GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2231, 23 July 1891, Page 4

GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

Wellington’, July 21. LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. The Council met at 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday. MARRIAGE ACT AMENDMENT RILL, The Marriage Act Amendment Bill was further considered in Committee. Mr Wilson proposed a new clause to legitimatise children born out of wedlock. The Committee, whilst recognising the importance of the clause, begged Mr Wilson to withdraw it, as they considered it too important to be introduced in a mere machinery Bill, Mr Wilson accepted the suggestion and withdrew the clause. The Bill was reported with amendments. The Council at 4 o’clock adjourned to next day. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. The House met at 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday. THE MEMBER FOR TE AROHA. Colonel Fraser, the newly elected member for Te Aroha, took the oath and his seat. p REPLIES TO QUESTIONS. „ Replying to questions it was seated that the Government nWHd-be glad to consider the advisability of offering a bonus lor the landing of a cargo o-.

potatoes in a marketable state in London; that £13,000 had not been paid away “ during the last few years” by the Public Trust Office to solicitors on account of law costs, but that that sum had been paid since the Public Trust Office had been established in 1873. auctioneers’ wed. Mr Seddon moved the second reading of the Auctioneers’ Bill to regulate the licensing of Auctioneers. He said that he had brought the Bill forward for seven years, and he thought it had arrived at that stage now that it was as near perfection as possible. It had been referred to the various auctioneering firms of the colony, and was generally approved of by them. Bellamy’s. The Premier moved that the House go into Committee on the report of the House of Representatives. Mr Fish said that the report showed that the overdraft at Bellamy’s was £lll3, and that it would require £6OO more to put the committee in a solvent ; position. He intended moving in Committee (1) that a sum be placed on the Supplementary Estimates for the purpose of clearing off the debt at Bellamy’s; (2) that the victualling department be abolished; (3) that in future the management of Bellamy’s be vested in a House Committee appointed by the House. Several other members spoke. The House then went into Committee on the report. Mr Fish moved his first resolution | to the effect that the Government 1 place on the Supplementary Estimates I a sum sufficient to pay off the over- | draft of Ballamy’s. j After considerable discussion, Mr ] O’Conor moved an amendment that ! the Government be requested to take • over the assets and liabilities of i Bellamy’s, and hand them over to a | Committee on the stock being taken ! at a valuation, with the view to the formation of a members’ club. ! The amendment was lost by 44 to !8. i Mr Hamlin moved to add to Mr j Fish’s motion '‘and the House Comj mittee be instructed to abolish Bellamy’s without delay,” The amendment was lost by 45 to 19. Mr Fish’s resolution was put and carried by 44 to 19. ! Sir John Hall moved—“ That proj viding for Bellamy’s shall in future be I done by contract under the direction | of the House Committee,” 1 Mr Fish moved to report progress, which was carried by 34 to 20. the land bill. Mr McKenzie moved the second reading of the Land Bill, to amend ! the law regulating the Sale or other ; disposal of lands of the Crown in New * Zealand. In undertaking this task he I labored under disadvantage, inasmuch i as he had to face a diminished area of i land on which to settle a largely increased population. He hoped, however, that the House would assist him in framing as good a land law as possible. There were a good many people in the colony who thought that no more land should be sold, and he confessed that he was one who held that opinion. The Bill which he now proposed did not do away with the freehold. It provided for the deferred payment system, and for a real system of perpetual leases. He felt that the time was not far distant when there would be a complete alteration in the tenure of land, not only in the colony but all over the world. He was strongly opposed to individual landlordism, and he thought that they should do their utmost to prevent that coming about here. They should therefore encourage people to become tenants of the Crown and not to individual landlords. Sincehe had come into office he had been told by several farmers that they preferred a perpetual lease to the freehold, as they would then be tenants of the state, and not be liable to be sold up by moneylenders, He had no desire to rake up the wretched past as far as the land laws of the colony were concerned, as no doubt they were all more or less to blame for what had been done, but he felt sure that when the future historian came to write the future history of New Zealand, he would find that although large estates had been legally created they had also been created by the making of laws favorable to the acquisition of those estates. He explained at considerable length the various clauses of the Bill. Passing on he said that one of the greatest principles in the Bill was “ope man one run,” which he took for the principle of “ one man one vote,” and this would give a great impetus to pastoral enterprise. The bill also provided for imprisonment for evasion of the Act, and he hoped that those people who were in good positions in the country would avoid such evasions. Referring to Mr Hutchison’s, amendment, traversing the perpetual lease clauses in the Bill, he said that as he had moved it on the second reading of the Bill it must be regared as a hostile motion, one which if carried would cause the Bill to be thrown out, Jlc asserted that those who claimed to be Liberals should support the measure as brought down. Mr Rolleston would give every assistance to the Government in framing a good Land Bill. He was not in favor of land nationalisation, and he did not approve of the perpetual lease

system over large tracts of land, but he ; did’ ftfor retaining the perpetual lease system oyer 6nethird of the land, where people with small means would be able to promote the settlement of it. As to what they had heard about State landlordism, he thought they had better have that than the class animosities arising out of the extremes of poverty and wealth. He shonld vote for the Bill because he thought it was a move forward in the right direction, and proposed to deal with the land in a libel spirit. Mr Richardson did not intend to criticise the Bill in any hostile way, 1 and would do his best to assist the Government in making it a workable measure, Mr Buchanan moved the adjournment of the debate. The House rose at 1.45 a.m.