PARLIAMENT

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 10716, 29 October 1912, Page 5

PARLIAMENT

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES (By Tekaravbr-Frm Aasodaiwn.y. WELLINGTON, Last Night. The House met at 7.30 p.m. SHOPS AND OFFICES. The Shops and Offices Bill was read a second time pro forma, and referred to the Labour Bills Committee. THE LAND BILL. The Hon W. F. Massey moved the third reading of the Land Bill. Mr L. M. Isitt said he was happy in the belief that the Bill would bo the undoing of men responsible f Jr. it. and it would stand on the Satute Book to their shame —a monument of their innate Toryism, and of their unworthy determination to purchase votes by any and every means. Mr G. W. Russell said the policy of the Government in connection with land legislation had been one of tinkering, and did not conduce to the increased settlement >of, the land as- a whole, except to a very limited extent. The granting of the freehold to tho holders of thirty-three year renewable leases was an act of spoliation which he believed would go down as a blot upon > the legislation of the Massey Government. ;. A motion by Mr Sidey to re-commit tho Bill for the purpose of .providing that the limitation of area provision, in part 13 of the Land Act, 1908, shall apply to all lands disposed of, was not discussed, and was lost by 35 vote* to 20. v'w-' Mr Laurenson wanted to know what [ was the good of talking about settling; the lands when' two-thirds of the land in Hawke's Bay . an'di Marlboroughwere owned by a few people. Some people thought that all that mattered were sheep, and cows, and horsps. l&e'. objected to the Bill because it was reactionary, and put the country ba/;if twenty years. '.,....•••-'• -. Mr Wilkinson urged "that more encouragement should be given to go oa the bush lands.