NATIONAL ENDOWMENT BILL

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 8862, 23 October 1907, Page 5

NATIONAL ENDOWMENT BILL

By Telegraph—Parliamentary Correspondent. WELLINGTON, Tuesday. In the House of Representatives, this evening, the Premier moved the second reading of the National Endowment Bill. It had, he said, come down from the Lands Committee minus the schedule, and as he considered it necessary that the land to be set aside should be ear-marked, he proposed to move, when the Bill was in committee, to clause 2. He urged the House to continue the spirit of compromise which had been manifested in the two previous land measures, and asked members to approve of the original allocation of nine million acres for the purpose of providing additional revenue for old age pensions and education. Of the lands proposed to be set aside, 70 per cent, of the rentals would go towards education, and 30 per cent, towards old age pensions. The Premier contended that it was absolutely necessary that permanent provision should be made for old ago pensions. Mr W. F. Masacy stated that the Bill would have little chance of becoming law if the people of the coun- | try had an opportunity of expressing their opinion upon it. The gross revenue derivable under the Bill was onlv £49,000, while the cost of education was £BOO,OOO, and of old age pensions £300,000. The debate is proceeding.

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