THE LAND BILL'S FATE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8260, 13 October 1906, Page 7

THE LAND BILL'S FATE.

Tbe topio of conversation in the House of Representatives, yesterday, was the postponement of tbe Land Bill. While the freeholders are jubilant at the ' decision of ibe Government to drop the measure for this session, the ranks of the leaseholders are filled with bitterly dis appointed men, whoso only consolation lies in tbe faot that the cam* paign, whion the Government has announced will take place daring tte recess, may serve to remove some misapprehension existing in the country, and clear the way for the passage of the Bill in 1907. ■The freeholders, of course, claim a victory; the leaseholders, generally speaking, are agreed that the Governmen showed a deplorable lack of front at the laßt hour. It is true that few of.the.. members' who desire to see the remaining Crown lands conserved to the State for national endowments were sufficiently optimistic to believe that the Bill oould have been passed into law this session, but they contend that the Bill should never have been pressed to its second reading, backed by the declaration that the "Government would stick to itß guns,\nd go down under them," if the Government did not intend to do anything of the kind. Bat they are not disheartened. They are hopeful as to the result uf the future and one at least has already declared his intention of stumping the oountry in the intersts of the measure. One prominent leaseholder declared to a Post reporter that "tbe Government had been infamously weak," and that "he expected them to have more grit." Equally disconsolate was the reply of anuther leaseholder.; "It is a bitter gill for us to Bwallow." Yet another said: "I am very disappointed indeed, bat in view of the "present Ptate of the parties in the House the decision of the Government will eventually be for the best. We will have to put enough energy into the fight in tbe oountry to make up for our defeat in the House " Some members of the Lands Committee are also aggrieved that tbe work they put into the Bill has been nallified to a large extent. "I think the Government bas acted very badly indeed towards tbe committee, " one member remarked when questioned as to his views.