NEW ZEALAND LAND CONVEYANCES BILL. House of Commons, July 12.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume VI, Issue 460, 29 December 1849, Page 3

NEW ZEALAND LAND CONVEYANCES BILL. House of Commons, July 12.

Mr. Aglionby moved the second reading of this bill. Sir J. Graham would be glad to be informed as to the object of it. Mr. Aglionby said that the bill was to en- , able the New Zealand Company to grant conveyances of the Company's land, sold seven or eight years ago in New Zealand. The land sold amounted to three hundred- thousand acres, to which no title had yet been given. The expense of making a conveyance in this conntry would be heavy ; and it was proposed by the bill to enable the Company to affix their seal to conveyances of land made in this cotfntry. The benefit to be derived from the measure wo«ld_bejcanJlned .enticely^tq.ibjose who had purchased land in New Zealand. Sir James Graham : Had the bill received the sanction of the Government ? i Mr. Aglionby replied that it had. Sir J. Graham was anxious, to know whether this arrangement would at all interfere with former enactments. Had the clause which relieved the Company of the stamp duty received the sanction of the Government? Mr. Aglionby replied that the bill had been submitted to, and had received the approval of the Colonial office. A similar provision was inserted in the North Canadian Act. Mr. iiayter, observed that the proposal to allow deeds of conveyance executed by the New Zealand Company in this country to be free of stamp duty had been assented to by the Treasury. The Canadian Act contained precisely the same clause, and it had been thought only fair to, extend the same privilege to New Zealand. Mr. Goulburn could not admit that the existence of a bad precedent was a reason fot its continuance. He thought an exemption of this description to be objectionable on principle, and that it behoved the Chancellor of the Exchequer to consider the question in connexion with the revenue. (Hear, hear). Mr. Hayter said, that the clause was not 'inserted merely because there was a similar provision in the Canadian Act, but for other good reasons. P Mr\T GTa'dstone asked whether this was the identical bill of which notice had been given by the hon. gentleman the Under Secretary for the Colonies. Mr. Aglionby replied lhat it was. ' Mr. Gladstone must then, of course,"regard it as a Government (bill. As the bill had only been circulated that morning, and as it was desirable that it should receive the consideration of the legal members of the House, he suggested the postponement of the second reading until Monday (hear.) After a few words from Mr. Mangles, Mr. Goulburn observed, that conveyances, executed in this country, of lands in Jamaica, paid stamp duty, and be could see no reason for the present exemption. Sir James Graham bad not been aware of tbe Canada precedent, and felt surprise at the introduction of the clause. Considering that the bill hail only been sent round that morning, he moved the postponement of the second leading until Monday. After a few words from Mr. Aglionby, Sir J. Graham reminded the honorable and* learned gentleman that the anbject of grants oi land is Kew- Zealand had" 'given riser ttr

much discussion in Parliament. He thought it desirable that the Colonial Office should be represented in the house on such an occasion, and as the honorable gentleman the Under Secretary for the Colonies was not then in his place, he was certainly disposed to press hid motion. Mr. Mangles said that the colonists of New Zealand had been left seven or eight years without a title to their lands, and this measure was intended simply to assist them. Mr. Roundell Palmer also urged the postponement of the second reading. The second reading of the bill was then postponed till Monday.