PARLIAMENTARY INTELLIGENCE.

Dunstan Times, Issue 1052, 16 June 1882, Page 3

PARLIAMENTARY INTELLIGENCE.

Wellington, June 11

The correspondent of the Oamaru Mail reports that Messrs. Menzies. De Luitonr, Feldwick, and Captain Mackenzie waited on the Government to ascertain their intc-n tions with regard to the Otago and Southland reserves The interview took quite a desultory turn. Mr Rolleston and the members falling into a conversational tone. Mr dolleston’s idea is to cutup the reserves in the term of a chessboard, leasing the black squares and selling the white ones. Thus the freeholder could lease the black squares. The hardship Sou bland had suffered in Otago having made reserves in S-oi bland —in Giulia and Southland Counties especially, when the 25 percent, was in vogue—was pointed out.

Sir O. Grey evidently intends to Pad the Opposit.i n during the session, whether Mr Macandrewor Mr Montgomery is willing i that he sh oiM do so or not. The main at- j tack on the Government will be made on j the suV.j nt of toe Southern runs. At present those are leased by action, but Sir G. Grec intends to bring in a bill providing for the runs being cot. nr) i"to convenient sections and “ leased by bailor.” He contends that the runhol le s have so dealt with the mns that when they are put up to auction they have a decided advantage and can outbid all competitors. Th" ballot svstem, however, would do away with this, while the cutting up of the runs would enable a much larger number of versons to participate in the advantages which are at present confined to comparatively few. Sir G. Grey anticipates for this measu ehe will r'ceive a large popular support from the South, and will secure the vot s of a considerable number of the new membe s. Sir Geo-ge Gr y is also about to become trie champion of another class, namely, this defsrred-pav-ment settlers. Those m m secured their present holdings by eomhetiti n at anc'ion. and it is said made chenwelves liable for a much larger payment than, the lan 1 was worth. Sir George Grey promises to re lieve them by proposing tbe appointment of a Commission, which shall settle what is a fair payment for the land, and for that onlv these deferred-payment settlers shall lie liable. You can easily understand that these two subjects will become “burning questions ” in the House and in the country and that Sir George Grey will lie the prominent figure on the one side in their drs-cus-ron.

The Governor leaves at the end of the present week in the Miranda for Fiji. It is not yet known who will l - c h : s successor. Sir Arthur Kennedy, Governor of Queensland, is mentioned. It is now pretty well understood that Government will bring down a hill providing for payment of members but nothing has officially transpired beyond the few re marks made in Ihe House to-day when Mr. Seddon consented to postpone his bill on infraction by Minuter* that they intended dealing with the question. I believe there is some hesitation in the ' aMnet as to whether the members’ s-darn-s should be fixed by statute at C2OO. £‘2.“o or £3OO per annum. I fully oxr eet, hoa ever, to see a bill passed tins session to something like this effect.

The Mines Act, 1877, Amendment Act, introduced by Mr. Do Lmtour, is intended to invalidate all rights on the South Island goldfields which originally were grantod iindtr the goldfields Act of 18G6, and which have been. annually renewed under the. Act, 1877, without first being surrendered in terms of the 88th section of the last-men-tioned Act. It will also provide that first rights surrendered and brought under the

Mines Act 1877, shall not be prejudiced by any right granted subsequently to the original grant of such surrendered right becoming a superior right.