THE LAND BILL.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIII, Issue 1902, 11 October 1906, Page 3

THE LAND BILL.

SECOND READING.

PRESS ASSOCIATION Wellington, Oct. 9. Ie his speech on the Land Bill the Hon. the Premier said he could not think the speaker (Mr Massey) had read the Bill. He had characterised it as all leasehold, but the fact was that it was full of the freehold, He had criticised his colleague by eulogising the Committee which had improved the measure, but it was his colleague who had moved nearly all the amendments in the Committee. Ho invited Mr Massey’s attention to. the

speeches delivered by men of experience years ago, Messrs E. C. J. Stevens in 1878, and C. C, Bowen in 1880 in the House, advocating large endowments for the very purposes mentioned in this Bill, at a time when there was no old ago pension. The gentlemen belonged to the party with which Mr Massey Wa3 associated. What did he think? He himself had in 1901 called for the reform of the land-laws, and at once, but he resisted now. In his campaign in the South he had felt the pulses

of the people, and had returned with a very great modification in his views. Mr Massey had asked for consideration for the tenants and the freehold, but very great consideration had been shown by tho Bill to the tenants, almost as far as giving them the freehold. There was besides provision in the Bill for a vast increase of freeholds In 190-1 Mr Massey had pro-

posed a limitation of lands to 640 acres Ist class and 2000 2nd-class Yet he oh , jected to the larger restrictions of tho Bill , Ho had repeated that outside (640 acres and 2000), yet he was railing at the 4115,000 | restriction of the Bill. That placed him , on the horns of a dilemma- There was a , want of frankness about the hon. gentle- , .jnen of the other side. For example there are 115,000 land holders, worth seventy millions sterling, and they make all,this - fuss about 63 holders holding millions to be restricted, and talk of the freehold being taken away. He had, moreover, spoken of the case of Longbeach, but. he had not told the Houso that all the improvements are deducted. Mr Massey : The value would then dis-

appear. .. The Premier : In which case it would not bo touched. Continuing, he suggested that instead of criticising the Bill, the referring of it to the Native Land Court, Mr Massey had said better wait for the Maori Land Bill. He had criticised tho mortgagee proposals, hut he had failed to admit that existing mortgages are exempt. A s to endowments, in some States o£ America a tenth of the land is devoted to. educational endowment, and a good way it was to deal with the great growing fund provided annually, and in justification for the Bui the revenue already came to 000-

Those members who objected, objected also to the 66 years’ lease, but that period was nothing in the life of a country, and was most useful in the endowment direction as a provision for these great State institutions. The Hon. Member said that the proposals were before the country at the election. ’Whose proposals ? The hon gentleman (Mr Massey) said his "Very well; he was a freeholder, and he had come back to that House with a party of 16 He said, “ give me a dissolution,” but if he got it his party might be an- ] nihilated altogether. At best ho might come back with 17. or, to please the member for Bakaia, he would make it 18. He quoted the resolution. It was a coincidence

how the wires had been pulled, and all these resolutions, including that of the famous 800 at Feilding, had been hurled at the same just,, fearless members of this House- He admired the farmers and their organisation, but he thought their organisation was just now being mis - 1 takonly used. At all events at the election they had known who the Mr I* iclds were. They knew that the Government were doin'* the best thing for settling the people on the land ; for preventing what had happened in other lands, the eviction ot men from the lands of their fathers Mr T- Mackenzie : The leasehold

The Premier was sorry to hear that, for his own peoplo had suffered, and he claimed all the Mackenzies, blue, black, and red with the Government on the question. (Laughter.) Tho Government’s object was the stoppage of the abrogation of large estates in tho country, That policy was feasible, but to apply it to the towns as Mr

Massey advocated you would have to cut the Bank of Hew Zealand and other places in two, and that was not a practic-

able policy. Coming to the time limit he was inclined to regard tho proposal for the hour limit as deliberately made to waste tho rest of the session. The Government could pass the Bill if the House would help them before the end of the session. The Government would take two things to the House and country— endowments and limitation of holding These issues would be untouched by leasehold and freehold, and the Bill was not against freehold ; but all tho proposal would be for the settlement of the sons and (laughters of the farmors in the country, '^Applause),

LIKELY TO BE SHELVED UNTIL NEXT SESSION,

[(Special to Times.) Wellington, lust night, rushing through the Laud Bill, the House made holiday this afternoon, am to-night it played with a number of soinoI what unimportant Bills in Committee. I The Land Bill, instead of being at the top of the order paper, was number seven lon the list- It beeomos more than ever apparent that the .House cannot get the Bill through Committee before it adjourns tu the end of October- It is stated that a number of Government supporters have presented a “ round robin ” to the Government, asking that the Bill be shelved for the session, and that they regarded the reply received as favorable Anyhow the Land Bill was allowed to rest for to-day. I

MEETING AT WAIMATA,

A specid in etii’g of the Farmers’ Union was called L,r Tuesday to dweus-i the Land Util. Tko attendance wu-j good, and otto: debate is was unanimously decide! to forward the following resolution :—" This meeting protests against the Government

I attempting to pass suoh fin important I measure without :bo country first having | fan opportunity ot ooooideiing it bu! passing mi opinion on it. It further pro easts against tho abolition of tbo optional i sjstem, »uch being in direct opposition to the wishes of the rural population, ns proved by the evidence before the L ind Commission and by tbo pledges obtained from the bulk oi members at preseut sitting in ir’arliamont.”