PARLIAMENTARY. Wellington, July 12

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 281, 14 July 1888, Page 5

PARLIAMENTARY. Wellington, July 12

MARKET TICKETS. Mr Lawry is urging tho Minister of Works to issue market tickets for iho bi-weekly markets held a I Papakura, Drury and Pukekohe respectively.

NATIVE GRIEVANCES. Nearly a hunched natives, of whom the majority are chiefs, are at present in Wellington' concerning their grievances and in connection with "the native legislation now before the House. Their main object is fco prevent their lands from beingsubjected to taxation, and I hey are also very anxious to secure a ti ibunal to which they may appeal from decisions of Kativo Lands Courts.

PASTOR IAL LEASES. A meeting of Canterbury members convened by Major Stew ard was hold ycsleiday, when the clauses in the Land Bill relating to pastoral leases weie considered, and certain amendments proposed, which Major Steward and Messrs Lance and Perceval ■will duly lay before the Government. The drift of these amendments was that there should be yet another class of these lauds established, that the leising areas should be made smaller, and that the Crown should reserve the power of resumption.

DISCHARGE OF JURIES. "Mr E. L. Clark has been petitioning the House for an amendment of the law whidi empowers a jndjjo todischaisoa jury for which fees have been paid without the consent of the jvuty who ha^ paid the fees. The Petitions- Committee eonsidciccl the matter, but declined to make any lecommendation. LAXD SCRIP.

The petition of Wilii.im Stecn, of Auckland, has been loferred to the Government for favourable con^icleuilion. Steen. with his mother and two &i»teis, came to Auek land in 1362 by the snip Indian Empire, but neglccte 1 vo obtain laud scup, and now claims compensation for them, and to which he uonld otherwise have been entitled.

NORTH ISLAND RAILWAY ROUTE. The '• Post ' is convinced thar it wa-> the original intention to chaige the co^t of snr vey of the new loute to the loan, and says : " The loan is. as we have on previous occasions pomtedout.so ab?o'utel> ear inaiked to the purposes ot the central line that the money cannot be diverted to any other u&e. We hope the Southern members will like the heavy cost of these utterly unnecessary surveys being; charged on the portion of the general loan bet apait for surveys of new lines, or to general unaufchoiised expenditure." GOLDFIELDS SETTLEMENTS.

The grievances of Tapu and Ohinemui i settlers^ were very fully ventilated by Mr Cadman on the motion for the second reading of the Land Bill. He said that all Governments formed from this side of the House, which maintained the present Ministry, inclined towards opposing ail settlement on goldfields, and instanced the action taken with respect to Tapu and Ohinemuri. With regaid to the foimei, he pointed out how eight years ago the Waste Land Board advertised land for selection under the Horne;«tead Act, which was taken up and rented. The conditions of the Ace were complied with, taking five years to complete, and comprised payment of survey fees, erection ot houses, etc., dealing bush, laj'ingdown in grass, and cultivating a certain nnmbprnf aciP^. The Crown Lands ranger certified to this, and the Land Boaid forwarded certificate, saving they approved of the issue of Crown grants, but (Government then stepped in and refused titles unless the looal body would take o\er certain responsibilities in respect to mining. In the meantime, a miner applies for a claim on one of these homesteads, and the Warden discovers that the Waste Lands Board had in advertising neglected to gazette the notification declaring the land open for selection. On the btrength of this technicality, the Warden grants a license, and also gives the right to cur timber which had been conserved b\ homestead selectors. These people wcic now at the mercy of anyone who chose to destroy their homesteads through no fault of their own ; Government stood by allowing them to be drawn off and settlement retarded, while in other parts of the colony settlement was being fostered regardless of cost. He would remind the Ministei that if he allowed those 66 people who took up agricultural leases in Ohinemuri County to drift away by the policy of doing nothing for them, he would probably bring a hornet's ne»t about his ears that he would not forget for a long time. On the general esbion of land settlement on goldeldfe, they required a surface right with a reservation of the mineral rights, and it being in the posver of private indh iduald to take transfers and conveyances of tni^ sort, he did not see why Government could not do likewise.

NATIVE LANDS BILL. It might have been expected from the fact that all the native policy Bills are to be refeired to a committee of both Houses--, that the second reading of the measmes m question would have been agreed to without debate. Such, however, was not the case, The Native Bill, which was the first of these measures on the Order Paper, was called upon at the afternoon sitting, and the debate continued hour after hour till the rising of the House. The Bill repeals the Native Land Administration Act, 1886, and makes provision in its place. It also removes restrictions on the alienation of native lands to make such pror>erties rateable, and generally places both i aces on an equal footing. Mr Ballance strongly urged the insertion ot provisions to prevent monopoly and limit the area to be purchased by any one buyer. It would, he asserted, be impossible to collect the rates till titles were individualised, and, theiefore, that proposal would be unworkable. He predicted these Bills would increase the work of the Native Land Court to such an extent that it could not be got through, bhafc they would cauee the abandonment of the North Island trunk railway, and generally the expense and trouble would be more than the good the Bills would bring about. Mr Hutchison was hostile to ihe Bill, and Messrs Hobbs. and Beetham urged that the rating clauses should be expunged. Mr Kerr was very severe on these native measures, and characterised them as legalised swindles, merely designed to whitewash doubtful transactions in law.

OPINIONS OF NATIVE MEMBERS. Special interest will, however, attach to the opinions of the native members. Carfoll was satisfied to have these measures referred to a joint committee, but at the same time thought that the removal of restrictions •would open the door to the validation of some doubtful transactions. Taipua again declared that this was the ,worst Bill of the kind that had ever been before the House, and the rating provisions were especially objectionable. He thought the Maoris should have an opportunity of devising land laws for themselves.

{ Wi Pavata thought the removal of restrictions shuuld not apply to the South Island, as the natives there had not enough to livo upon. Opposition to the Bill was I also shown by Taiwhanga, who read a letter j hostile to the measure fiom Wahanui. Quite a number of the other membors spoke, and the bocond reading was carried on the voices. Shortly before 1 a.m., Taipua, moved to have the Bill roteried to the Native Affairs Committee, but was beaten by 28 to 27, and the Bill was sent to the Joint Committee of both Houses.

THE OCEAN MAIL SERVICES. It is intended to submit tho whole question of ocean mail services ior consideration oi the House during tho present session. The Government have yet no authority for lenowino- the 'Frisco service contract, nor will they take any definite action until the discussion of the matter by the House, the date of which the Premier has promised t" announce as early as possible. Some of tho Southern members intend making a determined effort to have the San Francisco sen ice abolished.

PROPERTY TAX RETURN. Mr TJallance intends to have a return prepared showing what decrease of propeity tax revenue would have been receivable during' the past financial year if the exemptions had excluded irom the tax peisons owning' £3,000 worth of property on the capitalised income of £120 per annum at four per cent. ; what increase of the propeity tax would have been receivable during the cast imancial year if the tax had been graduated on land owned by any person, deducting- the amount of the mortgage at the rate of an additional farthing in the £ on each t'5,000, or part of hucli~ sum, in above the first L' 5,000.

RETRENCHMENT IN SALARIES. There is no doubt that the contention o* the Opposition that the savings? made in salaries do not amount to more than i' 30,000 is unfair to the Government 1 was bhown the whole of the fioures hitb m«-ht by one of the Minister, anc 1 they boio out tlie estimate I sent you on Tuesday. Apart from xailways, savings, in salaries \\erem\uly €70,000, while in addition to these, the Minister of Public Works claims over £19,000 in the Railway Depal tment. As a matter of fact, changes* in the Peimancnt Militia oilecterl a ".iving of t'20,000 m wases, and the Hon. T. Feruns's departments alone show move than t'50,000 of ta% ings from salaiies. j

SCHOOL OF MINES. The Minister of Mines will strongly oppose Col Fiascr's new clause in the Mining Act Amendment Bill, authorising local bodies to contribute to the funds of School of Mines. The clause was canied in the tJoldtields Committee against the Mini&tcr by 4 to 3.

THE TARIFF IN THE COUNCIL. In debate on tho second reading of the Customs Duties. Bill in the Legislative j Council, tho measure was advanced another \ stage yesterday. Taking the speeches geneially, they were far from being favourable to the financial policy of the (.iovemment. The Rons. Geo. McLean and j Watei house were strongly of opinion that further retrenchment should have been eflecred, and an income tax proposed before additional Custom? taxation was imposed. Mr Pharazyn held that the effect of further protection would be to leduce rather than increase rates of artisans and mechanics, and Hon. U. McLean, speaking as a mild piocectionist, held the same view, and thought the school age should be limited. Mr Miller also opposed the financial policy of the (Jo\ernment. The Council sat in the evening, and at the jequcst of the Hon. Mi Stevens the debate was adjourned till to-day.

THE RETRENCHMENT RESOLUTION. The latent lobby iumoui legaiding Air \\ ithy's resolution calling on the Government to make furthe lebienchmenfc to the extent ot d.00,000, if possible, during the recess is to the eflect that Ministers ate averse to tacking it on to Supply, and will endeavour to induce the mo\er to withdraw it, or to allow it to be negatived on the understanding that i< can be proposed a? a substantive motion at a later stage ot the session. I ghe the rumour as it 1 cached me, with the reservation that a-D no Cabinet meeting was held yesterday, no definite decision has been come to a^> to the couise of action to be taken.

JOTTINGS. The Council hold its hist evening sitting this session last night. Opposition meeting to-day to consider the situation. The Fencing Amendment Bill has been passed by the Council. Kelly wants to have the letting of Crown and native land suivey work by tender. All the ocean mail services are to be discussed on the floor of the House very shortly. Steps arc to be taken to compel local bodies to pay arrears of interest due on the secuiitie.s held by (lovemment. The name of Dodson has been added to the Committee who are te inquire into the working of the Sheep Department. The Governor proceeds to Sydney by the Wnkatipu on Satuiday, in older to be piesent at the opening of the Victorian Exhibition on the first prox.