PARLIAMENTARY.

Manawatu Standard, Volume IV, Issue 282, 25 October 1884, Page 3

PARLIAMENTARY.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

THURSDAY OCT,; 23. WELLINGTON COLLEGE RESERVES CON- . FIRMA.TIOS Bllli. , The Premier mq.ve-1 the second reading of this Bill, and m doing so, said that the reserves had heen promised by several former^ Ministries. and m 1876 the Government planß liad been really made out. Subsequently however, the muneipality of Palmevaton protested against the reserves being granted to the college. These reserves, however, were at the * : 'time waste lands, of the colony, and these formed no part of the borough 'of Palmerston North. He should be happy replying to answer any questions of hon. members. Mr Shrimski objected to a Minister of the Grown taking charge of private Bills; and he also objected to '-outlying districts being deprived of resources within their boundaries. He = also opposed valuable endowments being granted for higher branches of v;: education. • •.■>; .' . • ;;"■ Mr Macarthur also deprecated a member of the Government taking, charge of a -private Bill. Referring to the reseives m question, be admitted the Superintendent of the pvo- ... t ,vince;«)f WelHng^on had m 1876 proj inised the endowment to tbje Welling-'. v :: ton College Governors, Kut he thought ; that has Ihe Superintendent had no ".to give away the lJeserves m question, his action should not now "be endorsed by the Government. It had been the intention of the muiuci- ,, pality of Palmerston North to have . public buildings upon there- * genres, and upon one oi; those the people, being aware that it was a college reserve, but not knowing that it had been reserved for. the Welling- / ton College, intended to erect a building of their own for the higher class of 'education. In 1876 tjhe ground liail been reserved from public sale, and as the action of the Superinten- " ■detit '"'■' had been ultra vires frora the beginning, he contended that the "Wellington College Governors h*d no .claim to the reserves. The reserves m question hnd been omitted m the Wellington College Endowment Bill 0f 1879, when the Governors brought. : d6wn that Bill, which applied for aii : :,€iiidowment m the Wdirarapa, as no fou^t they were afraid to ask for too much at that time, but. they now come down again and state that it J¥ was i through a mistake that the Pal- - c fcber?<ton North reserves were not in-- 1 ' . cludei m £he first Bill . It was now ,fdr the Hoiisu t<> say whether, m face ,of^the fact that the Wellington Col-; lege Governors had hitherto refused to pay rate* on the reserves, they Mrouldiagree to' the second reading. ; Mr Macandrew suggested that the : second reading should be '■ agreed to, and the Bill might; be referred to the * i :v V7aste Lands Committee, with a view to ascertain whether or not the Suppr- / intendent had a legal rigjit to grant the endowment. • '* Mr Rollestun scud that : was a mat- , ter of feet the reserves m quest on >' jjpye/'belpnged to the municipality of ■ , Palnieretpn , Nprth. The Superintendent ha^ the ■'{ iiiservesTfrionr sale; and if -he had not 'cltfneio, they would have'paßsed ititp , private bands. The matter had lieeh carefuHy gone into by three successive Ministries, and also by several t? committees, and Jie therefore could not see how the HouKei could noyr refuse to give the reseryes to the ; ij- ; Wellington College Governors. Dr Newman remarked that the ; ;chum of th,e Wellington iCollege Gb- * ' vernors was riot at all a new one. The reserves bad years since heen promised to the College, and' it was only through a gros3 blunder that the . Crown grants had not been prepared: ' Considerable stress had been made of ' ?'^liei factj by the hon. member for r Manawatu, that the College Goveriors had not paid rates upon the re- - gerves, I>ut Le, would only point put theyi jhaving no legal right to the r . land, could not, pay rates on what ; ■ they did not possess. Seeing that the endowments had been promised by ! three Governments, and' had passed ' this session through the TJpper House »v lie trusted the second reading would be agreed to. 0 'Mr Seddon, moved that the. Bill be ; read that day six, months, and, m doing so, remarked that the House had no pro_of before it that the reserves had ever been reserved- for an en- - dowment for the Wellington College, . although no doubt the Superintend'enfc m withdrawing the land f rota sale had reserved it for -college purposes, but because he had named it a "college ßeserve s ifc did not necessarily mean, that it was reserved, for the ..Wellington College Governore; He would point out that the Manawa,t,u ■ district-had not been libe'raljy treated 'm the matter of reserves for charitable or recreation purposes, and therefore he hoped that the House '.'would' , not give the Wellington College Gtoyernors the endowment they asked for. He had been informed that the member for Thorridon.and the * l Hon. Mr Brandon, had agreed -with "' the ton; member for Manawatu -that 'it portion of the reserve should be given up to Palmerston North municipality for hospital purposes. i)r Newman: No. , That is not correot. . "' , ! ,•:,■. ..- a s> ■•■•)■,■ Mr Macarthur explained that he '•■- had spoken to the honj member tor tthorndou upon, the subject referred "to, and that gentleman had said that lie would see the Hon. Mr Brandon "' with respect to the matter, and, 1 understanding that the offer that a certain portion of the reserve should : Hbe conceded to the Palmerston people, be had wired up to the mayor of that place to that effect. Dr Newman said that he had spoken to the Hon. Mr Brandon with respect to thirty-iwo acres being handed over to the municipality -of ... Palmerston North, and that gentleman, after consulting with his co-go-vernors,, had informed him (Dr Newman) that the governors could not accept th« offer, but believing they ; had a good case, they' intended to .;■'. either stand or lall by the BUI. '„;VJ .VMr Seddoh said the offer ofa comi,; - SIP® 10 **? honor to the heart of the Bon. member for Manawatu. and he only regretted the offer had not been accepted by the College Governor*. The hon. gentleman was speaking Whan the House, at 5,30 adjourned, for the usual dinner-hour.