PARLIAMENTARY.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2897, 8 July 1882, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY.

LEOISLATIVE COUNCIL. Wellington, July 8. The Council met at 2.30 p.m. NOTICES OE MOTION. Colonel Brett gave notice to ask if the Government would lake steps to prevent a recurrence of the railway accident at Kaitoko, by not attaching timber carriages to passenger trains. Mr Robinson gave notice to move that constables bo stationed on wharves when steamers are leaving, to prevent the use of disgusting language and breaches of the peace. RETURN. On the motion of Colonel Brett, a return was ordered of all the charges of indecent exposure in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin during the past year. FISHERIES BILL. The Fisheries Bill was further considered in Committee. Mr Nurse moved an amendment providing that a single license to fish should be available all over the colony. After considerable debate, the amendment was carried on, the casting vote of the Chairman, a proviso being added that the fee for a license for the whole colony should be 425, and for a single province 21s. ADJOURNMENT. The Council adjourned at 4.15 p.m.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

The House met at 2.30 p.m, NOTICE OF MOTION.

The Hon. Major Atkinson gave notice of the following motion for Monday:— That in the opinion of this House, pro r vision should be made against sickness and pauperism by compulsory national insurance, to secure the following benefits (1). Sick pay for every single person, male or female, between the ages of 8 and 65 years, of not less than fifteen shillings per week during sickness. (2) Sick pay for every married man of not less than twenty-two shillings and sixpence, and for every married woman seven shillings and sixpence during sickness. (3) As superannuation, an allowance of ten shillings for every person, male or female, from G 6 years of age to death, (4) An allowance of fifteen shillings per week for every widow with one child, increasing according to scale with the size of the family to thirty shillings per week until the children are 15 years of age. NEW BILLS. The following new Bills were introduced and read a first time :—Gladstone Reserve (Mr Feldwick) ; to provide for the temporary appropriation of Government House, garden and grounds at Auckland to certain public purposes (Sir George Grey). SECOND READINGS. ' The following Bills wore read a second ■ time : Lunatics, Friendly Societies, Education Districts, Education [Reserves, Mining Companies [Registration Validation. ALIENS ACT AMENDMENT BILL. The House went into Committee on the Aliens Act Amendment Bill. Mr Seddon moved that the fee for naturalisation for persons resident in the colony for 12 months be reduced from twenty shillings to one shilling. The motion was lost on the voices. Mr Seddon moved the fee be 2a 6d, which was carried on the voices. Mr Pyke moved the insertion of a clause providing that nothing in the Bill should apply to subjects of China, The Committe divided on the proposed addition—Ayes 40, noes 16. Mr Buchanan reminded them, on the motion that the new clause stand part of the Bill, that the residents of Hong Kong and Singapore were naturalised British subjects, and could come to this colony in spite of any legislation they might pass. He strongly opposed the clause.

Mr Fish said the clause just p asoo d was a sad homily on their liberal professions. In Dunedin the Chinese had shown an example worthy of being followed by Europeans. It was their industry and harmlessness that made them objects of animosity. Mr Joyce expressed an opposite view, denouncing the Chinese as the most degraded class of the community, as shown by their actions in Invercargill and Riverton. They were an everlasting curse’to a country. Mr Pyke explained that the clause did not aim at excluding Chinamen from Civil rights, but to make them pay 20s for naturalisation instead of the reduced fee of 2s 6d.

Mr Fish was under the opinion that it was intended to deprive them of all Civil rights, and the explanation just made tended to modify his opinions on the subject. The debate was interrupted by the 5.30 p.m, adjournment. The [House resumed at 7.30 p.m., when the debate on the Aliens Act Amendment Bill was resumed in Committee, and progress was reported. LAND ACT AMENDMENT BILL. The Hon,. Mr Eolleston moved the second reading of the Land Act 1870 Amendment Bill. He said that the far oif echoes of older countries taught them that the question of land tenure was one of great importance. He had little faith in taking the stories or facts from other countries, and he would deal with what he believed the natural outcome of the question as developed in this colony. The “Land Act” of 1876t00k a grasp of the question of which they might well be proud, and was highly creditable to Mr Donald Beid. The Bill of 1879 tended still further to promote a liberal policy. Its object was to enable persons of knowledge and experience to take up land upon an advantageous berm, but it hud one bad feature, it encouraged the deferred payment settler to ’borrow, and in that way it defeated much of its otherwise beneficial object. Since then there was no legislation until the Bill now brought down. Ho tracod the operations of deferred payment settlers under the act now in force. Thero was tens of thousands of acres of- kand which would never have been taken up but for this system. That was his answer

to the query as to whether or not it i should be continued. Ho was quite ( alive to the fact that it was susceptible of improvement. What was wanted was to establish a system that would create a tenantry under the Crown, and not a tenantry of the money lenders. Ho made these remarks in view of the fact that many of these settlers were now in difficulties. Such an arrangement would not supersede the deferred payment system. It would simply create a new means for a different class of settlers. This was no revolutionary proposal, but simply a system in accordance with the exigencies of the times. As regards the leasing system, a provision of that kind was necessary if agricultural settlement was to go on. The goldfields’ power must be taken to lease with a right of resumption for mining purposes. The Bill made special provisions for the water rights, so as to conserve them for legitimate mining purposes, _ mining being the principal industry in those places. A difficulty of that kind had already arisen, and it was necessary that some special provision of the kind should be made in the mining districts. As regards the general features of the leasing proposals, they would tend to promote actual settlement on the very easiest terms. They would enable a man with the smallest possible capital, who knew how to use land, to go to work at once, instead of using up all his capital in the land, or being dependent on the money-lender. No larger area than 640 acres was to bo obtained under this system, and by that means the large capitalists would be excluded from taking advantage of the Bill. The restrictions proposed were similar to those imposed on the deferred payment settlers under the existing law. The Bill had also an application to the endowment made for spdcucational and other purposes. It would bring together the administration of these tracts and place them on a common footing. These reserves would be brought under the administration of a body responsible to the House, and be dealt with in the same way as other waste lands were, All the preliminary work in the shape of surveys, etc., had to be done by the Government department, and there could be no reason why they should deal with these reserves to the fullest extent as Crown lands. “ West Coast Settlements Act” lands and the “Thermal Springs Act” lands would all be benefically affected by this Act. He next referred to the deferred payment settlers relief question. It would be' wrong to adopt the course which had been suggested of compelling those in difficulties to go before a Court to plead their poverty. What was proposed by the Bill was to place an alternative proposal before these men in common with others, and allow them, whether they were in pecuniary difficulties or not to exchange one tenure for another •with advantage to themselves and without disadvantage to the State, in virtue of the common law of the land, and not as beggars. It would be unfair to the successful deferred payment settler to compel him to follow a course which his less successful brother was not required to do. He was most anxious to see this Bill pass into law, and he appealed to honorable members to help him to make it law irrespective of party considerations. Mr J. Buchanan expressed satisfaction with what had just now been stated as also with the Hon. Mr Eolleston to adminster the Land Act fairly and equitably. They had come to look upon the land revenue as no longer forming a portion of their ordinary revenue. In that case they might reasonably have expected a more liberal land law than the one now proposed. It would therefore be well to consider in Committee whether or not they would not be able to make terms even more liberal than those proposed. More inducements should be held out to youths born in the colony to go upon and cultivate the land, and if settlement was secured he would give the land at a nominal price, merely that of survey and registration, but giving no power of mortgage for a term of years. Mr Kelly spoke in support of the Bill.

Sir George Grey alluded to the deferred payment settler. It was the duty of the Government to have opened up an extent of land for these settlers in advance of the demand. That was not done, but for such small sections as they were allowed to get they had to compete at auction. All this' time there were great tracts of land closed against them. Under these circumstances, the action of the Government forced them into giving larger sums than they should have given. It was the Government who had committed the mistake. The settlers had been unjustly and unfairly treated, and under these circumstances they were entitled to every relief that could be afforded them. He had been told that no land should be parted with, but only leased. From the first the best lands were held in large blocks by those who had obtained them by being either the legislator ’or administrator themselves. How could they now say that we should give no more land in fee simple ? By that means the large land owners would have addititional advantages in excess of those they had already. Before doing that he asked every member to abandon their seats, and give the masses an opportunity ot being heard in their own defence. He would say that the leasehold system could not be carried out. The conditions to be imposed on the tenants were harsh and unconstitutional. What they should look to for|rovenue should be the land tax. He counselled them to make a complete system at once and not go on adding to the intricacies of the position. Mr M. W. Green approved of the leasehold proposal, pointing out that this was the policy being pursued by some of the largest corporated cities in the Home Country. Mr Bathgate congratulated the Government on the bold experiment it had made, and the new departure taken in respect of the waste lands alienation. If the leasehold proposal achieved no other good it would check the pernicious system of land speculation. On the motion of Mr Fulton, the debate was adjourned. EXTEA SITTING. On the motion of the Hon. Major Atkinson, it was agreed that the House meet on Monday next at 7.30 p.m. for Government business, ADJOUKNMENT. At 11.30 p.tn. the House adjourned.