THE LAND BILL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXVIII, Issue 3720, 13 October 1906, Page 3

THE LAND BILL.

Its Withdrawal.

The Premier Explains. In the House of Representatives on Thursday afternoon, the Hon. the Premier said that during his speech on the second reading of thg Lai, d Bill, he had intimated that Government intended to put the Bill through before the Exhibition if the Houst would assist them. Since that statement had been made representations had been made to the Government by hpn, members who favoured the Bill, that they thought it best to consult ' their constituents and let the Bill be considered during the recess by the country. In the light of this he deemed it his duty to inform the House that he considered the request reasonable. There would not be time to put the Bill through by the 30th of the current month. The second reading debate would not take less than i 4 days, which, brought them to the end of the present month, and as the Land Committee had not sent the Bill back to the House under four weeks it was evident that the House would take much longer-. The question, therefore arose whether, as an alternative, it . would not be better to get the House to return later and finish the Bill before Christmas. The session began very lale this year and it would oe needless for him to disguise the fact that there was no possibility of getting it through before October 20 and that a large number of members are very much averse to a late session. lle.,had hoped that no members would have been induced, by the liberality of the measure, to help to put it through, but it was aot possible to continue in that hope, after the representations that had’- been made to them. The Government had come to the coaclasion, therefore, on the whole that it would be better to submit the Bill to the country during the recess. He felt confident that a full explanation by Ministers and members and a full consideration cn the part of the country would result in the general acceptance of the measure. He had certainly hoped that the alternations made in the Bill by the Lands Committee would have facilitated the Eassage of the measure, but that hope ad proved vain. Common sense had made the Governor realise that in the lace of the number of the members vvhobAvaiited to speak and the other difficulties, the better course was the postponement of the Bill. The Govcrnmenfwere not relinquishing their determination to put on the Statute Book thismeasure for the much needed reform of the land laws, and hoped the House would understand that he would, on Tuesday next, lake an opportunity for announcing what Bills the Government proposed to go on with. The Public Works Statement would be down soon after. The Government hoped to finish the session by Saturday, October 29th, or by the following Monday at the latest. Mr Massey expressed his surprise at the Ministerial announcement. He would not express any opinion on the course adopted except that the responsibility must rest on the Government of any course they may choose to adopt. MR McNAB’S VIEWS. WIfILLINGTON, Oct 11. Mr McNab, Minister for Lands, addressing a meeting at Lower Hutt tonight, said that had the Government endeavoured to torce the Land Bill on to the Statute Book he believed it could have been done. But this was the position Had they gone on with the Bill and attempted to put it through, they would have carried with them through the whole course the hostility of a large section of the people, who if they better understood the proposals and their operation, would have ended by supporting them. In view of this and of the necessity there would be of bringing members back late in November, it became patent that the best course was to postpone the svork until next session. It was (he intention of the Government to take advantage of every opportunity they had of travelling from one end of the colony to the other during the recess and explaining the Bill and replying to questions.