In his opinion the very fact of talking so much about altering the regulations would be prejudicial to our land ■ales, people would say “ 1 will not purchase land at present, for it will be much cheaper j* six month* time.” He did not believe that it was a bad thing for the province to extend the squatters’ leases, at that time things were in such a depressed state, from the fall in the price of wool and sheep, that if the leases had not been extended the probabilities were that the whole affair would have collapsed. Mr Hall, who, on rising, was well re ceived, said that he stood at a great disadvan tage in addressing them after Mr Birch, who bad, be might say, taken the ground from under his feet. He agreed with Mr Birch’s speech in the main. Mr Birch was older, and probably wiser in politics than himself, and perhaps it might be thought presumptive on bis (Mr Hall’s) part in coming forward against an old member like Mr Birch. He would not say that we are over-governed, but, considering the amount of officials, the Pro vincial Councils have perhaps no parallel. He did not object to the squatters as men, but he believed that the majority of the last Provin cial Council was composed of squatters. He toapld have to repeat a good deal of what Mr Hiroh bad said, though it would probably be in a different form. The proposed alteration in the Waste Lands Regulations had, he thought, been made a party cry in the late elections ; but, he believed, that great con sideration would be required before the pre sent regulations were altered, so as to be advantageous to the country. He thought the question should be dropped till 1880, when the squatters’ leases would ex pire. He wondered whether many working • men bad become rich out of the so-called capitalists. He thought that a great many more capitalists had become rich out of the working men, but the question would have to be further investigated before a definite conclusion could be arrived at. He believed in a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work. With reference to immigration and all the red tapeism of the Government agents in London, some wretched specimens of humanity had managed to get out to this colony. 