HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XI, Issue 202, 18 August 1876, Page 2

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Wellington, Thures 'ay. The bußinfS9 before t!ie House this atternoou vraa not generally interesting, the day being one for private husiness. Ten days' ieave of absence is to be asked for Mr II -xcUr Wood. The Government promised to obtain a return of all letters and other papers relating to the Provincial Appropriations Extensions Act 1876, and to the sanction of all worka under that Act and the Abolition Act. A return is al>o to be procured showing the indebtedness of the various 1 cal bodies on June 30 h 1877. Another return to be prepared will show the population of the colony, and •will be published in the Gazette. All correspondence regarding the possibility of the capture of Winhta is to be produced. Also, ail agreement* or appointments regarding the Conservation of forests. Some debate took place upon the Canterbury Pastoral Leaßes Bill, which was cut short by 5.30. Friday. At 730 last evening, Mr Stevens resumed the debateon the Cmterbury Pastoral Leases Bill He urged a variety of reasons to show that the Bill was detrimental to the public interests. A very long discussion fol owed . The fol'owing members supported the Bill on various grounds :— Messrs LumsJen. De Liutour, Sheehan.Rees, Thomson, and Hursthouse. Their chief arguments were th*t an attempt was being made to obtain special legislation for a special class by giving runholders a perpetual tenure; that settlement in Canterbury had been too much retarded by the squatters, who spotted or gridironei the lards of the province ; thiit if the titles to pastoral lands were not to be extin<t in 1880 they should not legislate upon the waste lands at all till then; that the principle of the measure was sound, as likely to secure more general occupancy; thit the ru'iholders had enjoyed tbe advantages of pastoral licenses long enough, and ought to relinquish them in favor of more beneficial ocjupation. i Mr Murray and Air Rowe each endeavorei to obtain an adjournment, which was lost, the Government opposing. Mr Wason also opposed the adjournment. Those who objectei to the Bill were Messrs Murray-Aynsley, D. Keid, Brown (J. E ), Atkinson, Bowen, Fitzroy, Hodgkinson, and TVakefielJ. It was contended by theai that free selection and the present license system had worked beneficially; that the Bill would gtriice at tbe root of the land regulations; that i the price of £2 per acre checked a runholding monopoly; that the spotting st stem had been fount not to answer; that good faith compelled them to rei:ewlhe leases of the squatters until the land was sold, if doc, that a commercial crisis must ineritably follow in consequence of the lar>;e amount of money invested on the strength of the tenure, and tbe whole ere: it of the colony would be ahaken; that] the Bill opened the door to any ring of speculators to buy up the greater part of their pastoral Jan Js if auctioned at once as pro-

posed, and would thus ruin small licensees whose rights liad grown up during thiny-flve yeirs; that the existing land regulations had induced settlement in greater proportion than the? laws of Otago; that it w,->s monstrous to tilk of aniiill holdings in any large proportion ot the linds being likely to be remunerative; that as the Government was going to deal with tho whole mutter, their Bill ought to be waited for; that nearly the whole of the Canterbury people were opposed to the Bill, &g shown by all but two meinbecs voting agiinst it. In the course of the Premiev's remarks on the B'll lie referred to the habitual use by the member tor the Thames and his immediate followers ot language that made him at times fe>l almost aslnnied that he was a member of the House. Sir G. Grey moved tint tbe woria be taken down, also the words '• foulmouthed abuse," use 1 a fuw minutes previously by the Premier. The Speaker ruled ihat the latter could not bj Uken down, not Having been moved for at the moment, but he took the former down. Mr Stafford endorsed the words of the Premier, and aaked that hiß might be taken down also. The Premier, being called on for an explanation, »aid that one or two members held themselves at liberty to make unworthy and disgraceful insinuations, an.l to vie opprobrioua ianguige to members of the House, and even agaicst those who wire not there to defend themselves He referred to not . more than two members who used such improper language. The Premier then retired!, and Mr Barff tnovf d thit t'.ie explanation was satisfactory. Mr Rees defended himself; saying he was one of tbe memoes referred to, and he was never ashamed of anything he said, and mt afraid to say to any m in's face what he thought, when he believed ha could show at leaat reasonable grounds for making charges. Mr Scout moved an amendment that the Premier's remarks on the use of intemperate laassu\ge be taken down. (?) A good deal of discussion followed regarding the amenities of debate, which ultimatsly dropped on tha /suggestion of the Speaker that the amendment and resolution be withdrawn without any censure [being passed either way. The Premier, upon entering, said he thought he had a right to complain of the course adopted. The Sneaker quoted a precedent in 1856, an.i the Premier at once resumed his arguments against the Bill, which he endeavored to show would be unworkable. The debate was aojourned for a fortnight, aad the House rose at 2*^o a.m.