PARLIAMENTARY. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XI, Issue 166, 5 July 1876, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Wellington, Wednesday. The House resumed at 730 last night. Tbe In.prest Supply Bill waa paasel without, d seussion. The delivery of the Financial Statement occupied two hours and a half. The Premier moved, i.i conclusion, thit a resolution be pnsseJ that night for increasing the price of tlie W«ste Lands of the Crown to a b m not exceeiiog £2 per acre. Sir George Grey pro e.-tnl ag-unsfc the resolution being unfairly obtrude! upon them so hastily, and moved an amendment that if purchasers were <iiss itiefle 1 win their purchases (heir money shoull bs refunded with interest. Sir J. V- gel pointed o-it that the resolution wag only iufoduicd wi h a view to tutura legislation oa the matter, and was merely meant to protect the colony against the operations of lanj speculators. If. the House d-cidelfo increase t!ie pice of land that increase should be made at once. A Ions? as.d aniniitei discussion then ensued, kept up mwnly by those hostile to the res lution, chiefly by Mess -8 Rees, Stoat, nn 1 D. Reil, the Otago memberj considering that th 3 resolution would i -jurious'y iiffect Ofcago by interrupting the usual l«nd sales, ami a prevention of their revenue from that source woult put a atop to public worka, anJ proba v Iy ruin the contractors. The Premier rienied that there wad any ground for such gloomy anticipations. Mr Stout mov.d the sdj jumnient of the e'ebtte, bm it w»s m-gntivej on the voi«es The Auckland members pointei out that the Government kn w they were going to bring d iwn this res >lution when they legalised the Piako sale to their friends at half a crown per *ere, and that w*b not fair. Mr Itees said it wa9 scandalous. Mr S'afford pointed out the necessity for some such reso uti :n to put a bar to speculators in land. Mr Stout moved an amendment that the reso ulion shoull apply only to Nelson. Wellington, and Hawke's Bay, but lost it by 46 against 18. He then moved tut the Chii nun report progress, but was defeated by 42 to 18 Ultimately the Premier acept-d an amendment by Mr Bastings to the effect that the resolution should not apply to lands leised or sold on deferred payments, and thii was carri d on the voices. The Hou=e a-Jjourned at 3-15 a.m.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

Wellington, Tuesday. I>, Pollen announce! in the Council that Mr. Oeorge tt'Lean, of Waik >uiiti, had been appointed Comra^jioner of Customs.