PARLIAMENT.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10030, 2 July 1910, Page 5

PARLIAMENT.

By Telegraph—Press Association. WELLINGION, July 1. LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL The Council met at 2.30 p.m. The debate on the Address-in-Reply 1 was continued by Mr Paul, who said he had no doubt as to the wisdom of the intention to remove the book ■ making clause in Act of 1907. He hoped the Landfill would be in no way a "back-down." Mr Sinclair dealt at length wi h the question of lease in perpetuity lands. In his opinion settlement and not tenure was the principle thing to be aimed at. J The debate was adjourned. The Council adjourned until Monday. HOUSE UP Te House met at 2 30 p.m. Mr Mac Donald on the Address-m-Reply, said the Government were entitled' to some credit for the return of prosperity after the depression. Their efforts to procure cheap money would be helpful to settlers. He rhuught Crown lands should be thrown open ior optional tenure, and hoped that a vigorous land policy would be pursued and] unproductive lands brought into use. The procedure in connection with Native lands required simplification, and greater celerity shown in throwing them open for settlement. Small runs ought to be placed on the same footing as freehold land. Mr Craigie, in seconding the Address, said the proposed relief of parents was a great national question, and the money would be better spent in ttijs direction than on immigration. ■ He advocated leasehold pure and simple. Mr Massey complimented both speakers on their solid and sensible speeches. He controverted the assertion that the renewed prosperity was due to the Government. It was due to the fact that out primary produce was fetching better prices. He condemned the merging, of the Roads and Bridges Department into the Works Department, which has caused trouble and vexation to settlers. While supporting sinking fundi in principle the practice of providing them out of borrowed money was not good. On the land question, he said the men on his side would give others the right to the freehold which they themselves possessed. He was unable to find a single proposal in the speech by which the Government would stand or fall. Regarding water power conservation, the Government's policy was a dog-ir-tre-manger one and detrimental to the interests of the Dominion. If tie Local Government Rill would aid local boidies fioancing their workF, it would receive his hearty i support. It should, however, be/brought down early in order to give the County Council Conference the opportunity of considering it. The increased, taxation Of last session should be repealed, as it was now unnecessary. :the greatest mistake the Government >hsd mads W93 'retting apart Crown lands as national endowments. These ought to be sold" and the proceeds in- ! vested in town land. The only solution of the Native land problem wis to give the Natives similar rights to Europeans in dealing with their lands. He hoped the matters connected with the of the railways would be improved du_rj£~ tlie session. In his opinion the bookmakers' clause of the Gaming Act should be repealed. The House rose at 5.30 p.m. ' Mr Ngata resumed the debate in the evening, and said Mr Massey's policy was to "blow soapsud bubbles which invariably burst." In fifteen years, up to 1909 about half the total area of native lands had been gold, chiefly to the Crown. In two months since'the altered procedure connected with native lands, the transf-r of 20,000 acres had been dealt with by the court, and since last session 438,664 acres had been surveyed, and £20,000 allocated for the work of the survey now proceeding in the North Isiard. Mr Ngata paid a tribute to the work done by the Hun. Mr Carroll.

Speeches were also made by Messrs E. H. Taylor, Dive and Poole.

The House adjourned at 10.55 p.m.