PARLIAMENT

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10688, 7 August 1912, Page 5

PARLIAMENT

HOUSE OF RItt'P^SENTATIVES. COXL'TTIONS AT LAKE COLERIDGE. {By Tel'nrirpl* —7'm« /l.<;w(/'f;"H. J WELLINGTON, Last Night. The House of Reprcsentitives met at 2.30 p.m. . Replying to Mr Davey, who drew ijh-e attention of the Minister to a paragraph appearing in the papers reworking conditions at Like Coleridge, Mr Eraser said that lie would hav t . 'a mast searching inquiry made imto tlio whole matter. If the condiitiona are as stated they will be remedied. NEW BILLS. The following hills were introduced ■by the Hon. P. M. B. Fisher, a-titt read a,' first time-:—Shipping and Seamen's Act Amendment, and State Fire Insurance Act Amendment. EDUCATION COMMISSION'S REPORT. Mr Ell asked the Minister of Education, the Hon. Mr Allen, how it was that tho Dominion, and- other morning papers outside Wellington, had been able to publish a precis of the Education Commission's report, which had' not yet been laid before the House. He pointed out that a representative of the New Zealand Times had asked .for a copy of the report, but had been refused it. Mir Allen, in replying said that the report which had appeared in that morning's paper had not been obtained from hif.i office. He understood it had been supplied by a pressman' outside the press gallery. He had deaired to supply the report to the evening r)ap?iv>, .but had heeui forestalled. He thought it was aibout time that a oode of honour was established among pressmen, which would enable .members to trust wem in matters similar to the one innder discussion. He had done his level best to let tho evening papers have report first. The Minister then laid on. the, table the Kdi'cnrion Commission's report. Replying to Mr ILuian, Mir W. F. Massoy said that an opportunity would be afforded -i-ue House, to discuss tho findings of the commission in due- course. BILLS PASSED. The House went into committee on the Deputy-Governor's Powers Bill, the Prisons Amendment Bill and tho ■New Zealand University Bill, all of which nr.'Vied through without the amendment. The Bills were then read a> third time and nassed. A. AND P. SOCIETIES AMENDMENT BILL. Mr Massey moved the second reading of the Agricultural and' Pastoral Societies Amendment Bill,, the main clause of which provided for the extension of lease* of surplus lands, as the. present leise of 21 years was not considered, sufficient to enable lessees to make improvements. A .clause provided that all lea£.?ji hereafter granted ib" a- society, shall he subject to th" Public Bodies Leases Act of 1908, and every each society w:'s declared to ho •i i.npcinrr' authority within the meanr ing of the Act. Provision wasi also made for tho extension of the power* of tho Otago Agricultural and Pas-t-r.-,! ..cv-jpf.y w ith respect to the TaIruna Park. Sir Joseph Ward said that under the provisions of the Bill there wa.s : nothing to prevent Agricultural So- | cieties from selling land, which had beeni given to them, and usimg the pi'ocoeds to pay off any mortgages in*- ' curred before the land had been given. He criticised the suggestion to extend the leases from 21 years to 50 years. Such a course, he said, would not he safe, without some qualifications being imposed. The powers given to aociotis sOjonld be safeguarded by the Minister. He hoped that the matter would receive the full ccntsidration of the Minister before the Bill got into committee. Mr Young thought that the interests of societies' would be promoted if every lease granted for over 21 years was first submitted for approval to the Minister of Agriculture or 'internal Affairs. JtMr Whitty said that the Bill was necessary. It seemed to he in■ffljpduced in the interests of some of those societies who' had got into trouble. The clause dealing with the Otago A. and P. Society should bo dealt with in a private Bill. Mr MeCillum said that the clause certainly was ambiguous. He asked the Premier to see that just exactly what was meant was put into tho statutes. Mir Massey in reply, said/that the Bill did not' give power to sell surplus land, as aacieties already had that under the main- Act. It Avas to givo the societies power to expend such money for permanent improvements, etc., as now it could only be applied in the buying of other land. The extension of the lease clauses was to 1 give societies an extended revenue, and increase their tisefulness.