GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

Globe, Volume VIII, Issue 1068, 29 November 1877, Page 3

GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

[Br Telegraph.] [pee press agency.] HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Tuesday, Nov. 27.— Evening Sitting. the land bill. On the House resuming, Mr Sheehan moved the further postponement of the Land Bill, stating that the Government were considering how best to alter it to suit their new land policy. Major Atkinson strongly objected. If Ministers wore going to classify land this session, and insist on a uniform price, the session would last a considerable time, and all land would be locked up for this year at least, so that at least half a million extra would have to be borrowed to meet deficiencies in the current year’s revenue. He moved that the House adjourn till Thursday evening, to enable Ministers to bring down their measures. A long discussion took place. Sir George Grey opposed the adjournment, as there was plenty of business to go on with. There would be no avoidable delay in bringing down the new land proposals, but the Government would not be forced or hurried into bringing down premature measures. After further discussion, the motion for adjournment was withdrawn, and the Land Bill was postponed. MAORI ESTATE MANAGEMENT. Mr Sheehan moved the second reading of the Maori Real Estate Management Bill. It was gratifying to him that his statement of Native policy had been received with so much satisfaction in the House and country. He denied that this policy was in any way inconsistent with his previous views, and he referred to his action in 1873. He had no hesitation in giving every credit he could to the late Sir Donald McLean, while he avoided those points in which he still considered comment might have been made. The Bill now before the House was to get over a serious difficulty in completing the purchase of in the North Island. Owing to there being minors amongst the sellers to the Crown, it was proposed to appoint trustees to act for these minors in completing titles to the Crown. Whether this should be extended to private purchase would be a matter for consideration next year. The Native Land Act Amendment Bill was to prevent fictitious appeals in the Native Lands Court by giving power to the Court to require payment of costs in advance. It also proposed to provide for a uniform mode of executing Maori deeds. A third measure to be brought down to-morrow would be to wind up the present land purchase system, and to protect all purchasers whose title to the Crown was pending, so that private persons could not interfere to induce Natives to throw up ponding bargains with the Crown. He had already issued orders to all officers of the department that they must not, cither for themselves or others, be engaged in any way in purchasing land. The colony would lose £300,000 or £400,000 unless private people were prevented from trying to upset partially completed transactions with the Natives on the part of the Crown. If the House adopted the policy of the Government, something at least would be saved, and although all land under negotiation would not be obtained, some of it would. He looked forward at a future date to preventing all mortgage of Native land, but in the meantime could not accept the amendment of which Captain Russell had given notice.

Mr Ormond praised Mr Sheehan’s reference to Sir D. McLean as creditable to his good taste and good sense. With the exception of one or two small matters, Mr Sheehan had really accepted and followed the policy of the late Ministry. He challenged the cor rectness of Mr Sheehan’s statement that his connection with the Hawke’s Bay repudiation party was merely that of solicitor and client. The party was a large political organisation, with extensive ramifications influencing the Native mind throughout the island in reference to the land question. Mr Sheehan’s connection with this party was certainly not an ordinary one, as between solicitor and client, and his connection with it would certainly cause him trouble in the future. None of the late G-overnment would use unfair means towards the present one in any way. Their conduct in this respect would contrast with the treatment they had received when in office from the members of the present Ministry, They would fight on grounds of public policy, and not go into members’ private life and private business. It was very pleasing to Sir Donald McLean’s friends to hear his services acknowledged by a Ministry of which Sir G. Grey was the chief, as Sir G. Grey had always so strongly attacked Sir D. McLean while alive. He spoke at considerable length on the Maori school question, the value of the schools, and the exertions of Sir D. McLean and the Natives themselves to improve the system. He spoke most highly of St. Joseph’s school for girls in Napier. The utmost efforts to civilise and educate, however, were often foiled by the pupils relapsing into old habits, and, despite their education, going back to the pah. In regard to the proposed policy of the Q-overnment in regard to the Land Purchase Department, Mr Sheehan, he thought, should have said that his proposals were only to carry out what the late Q-overnment had decided on before they left office. He contended that the lands purchased were worth far more than had been paid for them. For the faults in the system Parliament had itself to blame in having abrogated its own functions, and unconditionally placing £400,000 at the disposal of the Ministers charged with maintaining the peace of the country, and who, not unnaturally, used it largely for political purposes as well as for land purchase in the ordinary way. He reviewed the management of the department since he took charge of it last year. The greater proportion of the incomplete purchases were far advanced towards completion. Probably, however, a larger sum, but not much in excess of the available sum, would bo required to complete all these purchases. The leased lauds were all in the I'aupo district, and out of a million acres probably not a thousand were fit for leases. The reason they were leased was, in 1869, to prevent private people obtaining leasee, aa toeir occupation of the land there and then might have involved the colony in difficulty. The leases wore taken rather for political purposes than for their intrinsic value. All these leases could easily be completed. The late Q-overnment _ had in view either completing them or lotting the least's drop, on the colony being recouped the

£IO,OOO or £12,000 which they had cost. He thought arrangements of this kind could easily be made. The late Government had intended to abandon all further land purchases, and had months ago given notice to their officers to this effect, as well as to obtain more direct control over the officers engaged in land purchase. All the commission agents but two were done away with in January last. The late Government intended to hold the Natives to their bargains in those cases it was desired to proceed with. He understood the present Government did not intend to do this. Ho hoped they would reconsider the matter, and that bargains made in good faith on both sides would be carried out in their integrity. Ho urged this as a matter of great importance. Mr Mackay and Mr Hamlin were the only officers employed on commission when the late Government left office, and proposals had actually been made to close Mr Mackay’s engagement. It was to arrange to close his transactions that Mr Mackay came to Wellington just before the late Government left office. He did not find any fault with Mr Sheehan’s proposals in regard to the temporary allocation of the Land Purchase Fund. He saw very little difference between the Native land policy sketched by Mr Sheehan and Mr Whitaker’s Native Land Bill. He approved of the proposal to employ Native chiefs largely in the Native Lands Court. He was sure the Natives would never be induced to agree to place their lands under a Waste Lands Board for disposal. Nothing would suit the Natives but dealing witli their own lands in their own way. The individualisation of title necessary to accomplish this would have been largely accomplished by Mr Whitaker’s Bill. He defended the policy of the Native Land Sales Suspension Bill. It would have checked large speculations which were now going on all over the country. He could not see how the Government could fairly do this, as they proposed, under the Act of 1873, and he objected to the very large powers which that Act left in the hands of the Government to interfere with the ordinary operations of the law. He believed the Suspension Bill would have had no danger in it, and would have proved very useful. Tawiti agreed with his late colleagues on this matter. He regretted the Bill had been withdrawn. With regard to Native representation, he would give the most determined opposition to the proposals of the Government to increase Native special representation. He thought, as Mr Whitaker had proposed, that electoral registration should be insisted on, and that, while Natives had special representation, they should not have also ordinary electoral representation. In his own district of Clive the Natives could now by a block vote override the European electors. He did not think the Natives would object to his proposals. Mr Sutton thought the Maori Real Estate Management Bill should be made to apply to private purchases as well as Government ones. He objected to clause 9 of the Bill. Mr Sheehan, in replying, admitted the fair and temperate manner in whicli Mr Ormond had criticised the Government policy. He replied to a few points on which Mr Ormond differed from that policy. He stated that the Government would next session introduce a Native Lands Bill, which would be distributed during the recess. The Bill was then read a second time, as also the Native Lands Act Amendment Bill. The Law Practitioners Act Amendment Bill was read a third time. The House rose at 11.10 p.m.

Wednesday, November 28, The House met at 2.30. questions.

Mr Sheehan, in reply to Mr Richardson, stated that local officers had instructions to pay over to Harbor Boards moneys collected by the railway department for them, and the local officers were the persons responsible for any delay. In reply to Dr. Henry, Sir G-. Grey said the Government had not arrived at any decision as to the office of Agent-Q-eneral, or the retention of Sir J. Vogel's services. In reply to Mr Wood, Sir G-. Grey said the case of Captain Thomas Turnbull, and other similar cases of harbor masters, were under the consideration of the Government. NEW RILLS. Waste Lands Boards Continuance Bill (Macaudrew), Government Native Land Purchases Discontinuance Bill (Sheehan). ME LUSK. Mr Rees postponed for a week his notice of a motion for rescinding the decision of the House in the ease of Mr Lusk. LOCAL -WORKS. On a motion by Dr. Hodq-kinson that the House to-morrow resolve itself into committee to consider an address to the Governor, requesting him to cause to be placed on the supplementary estimates a sum sufficient for the erection of a bridge suitable for heavy traffic on the Opawa river, at or near Collie’s Ford, a long and irregular discussion took place regarding such motions in general, and as to which side of the House was responisble for such questions being brought forward. One side attributed the evil to abolition and the failure of the county system, and then this branched into a discussion as to whose fault it was that the county system had failed. There were great references to “ Hansard,” and much recrimination. Messrs Reid, Barff, Rolleston, Sutton, Seymour, Stout, Sheehan, Gisborne, Douglas, McLean, Montgomery, Russell, Rees, Rowe, Fisher, Macandrew, Ormond, and Hunter took part in the discussion. The only important suggestions or remarks made wore that Mr Sheehan said it was absolutely necessary to have some buffer between the Government and members in regard to local works, and be suggested a sessional committee in future years to report on all such motions. Mr Gisborne suggested Boards of Works for the provincial districts, and Captain Russell thought that the power of obtaining grants from the House should be taken out of the hands of members altogether. The motion was then agreed to on a division by 20 to 15. NUISANCE ACT. Mr Sheehan stated that he would tomorrow move the suspension of Standing Orders to allow a Bill to be introduced as a public- one to continue the Nuisance Act, which was a private one. endowment. Dr. Hodgkinson moved that fire sections in Riverton with immigrants’ cottages on them should be given as an endowment to Wallace and Fiord County Hospital. Mr Macandrew agreed, and the motion passed. WORKS IN AUCKLAND. Mr Rowe moved that the House on Wednesday neqt resolve itself into committee to consider ou address to tho Governor to

place on the Supplementary Estimates the sum of £12,750 in addition to the amount already proposed for the following works : Coromandel road to Tokatea Range, £2OOO ; from Coromandel to Thames main road, £2000; from Mackaytown to Waitekauri, £3000; fencing roads and Tapui Native sands, £750 ; from Tauranga to Mackaytown, £3000; from Mackaytown to To Aroha, £1000; from Thames to Hastings, £1000; total, £12,750. Mr Reynolds opposed the motion. The debate was interrupted by the dinner hour.