WELLINGTON.

Evening Star, Issue 2996, 25 September 1872, Page 2

WELLINGTON.

(FROM OITR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

September 19* An opportunity occuring of sending you a few lines by the Wallabi, a small steamer purchased at Wanganui by the Messrs Guthrie, destined to carry timber from the mills at Gatlin’s River to Dunedin and coast* wise, as 1 understand, I take advantage of it.

There is Hot much of interest in the pro* ceedings of either House of Parliament at present: quite a hill after the storm. Last evening the Otago Waste Land Bill came before the committee of the House, and as usual caused discussion. The third clause had been altered since leaving the hands of the Waste Laud Committee, and on that account it was opposed by Sir John C* Wilson, Mr 8011, and Sir David Monro, the latter moving lhat the consideration of the clause be postponed, which was agreed to. The Gth clause, which gives the appointment of the Waste Land Board to the Superutendent. but only by the advice and consent of the Executive, was strongly opposed ou the ground of it being quite a political body; the gentlemen appointing, viz., the Executive, appointing themselves—rather a strange anoraoly, Mr M'Glashan, who brought forward the amendment stated that he bad modified it from that he brought forward last session as a compromise. Last year ho proposed that “ Governor” should be inserted i» lieu of “Superintendent,” but lost the amendment by a majority of 4. The amendment now brought up, gave the appointment of two members to the Governor, and two to the Superintendent, to be removeable by warrant, but that members of the Provincial Executive should be excluded. He pointed out the evils that did arise under the present constitution of the Board ; the Waste Lands Act being twisted into every conceivab’c shape to suit the pecuniary wants of the Provincial Executive of the day, and instanced the case of last session, when Mr Reid brought forward resolutions iu the Provincial Council asking power t« sell 50,000 acres in blocks of not less than 10,000 acres, thus precluding people with smaller capital from acquiring any portion of such lauds, but throwi g it entirely into the hands of large capitalists. He argued that the Board should be strictly a judicial body to give effect to the powers contained in the Act, and that the Act should be of the simplest kind and definite. The phrase, “If the Board should think fit,” should be excluded from the Act. He quoted from a speech of Mr Stafford his opinion, which it may be as well to give your readers, as being his views when the Bill was before the House last year. Mr Stafford, said—- “ Every alteration of the Land Law in Otago had been, he thought, a mistake, and every interest connected with the law had been damaged by them, and every description of tenure of land had been rendered more uncertain and insecure. His reason for not approving of the present measure was partly that it was by no means easy of being understood ; the clauses relating to the disposal of rural lands being in many respects most conflicting. It perpetuated the existence of the political Waste Land Board, which changed its views with each change of the Provincial Executive, and was disposed rather to strain the law than to give effect to its provisions.” [The above letter, it will be seen, should have preceded that published yesterday, but having been forwarded by the Wallabi, only came to hand to-day.— Ed. E. &]