TUESDAY.

Te Aroha News, Volume III, Issue 116, 22 August 1885, Page 4

TUESDAY.

Native and Lands Department. On the motion to report supply to the House, Major Atkinson challenged Mr Ballance to show where the saving he claimed from his departments was to come from. Mr B allan oe replied that it was already shown, and claimed that ho had been quite as economical in administering the Native Department as his predecessor.

Otago Dock Trust. A long discussion on Mr Macandrew's Bill, creating a Dock Trust for Port Chalmers, occupied the remainder of the afternoon sitting. The bill passed through Committee.

Coroners' Act. At the ovoning sitting the Coroners' Act Amendment passed third reading.

Land Bill. Mr Ballance, in moving the committal of tho Land Bill, said the amendments made in tho Waste Lands Coniniitteo had considerably improved the bill. He briefly described the amendment, laying particular stress on the clause enabling deferred payment selectors to exchange their title for one of perpetual lease. Sir Geo. Grey said he felt disappointed at Mr Ballanco's speech, and felt sure that he had not grasped the naturo of the amendments made by the Committee. He made a violent attack on the bill, and stated at length his proposals regarding the purchase by the Government of land for leasing to farmers on perpetual lease. The Premier, replying to Sir Geo. Grey, agreed that the Crown lands were the property of all, but differed from him in thinking that certain individuals should have thi3 common property for asking for it, Sir Gou. Grey : Draw lots. The Premier : I hope the House is not going to be turned into a great lottery house. Sir Geo. Grey : Better than a gambling house. (Oh). The Premier went on to say that in this matter, as in many others "spoken to by the member for Auckland East, he was wanting in practicability and detail. It was absurd to talk about giving away our lands with all our debts and expenses. Grantod that land was common property, it followed that individuals had no right to it without payment and conditions. He said Sir George Grey's scheme of allowing the Government to purchase private lands was placing a dangerous power in their hands. The member for Auckland East was to blame for preventing a land tax from being imposed. He had gone through tho colony lecturing against it, and had created a furore against it. He wished to speak plainly with the hon. member, and tell him that from his present course ho was delaying for years any chance of ever obtaining a land tax in the colony. He went on to speak of Sir George Grey's inconsistency in now speaking against native lands being disposed of choaply, and yet voting against the second reading of tho Native Land Disposition Bill, which was in the direction of stopping land jobbing and land-sharking, and would prevent lands being disposed of for a more trifle. Sir Geo. Grey : A worse land-sharking bill I have never seen. The Premier : It was a bill proposed on the exact lines of the hon, member's own bill of 1879. He surely has a defective memory. (Laughter). It was not true that Liberalism could be brought about in this colony by such conduct as that of the hon. gentleman. I have nothing to reply to as to the details of the bill, because the hon. gentleman does not seem to have mastered them. Mr McKenzie (Moeraki) said the policy of the bill was to conserve the landed estate of the colony for purposes of settlomont. He defended the McKenzie clause, and hoped it would be retained in the Act. He hoped the good sense of the House would assist in stopping dummyism, which ho was satisfied was carried on more or less throughout the colony. Mr Downie Stewart said tho bill no doubt was of paramount importance, and it must be a matter for regret that it was _ not introduced at an earlier period of the session, because obviously it must be hurriedly considered there, and perhaps more hurriedly considered ia the other branch of the Legislature. What he deprecated was tho perpetual system of tinkering with the land laws of the colony, which in tho past had done more to drive away capital than anything else tho House had done. If this tinkering went on year after year to gratify the fads of particular members of this House, there would be no substantial or bona fide settlers in the country. He regretted that the Land Boards had not been mado elective, instead of nominative. (Hear.) It was well known that members got) appointed for political reasons, and gratified political objects which they would never be able to do if they were elected by the voices of the people. The House then went into committee on the bill. Progress was made until clause 34, appointing Land Boards, was readied, when, after some opposition from the Government, an adjournment was agreed to. The House rose at 1.40 a.m.