TOPICS OF TALK.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume IV, Issue 227, 11 July 1873, Page 6

TOPICS OF TALK.

The Provincial Council debates have, so far, been characterised by an amount of acerbity and bitter feeling that is quite unpardonable. The leader of the Opposition certainly deserves the credit of being the principal offender. His remarks in commenting upon Mr Toluene's manly personal statement, that " the House was not longer to be inflicted . with the presence on the Government benches of the inember for the Peninsula," was in singularly bad taste. Of course, with such an example, his rabid followers were not long in far outstepping the limits of their chief. Of all the offenders in thia particular line of Parliamentary eloquence Mr Shand, the member for the Taieri, must take precedence. ' One constant unerring vein of bitter, personal attack characterises his every utterance. An apt pupil, only without either disci etion or ability, in the same line, is the member for Waihemo. Mr "Fish, one of the Dunedin members, also offends; but, in justice,it should be said, the provocation given by such powerful speakers as are to be found among, the members who follow Mr Reid's lead, is sufficient to almost excuse such outbreaks from a comparatively inexperienced member. Mr Shakd fairly showed the spirit which actuates the Opposition benches when, on Wednesday, the first business day of the session, before the Government had any time to bring .-forward the Estimates or other business, he brought forward a vote of want of confidence, simply for the purpose, as he avowed, of making a personal attack on Mr Tolmie; The action taken by the Waste Lands Board, in sanctioning finally the sale of the Otekaike block to Mr Campbell, was unexpected. Mr Sumpter, in the Provincial Council on the previous evening, moved—" Ist. That an Address be presented to his Honor the Superintendent, requesting his ' Honor to lay upon the table of the "Council the Report of Messrs Shepherd and M'Kerrow, as to land applied for by the Hon. Robert Campbell in the Maerewhenua district. 2nd. That if the said Report be laid upon the table, it be printed and bound up with the Votes and Proceedings of this Council. 3rd. That the consideration of the sale of land in the Maerewhenua district, applied for by the Hon. Robert Campbell, be postponed and referred to a Select Committee." One of the ' " members for Mount Ida pointed out, 'in Supporting the motion, the action ■taken by the Maerewhenua Association; to test the mineral .wealth of theblock,,,and also the great harm its alienation would do to the gold-mining district; and in consequence of these strong protests, the Council unanimously agreed to the motion.- In consequence of this action, the Council were electrified to learn early on Thursday that the Waste Lands Board 'had agreed to sell the block, and that Mr Toltnie was found voting for the sale. This is the crowning point of that disastrous anomaly the non-poli-tical Board. ' It is very satisfactory that at last the miners throughout the-'Goldfields are waking up to the necessity of investigating in a thorough manner the new Gold Mining Bill, proposed to be introduced into the session immediately ensuing of the Assembly. The Central Association and many others are busy at work, leaving no corner of the Act unturned without thoroughly ex-' , ploring and sifting it. The attention, too, of many able ,menibers in the Assembly has been drawn to the Act, and they thoroughly recognise the necessity of passing an Act only that is thoroughly ' known to possess the'confidence of the miners. There, is a great outcry now that the waste lands of Southland are being iisurped by capitalists and speculators, no doubt this is so. One day last week, at one sitting.of the Southland Waste Lands Board, 13,000 acres of the best agricultural land were sold. The Southland waste lands are not under the same law as those of Otago proper —there being no limit to the

quantity allowed to be sold, nor apparently any power in the Board to refuse any regularly made application. To check this, the Provincial Council have decided to recommend that all the remaining unsold land be raised in price to the sum of £5, till such time as the Assembly are able to deal with the matter. Such power of raising" the price appears to be vested in the Governor in Council, on recommendation by the Superintendent and Provincial Council, and no doubt this will be entertained. One thing is certain, that such , action will at once enhance the value of the blocks at present in the bands of the land sharks. While aware that we should not deplore anything that raises the value of property in the country, we cannot help regretting that this temporary season of prosperity will enable these gentlemen to reap, by quick*sales, profits—we say quick sales, for the false rise in prices that is sure to ensue will quickly recover its true level. The debate on the vote of want of confidence proposed by Mr Shand, gave rise to an exhibition of dissapointed vindictive acerbity t>n" the part of the mover that cannot be readily forgotten. Checked repeatedly by the Speaker, blundering into all sorts of erroneous statements, only to blunder out again: a picture was depicted that, it is" to be hoped, will never be seen again in any legislative body. The Government very properly refused to reply, and on the division bell being rung, the mover was then left by his own side Of the ITouse to go into the lobby to record his single vote against the Government-; which, at the last moment, he: had not heart to do. So much for not obstructing the business of the country.