WELLINGTON.

Evening Star, Issue 3891, 13 August 1875, Page 3

WELLINGTON.

[By Telegraph,] {From our own Corresponds nt.) Wellington, August 12. The Goldfields Committee practically sat on Mr Mervyu’s Bill by striking nut the clause extending the area on goldfields from 200 to 320 acres. Mr Mervyn determined to resist the committee’s decision, alleging that it dealt with the Bill with the foregone conclusion. Before going into committee on the Otago Land Bill, Sir F. D. Bell made a speech, expressing his decided approval of the Waste Lands Committee’s recommendation to impose no limits on the quantity to be thrown open under deferred payments. He expressed his individual opinion that the system bad worked well, and praised the Provincial Government for its fair administration of it. He ventured to say that, speaking for a large number of fellow-pastoral lesees, there would be no objection offered to an extension of the system. He complained of his constituents having forwarded petitions to the House through other channels, and on Mr Shepherd's attack on himself last year, Mr M'Glashan, while expressing his opinion that some clauses of the old Act might have been advantageously retained, hoped the I’ro yincial Government would not place more land in the market than was absolutely required. He objected to the difference of price between lands on deferred payments and of lands of special value. This was class 1 gisla tion, which should not be tolerated. The price of land on deferred payments should be raised to two pounds. At present they were throwing away the best lands for a mei e nothing, Shepherd answered "Mr M'Glashan by pointing out that the system induced settlement, and added that Messrs Macandrew and Reid were duly converted to the system when they found their elections depended on favoring it. rbe Solicitor-General Ins drafted a Bill which will take the place of Mr Shepherd’s, re Pollution of Streams by gold-mining, and will supersede MrPyke’s. Practically it includesthe resolution MrDeLautour moved iu the Provincial Council to legalise fouling, and to provide that in all future sales, land on the banks of rivers and streams should he reserved from sale; or if sold, that purchasers should have only limited privileges and not the right to object to streams or rivers being fouled. Under this Bill all cases of damage by fouling to streams proclaimed under the Act arc to be submitted to arbitiation, the decision of the arbitrators t 0 be final, and not to be set aside by irregularities of any kind. By section 8 future purchasers of land on goldfields are deprived of all light and title to any watercourse which would pivjudice the holders of miners’ rights. The Bill is sure to pass. In the course of his speech yesterday Mr Tribe argued that at the present time the < ’apitation Grant was fully equal to what Sir J. Vogel promised in 1870, In 1870 there was paid to Provinces L 157.013, equal to 12s 0d per head ; in 1871-2, L 112,524, or 8s 9d per bead ; in 1872-3, L 112,097, or 8s 5d per head ; in 18/4-5, L195.70G, or 12s 7d per head. In 1870 the capitation was reduceable two shillings yearl j for five years. Therefore if it had continued on the same scale the rate now would have been 2s 7d instead of 12s 7d. In committee on the Otago Waste Lands Bill, Sir Bell explained that he was now a bebever in the deferred payments system, and paid a warm tribute to the Provincial Government for the way it administered the system. He also urged the House to settle this question, so that the constitutional question might go to the people for discussion free from other questions. Mr Fitzherbert, after alluding to the success of the deferred payment system in Wellington, thanked Sir F. D. Bell for joining the Opposit : on in an appeal to refer the decision on the constitutional question to a general election. Sir F. D. Bell explained that he would be sorry if a political interpretation were put on anything he said. What he had urged was that this abolition question having been raised, and assuming that it would bj determined this year, it could not for a mou ent be sujiposed that a system which has been in existence twenty-five years would be swept away by one measure, one division, or one vote.—(Opposition cheers.) Enormous work was required to give in the place existing cf the sys'em that which would give greater satisfaction to prevent what must absolutely be a feeling of great disappointment. If abolition was to be anything, this Bill was but the beginning of the end. The present task was one that required the utmost patriotism, as well as the intellect of every member. The Bill then passed its second reading.