of the colony is evidently to bo tho leasing system. Many members urged the Minister'of Lands to decline to sell any more lands, either on deferred payment or for absolute payments for cash. If this could not bo at once done, it was hoped that no moro pastoral land, at any rate, should bo parted with. Tho arguments adduced in favor of the system were that the State would receive a regular substantial incomo if the lands Avere leased, which, if capitalised, would be much greater than AA'hat was iioav paid for an absolute title, besides which, when land was absolutely sold, much of the money resulting from thoso lands sold avus squandered. Some hoped that this Avould proA'o a permanent source of revenue •lb the State. Tho opinion was generally expressed that no further sales should take place till a further amendment of tho Act, at loust as regards pastoral lands, could be introduced next year. That people would take up land under the leasing conditions was abundantly slioavii by Avhat had been already done, as it enabled them to retain thepr capital with which to work their land, instead of tho State absorbing it. Mr Joyce advocated the selling of every acre of land the colony had as speedily as possible, and then imposing a tax to pay for the expenditure of the country. All I can say is that, if the practice of leasing tho lands of the colony can be successfully carried out, by all moans lot us do it. Theoretically the principle is sound, but wherever it has beon attempted in Australasia it has failed. This failure in a great measuro may be attributed to waut of unity on the part of the various colonies, one always bidding against the other for settlement by offering increased inducements for settlers to take up land. This factor will, of course, be absent in New Zealand, henoo the scheme will have a fair chance of success, though much of the best lands have been already parted Avith. Somo of the ablest thinkers of the day have advocated the scheme in Great Britain by buying up all tho land from the OAvners, the State to bo then the only landlord, and the leasing System to bo tho principle. The return of tho Public Libraries sub■idies according to tho Education Board districts, which has been laid on the table of the House, shows some strange anomalies. Hawke's Bay is apparently one of the Avorst treated districts, its incomo being out of all proportion compared Avith its subsidy, judging it by the other districts. There aro also many anomalies iv the grant itself, your Athenieum receiving a subsidy of little more than 25 per cent, on its income, while three other libraries in the district receive a bigger subsidy than their income, and every one receives a larger proportion than Napier.