PARLIAMENT.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9666, 3 December 1909, Page 5

PARLIAMENT.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. 3y Telegraph—Press Association. WELLINGTON, December 2. In the Legislative Council, this afternoon, the Wanganui Roman Catholic Land Bill and the Roman Catholic Archbishop Empowering Bill and Tokomnru Freezing Site Bill were read a third time and passed. EVENING SITTING. The Legislative Council, in the evening, resumed discussion of the Hospitals and Charitable Institutions Biil in Committee. Considerable discussion occurred over section 1 of clause 55, giving a board power to sell or exchange any land vested in it other than land held in trust for any special purpose. The Hon. W. T. Jenkinson, (Taumaranui) moved to eliminate the words "permitting the sale of land." The Attorney General explained that certain lands might be unsuitable for lease, and the section had; been inserted at the request of a conference of hospital and charitable institutions.

The amendment was rejected. Clause 57 —"A board may borrow upon security for building and other purposes"—was slightly amended.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. In the House, this afternoon, .the McLean Institute Bill was read a third time. The report of the Committee on the Land Laws Amendment Bill was brougiat down. It recommended that the Bill be allowed to proceed with the amendments as attached. The Chairman of the Committee moved that the report lie on the table. Mr T, E. Taylor (Christchurcfo North) remarked that if, as had been said, the Bill had been shorn of aH its freehold clauses in Committee,. things had come to a pretty pass. The Liberal party ' was practically a coalition party, and its policy only maintained by the combination ot votes on both sides. Mr Taylor proceeded to denounce the filching away of private members rights, and reticence on the land question shown by the Premier. Members were being treated with absolute contempt. Only the Almighty and the Premier knew what the ,land policy was. The Dominion should at least have two months to understand the position. Men who were howling for the Jreehold were influenced by selfishness, begotten of well doing founded on State aid. The leasehold was the only system under which the poor roan could become a farmer. The whole of the Liberal principles on the land question, which were absolutely sound, were being sacrificed to the exigencies of party warfare. He hoped the Bill would meet with sucb a protest from the House and country that the Government would be forced to give the people six months to consider it. Mr W. H. Herries (Tauranga) moved as an amendment that the minutes of the Committee proceedings lie on the table and be printed. Mr D. McLaren (Wellington East) supported the amendment. Mr W. F. Massey said that his party believed in the freehold, and also in giving the freehold tenure to leaseholders when able to pay for the fee simple. In nineteen cases out of twenty country lands became yaluable not on account of public ex* penditure but owing to the energy and labour of settlers. ' ''""''\ Sir J. G. Ward said it was extraordinary that the leaseholders were ready to grasp at any straw in order to prove sinister designs against the Government. Her repelled the "nulldoggine;" made by Messrs Taylor, and McLaren, and denied the Opposi • tion'e statement that he drove his followers. He asserted that every measure introduced b? the Government had been before tle people, and every opportunity tj discuss it.

In the House in the e.eniigthe Imprest Supply was introduced by Governor's message.

The Premier, r.-plying, to Mr Massey, said that the Naval Defence Bill would be circulated tc-morrow, and a summary of fproceedings at the Defence Conference would be placed before the House in a day or two; also, that opportunities would be given to the House to discuss the reports of the Timber and Police Ccmmiogsions.

The Hon J. Millar, replying t) Messrs Herdman and Berries, said that the railways could be made to show an equally good return as those of New South Wales if the fares were increased to the level of those of the latter State, whieh.paiJ much lower wages than the Dominion. Sir J. G. Ward, answering Mr Herries, denied that there had been delay in the work of the session. Nineteen Bills had -bsen crculats-'. If the railway charges for sheap were increased to those of New South Wales wiull have to pay an extra £90,000 a year over the claries. Mr Hn\ - man's ramarks on the Sta'3 M!fl2 trouble ware unwarranted a ' calculated to causa troible instead of. allaj in* it.