PARLIAMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, 16 September 1920, Page 5

PARLIAMENT.

YESTERDAY'S PROCEEDINGS. THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. The Legislative Council met at 2-30 p.m. The Hon. J. B. Gow (Opotiki) gave notice of intention to move that it is against the public interest to allow i,ho Legislative Council Act, 1914, to be brought into operation, thereby making a drastic change in the constitution of the Dominion at a time when there are many urgent political and social problems pressing for solution, anil that the Government be urged to take steps to pass legislation this session to give effect to this resolution. The Divorce and Matrimonial Causes Amendment Bill (the Hon. .T, MaeGregor) Dunedin, was read a second time pro forma, and referred to tho Statutes Revision Committee. The Coroners Amendment Bill was put through its final stages and passed. Sir Francis Bell moved the second reading of the Post and Telegraph Amendment Bill. Replying to a question, Sir Francis Bell said tho clause prohibiting any but the Post Office from the delivery of letters did not prevent a firm from being its own Post Office, but it did prevent is from being anyone else's Post Office. The Council rose at 3 p.m. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. NEXT SEASON'S WOOL CLIP. The House of Representatives met at 2.30 p.m. Replying 'to Mr.- G. W. Forbes (Hurunui, Mr. Massey said he was preparing an official statement regarding the disposal. of next season's wool clip, which lie hoped to lay before the House tomorrow. | BENEFITS TO EX-SOLDIERS. Replying to Mr. R. McCallum (Wairau), the Hon. 1). H. Guthrie said it was impossible to extend the benefits of the returned Soldiers' Settlement Act to Imperial soldiers until all our own soldiers had been satisfied. There were still lour thousand of these to be provided for. NEW SHIPPING LINE. Replying to Mr. ]\. P. Hudson (Motueka), tho Hon. W. Nosworthy said he had not heard of a proposal to. establish a shipping lino between New Orleans and Jamaica, but he would make inquiry into it. THE LEASEHOLD PRINCIPLE. The remainder of the sitting was taken up with discussions on reports of committees, and the resumption of the discussion on the Te Aroha leases, Mr. M. J. Savage (Auckland West) taking up the cudgels on behalf of leasehold tenure. The discussion was again interrupted by the 0.30 adjournment. NATIVE TRUSTEE BILL. AN IMPORTANT MEASURE. Sir William Herries moved the second reading of "the Native Trustee Bill, which, he said, was a measure of great importance to the Native race, and should have been introduced before the war; but that could not be done, and | during the war an edict went forth that no contentious legislation should be introduced. Now that the Bill was before the House he believed it would be found "a long felt want." The Bill was based on a report of a commission consisting of Mr. Justice Hosking and Mr. Mcintosh, who had reported that it was advisable to separate the Native and pakeha business now transacted by the Public Trustee. It was proposed to set up a Native Trustee and a deputy Native Trustee, who would relieve the Public Trust, Office of Maori business, and so, it was believed, facilitate the transaction of that business. A Native Trust Office Board would be set up, on which the Native race would probably have two representatives. A common fund would be set up for tho administration of the Act. and to this would be added a sum of about £2G'2,000, now in the hands oi' the Public Trustee, and out of these funds it was hoped the Board would be able to assist and encourage Natives to cultivate and improve their lands, for which purpose the ordinary lending departments of the Government will not advance loans. Many natives were anxious to emulate their pakeha brothers, and as we owe a duty to the Native race, he hoped the House would look at the Bill as a means to that end. There had been many complaints in the pant that Natives did not cultivate their lands, but they would not be able to do so unless they got financial aid, and the Bill would supply this necessity, loans, of course, being advanced only on' partitioned lands. The Bill was read a second time and the House went into committee on the I measure. ' The Bill passed the committee stage i 1 without amendment, and was read a J third time and passed. I