PARLIAMENTARY

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VII, Issue 2060, 5 August 1885, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY

(UNITED PRESS ASSOCIATION.) TUESDAY,.. LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. The Land Transfer Bill was reported, with slight amendments. ' ■ , , In Committee on the Administration Act Amendment Bill, Mr Whitaker proposed a' new clause, providing that the property of a man dying intestate, leaving a wife, but no children!surviving him, shall bo allotted to his wife absolutely. This was carried by 22 to 14. The Bill was then reported. A number of local Bills were read a first time. The Distress Bill, Wellington Corporation Leasehold Bill, andTimaru Harbor Board Loan Bill were read a second time. The Presbyterian Church Bill was referred to the Local Bills Committee, The debate on the motion that the School Committees Election Bill be committed, was adjourned, and the Council adjourned at 5 p.m,

HOUSE 0? REPRESENTATIVES. ) The House met at 2.30 p.m. j Replying to questions, it was stated that a survey- and report would be pre- j pared on the question of the siltini? up of Nelson harbor; that a Sheep Act Amendment Bill was now under the considera- j tion of the Government; that a Bill would be introduced in order to remove doubt as to the validity of releasesv.Qfr mortgages executed prior to the Property Law Consolidation Act, 1883 ; that several tenders had been received for the construction of the tunnel section of the North Island Trunk Railway,' and that the deposits of all except the two lowest had been returned, ' Mr Pr.ot resumed the debate'.on the Native Lands Disposition Bill, He said the Bill would be tho cause of some trouble amongst the Natives, and h& hoped the Native Minister would accept several amendments which the Native members intended to introduce.

Mr TeAo said the Bill was a halfcaste Bill, although it' appeared to be & Maori one. The native people considered that both the Native Lands Disposition Bill and Consolidation Bill were bad, and several petitions had been got up amongst his own people against them. Mr Dargayijm intended to oppoao the Bill, as ho considered it was vicious in principle, as it provided that the majority of owners should be put in a position to dispose of the lands of the minority, He would vote against the doctoring of the Maori laws except in the direction of individualising the titles and the resumption of preemptive right. Mr Moss objected to the Bill, and said it concerned tlis Auckland District in a large measure, as out of the 40,000 Natives in the Colony, no loss than 30,000 wore to bo found in tho district. The character of tho chiufa had greatly deteriorated in consequenceof their inter" course with Europeans, and yet it was proposed by the Bill to hand over to these chiefs the disposal of die Native lands.

Captain Russell thought the Bill was a retrogade movement, and would tend to perpetuate the existence of the Native Department for ever. He pointed out that the election.of Trustees of Committees was not at all a new idea, having been originated a3 far back as 1867, but was repealed again in 1873, as it was found to be an utter failure. The Bill also absolutely ignored the rights of ownership, He was at a loss to understand th arguments advanced by the Premier and Native Minister, as they wore told that the Bill would prevent the natives parting with their lands, whilst they also said it would promote settlement. He contended that Mr Bryce had left office with the respect of every native in the country. The present Native Minister went about seeking popularity amongst the natives, and he hoped that when he left office he would leave it with the same feeling of respect on the part of the natives as the member for Waitotara. He thought the great bulk of land in the North Island should be settled on, and the only way to do this was to induce the natives to sell their landj and to compel them to individualise, their title?, . By doing this the natives would become frugal and industrious; but he thought he present Bill would destroy all individual effort, v.;' Mr Hobbj opposed the Bill arid jaid it"

effect would be very disastrous to the natives themselves. Mr Pyke deprecated treating the natives as children, and Mr Ballance had most unwarrantably made promises to the natives which could never be fulfilled. He critised the Bill unfavorably, and said ho intended'to wfote against the second reading The House adjourned at 6.30. EVENING SITTING. The debate on the Native Land Disposition Bill was adjourned, ' Sir J. Yooei, nioved the resolution for | the appointing of the East ant Coast Railway Committee. He members to discard from their minds any feeling which they may have formed by reading the report so industriously circulated during the past fortnight. He explained the arrangements inade since the passing of the Bill authorising the work, and referred.to the delegates who went Home to arrange for the construction of the lino,. Those gentlemen were of unquestionable character, • and on reaching Home they found that the proposals would have to be modified, and that a guarantee of £97,000 would hta to be given. Recognising the, .unfismess to burden the colony, the' Government had decided to rate the districts interested, and a meeting of members interested was called, which was so favorable, that they decided to submit tho proposal to Parliament. There was an absolute eagerness in Canterbury, Westlard, Aid JNelson for the line. Ho opposition of the" other, districts was formed on short-sighted considerations. He contrasted the position of the colony in connection with this work with its position in regard to tho Wellington-Ma-nawatußailway Company, where donations in excess of the ordinary land grant amounting to £26,000, were given to that Company. He referred to the vast couutry that would be opened up, and the benefit the line would be to the. whole colony. He estimated that the cost of the line would be £3,130,000, and the Public Works Department Animated that the profit the first; year wild be £59,543, therefore that amount was to be saved out of the £97,000; and if so, Government were liable only for £30,000. That payment would be reduced about £12,000 annually, and the- ijpie would shortly come when no payments would have to be made. , When he looked at other parts of the colony, and saw how they had been allowed to borrow, he was at a loss to understand the objections raised against this proposal. In conclusion he said it would be a great injustice if the House refused to refer the matter to a committee. Last session

the House had pledged itself . to this work, and since members on all sides had said the line was desirable. It was fair to undertake works, on the understanding thattlie districts which Wanted themshould contribute to the cost. Sir George Grey spoko strongly against the proposed concessions, and said the 1 effect of introducing foreign companies would be to throw out of employment a vast amount of engineering sessed by the colony. They proposed to hand - over to a foreign proprietary 2,500,000 acres of land, which would bo three times the size of Cornwall, five time 3 the Me of Derbyshire," and half the size of the principality of Wales. He asked the House to abandon the fal/aceous idea of going to Meiggs & Son, or any other London contractors, and constituting them and their heirs tyrantu in the future. Captain Sums, denied that the line would pay, and challenged the Treasurer to prove it. The land through.which the line passed was unfit for settlement, and the line would not pay for the grease for the wheels of rolling stock. Mr E. Richardson said the line would pay uncommonly well, and it |||(b a mistake to say that the colony in® ded < to give away 2,500,000 acres, as a lane area of the land would betaken minimum rate of 10s per acre. Ho quoted from estimates made from official documents to show that tho line would pay. Mr Dakgaville strongly opposed. the resolution, and said if the line would pay as well as the Minister of Public Works had said, there waß no necessity to depart from the concessions of land; as arranged last year.

Mr Pyke objected to any concessions being granted to Meiggs and Sons, • and also to the appointment of thecoramittoe. If, however, the committee was granted, j it should bo elected by ballot, Mr Fisher opposed the resolution and said if the proposal to construct the line was such a good one, why did not tlw Government bring it before the HouAl as they had promised to do. rf Mr Downie Stewart considered the proposal an ontrage on the the House. The contract was a most remarkable one, and he ventured to say that a similar agreement could not bo found anywhere, as everything was in favor of the contractors, He asked the House to reject the proposal. . Mr Smith favored the Committee, but thought there were too many South Island members in it.. He would raovoynext day to add two North Island members, Messrs T. Thompson and Locke, to the Committee. "7 Mr Hoimeb attacked Sir 6, Grey, ■ and ' Messrs Fyke and Fisher for their opposition to the, Bill, and said that moßt nf the opposition to" tho Bill was. because theproposal emanated of which Sir was Ti j' He said the work would be of benefit to the Colony, ' Mid' , submitted ' that tho motioii Aould.bsoarried' withoufc even a. division. , . At 12.45 d,m. Major Athnson moved the adjournment of the debate.' agreed to, and the House roae, ■