HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume III, Issue 156, 8 January 1864, Page 1 (Supplement)

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

HAWKE’S BAY WASTE LANDS EEGUXATIONACT. [We extract the following speech of Mr. Colenbo’s from the New Zealander. It had hitherto escaped our notice]. Mr. Ormond moved the second reading, and explained the objects of the Bill. Mr. Colenso said he considered it his duty to oppose the bill, and that too in the most determined and energetic manner. Ho called the serious attention of hon. members to the facts he he should adduce respecting the bill—facts which the hon. member for Clive himself could not dispute, although no doubt he would the inferences to be drawn from them. He hoped the House would not for a moment look on the matter before them as pertaining merely to a small province, for, in his opinion, all land legislation was of first importance to the whole colony, and sooner or later sure to prove to be such. Before, however, that he entered into the subject, he wished to quote a few words to show the House the curious position in which he then stood—in fact, occupying the same ground which the hon. member for Clive himself did last year. In the Hawke's Bay Herald, of March 25, 18(52, it was recorded :—“ Mr. Colenso asked the member for Porangahau [Mr. Ormond] to add the following to his resolution : ‘ That from and after the day of no land should be sold at less than IDs. per acre,’ and then"he [Mr. C.] would cordially support it both there and in the House of Representatives and what was the reply by the hon. member? Why, “ that as he could not honestly agree to the proposed augmentation of price he would oppose it, and would publicly state in his place that he considered the amendment unfair, and (hat he would use his utmost exertions in the other House to prevent its becoming law. (” Hear,” and laughter.) That was how f e case stood last year. But hon. members should know that that which he then wished to do was not now sought to be done by this bill. What ho sought was a much more comprehensive and fair alteration, to raise the price of all the land of the Province ; whereas this bill only sought to raise the price of laud in one corner of it, and that the most broken and inaccessablo; This portion of the Province, the broken country north of Napier, was to be shut up and taxed to benefit the southern and richer portion. He knew that he should be told by the hon, mover in his reply that it was now necessary to do so in order to have security for the Loan Act which had been passed by the Hawke’s Bay Provincial Council, and which indeed was referred to in the bill. But lie should show to the House that such Loan Act was unnecessary. He would call their attention to the following figures, culled from official papers before them :—ln 1858, (the year in which the Province of Hawke’s Bay was hatched.) the exports were £2-1,270, and imports £1,78(5 ; in 18(52, the exports were £G3,090 and (lie imports £33,29-1. The actual revenue received during the year ending March 31, 18G3, was £31,080 ; the expenditure for that year was £20,331 ; and the balance in the treasury chest on :51st March, ISG3, (at'the time ho left office, and the new government; came in,) was £9501- ; and yet with such a balance of nearly £IO,OOO, and an estimated revenue for 18(53 of £21,977, the first thing (lie new government did was to pass a Loan Act! which loan he also feared for several valid reasons would prove unproductive. That was the state of the Province ; and it was to support the Loan Act that (his bill was now before them. The new Superintendent of Hawke’s Bay in his opening speech had said—“ Most members were aware that it had been a steady reproach against this Province that it had too rapidly alientated its landed estate; but the government were now making an effort to make a good use of what remained.” Now, if that statement meant anything, and the lion, member for Clive would agree to carry out that statement of the Superintendent in its entireness and integrity, and fairly raise the price of all the lands of the Province, he would heartily support him. Ho bad shewn the bill to he unnecessary—he would now show it to bo partial and unfair, if not actually unjust. It contained the elements of that severest kind of injustice and oppression—that of the big of one class tyrannising over the little of the same. In short, it was just the big fish eating up the little ones ! The Provincial Council of Hawke’s Bay consisted of fifteen members, nine of whom including the Superintendent, were run-holders (which interest was the dominant one there, and would be he feared for some time to come,) four were government officers and agents of run-holders, and two only were independent members, one of whom, being the Speaker, was unfortunately precluded from speaking. [Laughter.] It would perhaps scarcely be credited that those very runholding gentlemen, while they sought to shut up and raise the price of the land in the northern and poorer parts of the Province, actually took good care to exempt their own more favoured southern portion, which the hon. members would more readily see from the Electoral District maps of Clive and Napier before them. To show this still more clearly, he would call their attention to the quantity of the Crown Land of the Province of Hawke’s Bay. From official papers he found that the approximate acreage of agricultural land unsold was 60,000 acres ; of unagricultural, 360,000; of unavailable (mountainous, <Sm.), 318,000: and of bush, 107,000, —making a total of 845,000 acres of unsold Crown Land in that province. Of this, the present Bill sought, to shut up and raise the price of 200,000 acres of the poorer and most inaccessible land, almost destitute of roads, and scarcely hoping to have any,—and less than one-fourth of the whole—to benefit the larger, richer, and fairer southern part, possessing good roads and bridges, and which is altogether exempt from the operation of theßill. Inshort thisßillwould be very similar in its operation to what was formerly complained of by Hawke’s Bay, as a hardship inflicted by Wellington—the impoverahing extreme north to benefit the south. Further still, it sought also to raise the price per acre per annum of the poorer northern ruins. Now, from official papers he found that the whole amount of license fees and assessments on runs in the Hawke’s Bay Province,

for the year ending December 31st, 1862 (including also some fees for the years 1860 and 1861), at id. and Id. per acre, on 415,000 acres of Crown Land, as £673 15s. 7id.; while at the same time those very ruuholders 'wore paying to Maoris (from a return on the table) £2,022 per annum for 76.000 acres, or 7d per acre! They would willingly give that (perhaps a higher still) to the Maoris but while they could not give but a farthing and a halfpenny to their Government (who, they said, wanted money), they comfortably agreed to raise the praise to their poorer and struggling neighbour colonists. Again in Juno, only three months after the said Provincial Council had passed their new Land Regulations contained in the Bill before them, the same Government sold by aution 17,860 acres of land in the southern portion of the province at five shillings per acre, of which 12.000 acres were brought by one lucky individual who had also purchased several 12,000 acres before. This advantage, however, was to be denied by them through this Bill to their less fortunate fellow settlers. Having shown the House the unfairness of the Bill, be would not occupy their time much time longer, ho would merely add that the new Land Regulations contained in the Bill had been strongly protested against in the Hawke’s Bay Provincial Council, by the one member of the northern district then present, as well as by himself, and by a public meeting held also in (hat district since (the petition from which meeting he believed Major Whitmore bad signed) and that be himself had been repeatedly asked in Napier to aid in getting up a public meeting to protest more strongly against both partial Land Regulations and the Loan Act, but lie had declined on the sole ground of having to do his duty concerning the Bill here in this House. He also thought that the Bill as it now stood was very doubtfully legal, as the hon. mover had not embodied the Resolution of the Hawke’s Bay Provincial Council intact, but had greatly altered it sines his arrival here. As to that part of the Bill touching credit lands he had little to say, save that, while such might have been suitable for the Province of Auckland, he many reasons, considered it highly unsuitable for the Province of Hawke’s Bay. He trusted the House would reject the Bill ns being partial and unfair; or, if the House would not absolutely reject it, they would at least send it back to be re-considered and amended by the Provincial Council. Mr. Fox said the House had already legislated against the sale of lands on credit, which was the principle sought to be introduced by the Bill, and would bo in direct opposition to the Act ho referred to. Mr. Ormond replied. The second reading was negatived upon a division. Ayes 12 Noes 24 Against second reading... 12