PARLIAMENTARY NEWS.

Temuka Leader, Issue 978, 18 July 1882, Page 1

PARLIAMENTARY NEWS.

Friday's Sitting. The Wellington Harbor Board and Co-operative Land Act Amendment, the Vagrant Act Amendment, and the Ashburten County Council Empowering Bills were read a third time. The debate on the Land Bill wag opened by Mr Sutter who commented upon the evils of land monopoly. Mr Seddon thought the attempt to force settlement upon land for the] laat few years had been carried too far under the deferred payment system. It was a great hardship on men without experience to settle on remote land, and. he believed that most of the arrears due from deferred payment settlers would ! never be paid, The auction system of selling land was the fairest,far better than by ballotfor tender. The tenants of the Crown would not be a bit the better off by being able to borrow. Ttiey could not borrow, and they were thus handicapped in the race of life, The only liberal clause in the Act was the one which gave 640 acres to young girls. He disapproved of leasing the lands of the Crown, It would create an inferior class as householders, who would be looked down upon by freeholders. As the colony was borrowing money it was absurd for it to refuse to sell its land for cash. Mr Thomsonsaid auction sales were the cause of the failure of the deferred payment system. He disapproved of the leasing conditions because of their uncertainty of tenure. There was no encouragement held out to tenants to convert their leaseholds into freeholds Pastoral lands should be sold in much smaller areas. Mr Moss said Government seemed to think the unearned increment belonged to the Slate, and condemned the Bill. Mr Ivess condemned the Bill, and advocated village settlements. He would like to see the Southland deferred payment system introduced. The Bill if passed would destroy the reputation of the Minister of Lands. Mr Joyce condemned the Bill. Sir John Hall would support the second reading, but there was much in it which was not satisfactory and which could be amended in Committee. The leasing proposals were open to political and eco» nomical objections. The tenant, if a sensible man, would not improye his land as be would know that at the end of his lease he would have to pay more for it if he improved it. Nine-teaths of the people came out to this Colony with the hope of acquiring a piece of land which they could call their own. The creation of Crowu tenants would breed discontent and introduce a most undesirable element into politics. The cry at the hustings would be the enfranchisement of the tenant. The provisions as to pre-emptive rights were unsatisfactory. He was sorry to criticise the Bill in this way but It was far from.being a liberal measure, and he hoped the House would not pass it as it was. After s.voral other members had ■spoken, Mr Pykc moved tliejadjourinucDt of the debate. ~"~