PARLIAMENTARY.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XIII, Issue 4219, 15 September 1892, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY.

House of Representatioes. TUESDAY, SBPIBMBBBIB.

LAND BILL, The Minister for Lands moved the third reading of this Bill, The Leader of the Opposition adversely criticised the measure, and spoke unfavourably of the leaso in perpetuity which had been introduced into the Bill; the people would, in a year or two, rise against the restrictions, limitations and vexatious annoyance which appeared under the measure generally, The Bill woulddestroy the land revenue; be objeotcd to the power given under it to the Ministor for Lands; there was no part of tho Bill where the inspector, the policeman and the gaol did not como in, nil of which fostered evasion, gambling and speculation, and honest men were prejudiced againet settling on the land. The clause dealing with the pastoral land he characterised as a fad of tho Minister's, and declared it would result in a loss of revenue to the extent of £IOO,OOO a year.

Mr Bruce said he considered tho Bill gave men the opportunity of go-, ing upon the land on the most liberal terujsimaginable, although he objected to the residence clauses.

Mr Duthio opposed the Dill, which lio said was, to bis mind, a colonial disaster, and imposed numberless restrictions, and prevented capital being brought to the cultivation of the land.

Messrs Mackintosh, Hogg, C, H, Mills, W, Hutchison, Sandford and Sbero spoke in favour of the Bill; and Messrs Pish, T. Mackenzie, Buckland, Hon G. F, Eichardson, Buchanan, Lake, H, Thompson and Harkness opposed it, The third reading was. then carried on the voices,

Tho Minister for Lands, referring to the' one-man-one-run' clause, said tboso who had opposed it knew it would be disastrous to the largo companies who now occupied the land, aud he quoted from a return showing that last year there were thirteen holders, nine of them companies' who owned 165 runs of an area of million acres. The result of tho clause would be that when these runs were put on the market sons of settlers would have an opportunity of getting a grazing run, which was impossible under the present conditions, The clause would result in a large increase of revenue if they could get .the !wifs broken up, and tho smaller tbey were the bettor it would be to the Colony in every way, Tbe measure would be a beneficial one, and the restrictions wculd be no greater than those already in force-in faot, they were.

considerably lighter, and were only antagonistic to speculators. Touching on the Bpeotal settlements, he said he considered them as the only means by which poor men oould get an acre of land at all, and he informed the House that a certain area of land would always be kept open for those who did not wish to go on with an association of this kind.

The Bilt then passed on a division, oalled for by Mr Hogg, by 21 to 4, The House roso at 3.10 am. '