PARLIAMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXV, Issue 165, 16 July 1903, Page 2

PARLIAMENT.

j PES PRESS ASSOCIATION. | LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. Wednesday, July 15.! T he Council met at 2.30 p.m. The donate on the Addrefs-in-Reply was continued by the Hons. Fraser, Jenkineon and Feldwick who favourably reviewed the Governor's speech. The Hon. J. K. M*cdonald having replied the address was agrerd to and the Council adjourned till F.iday. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. Wednesday, July 15. The House met at 2.30 p m. In reply to a question by Mr Lauren son the Speaker paid in accordance with a resolution passed last session be had refused permission to the Racing Conference to held its Rittings within the precincts of the House, but the Conference had been granted a meeting place in one of the rooms under the c mtrol of the Legislative Council. The House had no control over the Legislative Council portion of the Parliament Buildings. The following Bills were read a first time:—Lyttelton Harbour Board (Buddo), Port Chalmers Corporation Empowering (E. G. Allen), Bruce Licensing Poll Validation (James Allen), Statutes Compilation Act Amendment (Steward), 0 ago Dock Trust Electric Lighting (E. G. Allen). Ou the motion of Mr Ell the Legislative Council Dir.ot Election Bill which stood in his name was struck oil' the Order Papar. Mr McLichlau resumed the debate on the Address in Rep'y. D. spite prohibition in his district Ashburton would e&ntinue to progress. With regard to the proposal to open retail meat shops in England he thought it would be more desirable for tbe Government to i start shops in-New Zealand and give thdr own people cheaper meat. He agreed that preference be given to i British minufacturers. It was ceoes i ssry to purchase more land for close > settlement, but he was against compulsory acquisition in settled districts as it cost too much. He thought 999 , years would be freehold enough for i bim. He would support reasinable i preference for Unionists, I Mr J. W, Thomson spoke of preferf ential trade as which deserved a special session for itself. Hesugges ed ' the natives should be located »n "agri- ; cultural lands irl midst of settlement. I He wished the suocess in - settling the three million acres of land ) now about to be thrown op >n. The question seemed to be not so much now iof land,for the people, but people for > the land. : Hon. J. Owroll replied to critii cisms that had been levelled against the , native policy of ths Government. In Mr ■ Massey's structures it was hard to find : anything to reply to in his wild ohargoc As to Mr Pirata, he could understand his feelings cil not agree with his l sweeping condemnation of the native I; policy. The natives of the South i Island, Mr Carcpll pointed out, were in E a different position from those in the r North Island, and at tbe reqiest of Mr t Parats, the lands of the Southern ; natives were wi hdrawn from the 3 operation of tha Miori Council's Act. Iu reply to Mr Jame>, Mr Carroll de if snded the Hon. Mr Mahuta's appointment, and ssid Mr A. L. D. Fraser, in his speech on that subject, had indulged in vu'gar prejudice and passionate denunciation. It was not true that corI tain off rs had been made to Mr j Mahuta and h's close attendant, nor , was it true that Mr Mahu'a was a ! landless native. Sp'akiog generally I of the native land policy of the Govern- , men"-, Mr Oirroll said there were only four or five million acres left in the t North Island, wLilst there were about , forty thousand natives in the colony. ; It was an obligation resting upon - Parliament to m ike provision for them, , so that they might not be thrown upon the State as piupsrs. The natives , were very generous indeed in offering r to share their lands with the Europsaus, f and asking in return only Borne law which woull deil satisfactorily with the question, Members of Parliament g'lowed a disposition to consider this question from a selfish s aodpoint, considering enly how much native land , was available in their own districts for their own constituents; and where it , was impossible for natives who held , large tracts if country to have their i titles, individua'ised and go to the expense of having the land surveyed aad , cut up into sections, it was nee ssiry to provide some system by which this i-ould he done, and tbe Maori Councils Act provided tti<t system, NoiwithstanJing the diffiaultits in the way of , tbe Councils the account of the bmice ; s which bad been done wes highly satisfactory, He quoted rep>ns to show the good work Oouroils had been doing in opening up Imd under , their contrjl, Surely this was abetter acd broader policy than free trade in , native lands, which was advocated by some members. He intimated that the fullest facilities would bs given to the public to ascertain the onditions under which the Mao-i land was available for selection. In ooncluaion, he again defended the Hon. Mr Mahuta's appointment, and declared thit the action of the Government would leil to a speedy setl' moot of the hud qurs ion in the Kbg Country, which whs satisfactory alko to Europeans and ni'ivis.

IMr ICidi advocttei the freehold, but the least) with right of purchase was one of the best system] ever introduced. He urged speedy uompleion of the Nortb IsL.nd Main Trunk Line. While admit'ing the Government had done a goad deal in the dir. c'ion of encouraging forestry, th're was s'ill a lo" to be done in the way of planting tress to replace our fores* s. There was urgent need for cli-s'fi'3ation in connection with lunatia asylums. The Government ehcu'd consider the advisability of setting up a commission, to go fully into tha quts'ion during tho recess, Mr Ell gave rotica to introduce tha ElcC ive Legislative Council Bill, The House rose at 5.30,

Eysrsra Sitting. The House resumed at 7.30, Mr. Wi Pere, continuing the debate, defended the arp of tho Hon. Mi*. Mahut&to the Legisla'ive Council and the Executive, and heartily con the Giveinment upon tho s'ep they had taken. He bolioveJ Mr. Mahntia was coming to take his seat, but if he stayed away the bhms would ba at the door of Ukso vvh i h d spoken slightingly of him. Ho did noS recognise Mr, Mihuta as Kicig, but he was King of lis o*n tribft. Mr. Wi Pare went on tot?pe*k of the urgent necessity th-it existed for abolition of the Native Land Court, and in defending the Bative land galicy of tha Government,

be said the Native Councils were entirely satisfactory to the Maori people throughout tbd colony. Hon. J. M' Gowan said the cry of Liberals v. Conservatives was a question of the p.sst, th- question now Oxiog bstwesn the large Hnded proprietors and the mißs'P, xiid email ptop'e in both country and to'ns. The cry raised by the Farmers' Union before the general oltc ion w:>s that ths freehold must be given to Grown tenants, but they were :cw trying to make out that the Government wanttd to take freehold, despite the Premier's assurance that there was no intention of altering the tenure of land. It was the earnest dtsii e i f the Minister for Lands to encourage land settlement, It was not fair to condemn a mm because he was njt a good speaker, for a man might be a very goad administrator, although a poor speaker. Mr Liihbridga criticised Mahuta's appointment. As to the Maori Lands Administration Ac", he urged that ib should be amended to enable the Councils to give baok to ths lessees one-, hird or one-fourth of their rents so as 'o help tham to make roads. He candemn°d the want of system in the co-operative works. Mr, Wood spoke against freeholds, and ad roc 1 ted more consideration for back blocks settlers. If proper instruction in cultivation were given to ihe native l , the Cook Islands should be able to supply New Zealand with all the tropical fruit 'rfqmrei He favoured the colony being representta"""*" - " at the St. Louis Exhibition, and considered a suitable site for a similar exhibition in this colony would be found at Falmerston North. The debate was adjourned) on the motion of Mr. Jennings, and the House; rose at 11.15.