PARLIAMENTARY.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2166, 23 August 1907, Page 3

PARLIAMENTARY.

Press Association. legislative council. The Council mot at 2.30 p.m. COSTLEY TRAINING HOME. The Costloy Training Institution Act Amendment Rill was committed. A new clause was added by the At-torney-General validating acts done by any trustee, notwithstanding any defect in his appointment. The Bill was reported as amended. TOHUNGA SUPPRESSION. The Attorney-General moved the second reading of the Tohur-a Suppression Bill, to check the practice of Tohungaism among the Maoris. The Minister spoke strongly of the necessity to put an ond as far as possible to the practice of charlatanism among the natives, Whose minds were unsettled by it, to their great detriment.

W,i Per© said there were some Tohungas who did their best for the amelioration of sufferers, but others often found an ulterior object, and that was to get hold of a very nice wife. He then went into a disquisition on ancient Maori mythology. He desired the Bill to be passed into law. Air. Scotland considered the Bill too lukewarm, too milk-and-watery, to achieve its object. He would like to see the Ball more comprehensive, and apply' to thought-readers and faith-healers, who were nothing but Toll un gas. .Air. Rigg pointed out that the power of suggestion might bo used with beneficial results, and it was a question whether they should include iu the term Tohungaasm that phase of healing which might bo due to hypnotism or suggestion. He did not think they should too hurriedly condemn that which they did not understand. He would vote for the Bill as it was permissive, 'seeing that action could not be taken without the permission of the Alinister, but at the same time it would have been better if wo had started to put our own house in order in this respect first.

..Mr. T. Kelly urged that the question should be dealt with in. a sympathetic manner. Nothing but education would remove the traditions surrounding Tohungaism. Dr. Collins supported the Bill from a medical and a practical point of view, but thought education and the help of the more enlightened members of tho race were necessary to achieve and complete the remedy of the evil. ■Air. George, whilst not opposing the Bill, pointed out that there was no explanation of what a Tobunga really is. Education might help, but would not entirely eradicate Tohungaism. He instanced the recent rainmaking experiments at Oamaru as showing how Tohungaism retained its hold on the people. Air. AlcCardle supported the Bill, which he thought would do much towards suppressing Tohungaism and the ills arising from it. Air. Samuel thought the Legislature should he extremely careful how it discriminated between, one portion of the people of the colony and another. He thought the Bill should be made temporary in operation. It would be undesirable to make permanent jail arbitrary law to deal with a question which a year or two would dispose of. Ho indicated certain amendments he considered necessary to be made. Mr. Jones resented Air. George’s remark about Tohungaism and rainmaking at Oamaru, and saiid the experiments had proved highly satisfac*°Mr. Feldwick generally supported the Bill. , ‘Air. Smith was prepared to accept the statements of experts that the Bill was necessary, but the debate had not demonstrated that it was so. Air. Loui&son also supported the Bill. The debate was adjourned on the motion of Captain Tucker. The Council rose at 5 p.m.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES BEE-KEEPING. Alter midnight -esterdav clause 10 of the Apiaries Bill was passed. Clause 11. providing that no person, shall he entitled to compensation for anything lawfully done under the Act, and clause 12, providing that the Governor by Order-jn-Counoil may declare any pest affecting bees or apiaries to i>c a disease within the. meaning of the Act. were agreed to. The Bill with amendment® was reported, and the House adjourned at 0.16 a.m. The House met again at 2.30 p.m. WATER SUPPLY BILL. The Petone Water Supply and Conservation Bill was committed and passed through Committee with some technical amendments. A HARBOR SQUABBLE. The Waitara Harbor District and Empowering Bill was committed. iMr. ORey opposed the Bill ' on behalf of the New Plymouth Harbor Board. ,Mr. Jennings, the member in charge of the Bill, said the New Plymouth Hiarbor Board proposed to Taise a new loan of £150,000. Whiitara desired to he excluded from the consequent rating. . .Mr. Massey said the question was whether Taranaki was to have a harbor or not, and whether Waitara or New Plymouth was the best for the province. He considered New Plymouth was the best, if was the nearest port to Sydney, and lie considered there were great possibilities of direct trade between Sydney and New Plymouth being developed. The discussion was proceeding when the House adjourned at 5.30 p.m. The House resumed at 7.30 p.m. The Waitara Harbor Bill wias further considered in committee. At clause 5, which provides that the right of the New' Plymouth Harbor Board shall not bo prejudiced in its right to continue to levy rates over the area comprised in the Waitara Harbor’ district for the purpose of providing for the payment of interest and sinking fluid on the existing loan of £200,000, an amendment was made to make the amount £350,000, so as to include the additional £150,000 tile New Plymouth Harbor Board proposes to raise by loan. On division the amendment was negatived bv 42 to 13, and the clause passed without alteration. T’ e Bill was put through all committee stages. MISCELLANEOUS. The Gore Streets Bill was committed. The Bill with amendments was put through its committee stages. The Wellington City Empowering Bill was put through committee stages without amendments. ■ The Apiaries Bill was put through its final stage* and passed. MAORI LANDS. The amendments to the Maori Land Settlement Actt Amendment Bill mado jn committee were reported and ng*ejttvA. I/, Fraser said that as

51„ori Imids wore J” tho Crown the market value ot tlic laud being without coinpctitu.n was what the Crown made it. Conse fluently he argued that the natives were not receiving the full value of tho land. Ho read from a departmental report to show that land whndli was worth for timber alone bio per acre, the Government was giving only 7s Cid per aero to the natives for. tie urged that in future tho Crown should not purchase any more native lands, hut that whore a native has lands for salo or lease they should bo put up at public auction. Mr. Ngata said tho Government should renliso that the system of Crown purchase of nativo lands from 1892 to 1899 had been the cause of the present deadlock. He urged taint the system of purchasing from bodies of natives should ho adopted instead of from individual natives, who were often influenced wliero thev were weakest, viz., near a public-house. He added that where purchases were m ulo in tho manner he suggested portion of tho purcliase money should ho held in trust for tho benefit of itho natives. He asserted that in the King Country the Native Land Purchase Officer had had to go to the nd'oining territory outside of the prohibition area to purchase native lands. The result had been that in ntmiv oases tho natives cumo from the prohibited area, and having sold their lands spent tho whole of tho money in public-houses. This must bo put a itop to. Ho had not the value of. the land ip view, but tho degradation of the liativo race, and this must cease. _ > . > Air. Hurries agreed with Air. Fraser, but he asserted that in tho past Europeans had had to pay the Natives more for tho land than it was worth. They looked to tho Government to put a stop to the drunkenness and debauchery which arose through tlio practice of paying money near public houses. Ho complained that nono of the land purchased from Natives had bean sottled by Europeans, and ho wanted to know why. Air. Heke urged that the Crown should purchase no moro Native lands as that was tho only way in which the balance of tho Native lands could be preserved to the Native race. _ He did not blame Europeans for desiring to purehaso Native lands, but they had been benefited at tho expense of the Native race. Ho Urged that as the Natives had not acquired their lands by sweat of their brows they had no right to sell tho lands. They were derived from generations of ancestors and the present. Native holders had no right to dispose of the lands, but should preserve them for posterity. Air. Carroll said the Bill before the House only dealt with financial matters arising out of The Alaori Land Settlement Act, 1905, and was for tho purpose of validating purchases from individual Natives. Ho was not there to defend the past, but Governments had carried out their duties in regard to the purchase of Native lands in accordance with the policy of the dav. He disclaimed all responsibility for Natives who were without homes and were receiving old age pensions. At one time a wave seemed to come over the natives, and they appeared to desire to g-.fc rid of tiller lands aoid anything tliev had got at any price. Since the 1905 Act instructions had been given to Native Land Purchase Officers to arrive at a fair valuation of native lauds and give the natives a fair price; and he contended that in the purchases made they had not been far behind the full value of tho lands. He pointed out that there was always a wide margin in various people’s valuation of any piece of land. Referring to timber lands, he said it was wonderful that with timber syndicates searching the country for milling timber none of 'the syndicates had lit on native bush lands for the purpose. It bad been proved that much of the native bush land was not suitably timbered for milling purposes. Under the Act of 1905, 102,119 acres had been purchased from natives at am average of £1 per acre. The purchases had only been completed some two months, and before tho surveyors could be put oil the Government would have to consider some scheme for cuttimr up and settlement. The surveyors oould not be put on during the winter, but would be put on in the summer. Ho agreed with tlie member for Napier that the time had arrived when thev should absolutely shut down on all private dealings with natives, and that only one avenue be open to acquire lands from natives, and that either by public amotion or public tender. He urged that strenuous efforts should ho made to put the Alaoris as fanners on their own lands. Then this money they receive for the purchase of lands wcm'd go far to assist them in developing and cultivating these lands.