Mr Wakefield moved tbat there be laid before the House a return showing : all agreements entered into br appoint ments made, by the Government up tb the present time, in respect of the con servation or planting of forests, as well : as the description bf duties at present being performed in consequence of any "such erigagetnents or appointments. —

Agreed to. ,. , Tlie adjourned debate on the Canter bury.Leases Bill was resumed. Mr Stout expressed his surprise that 'the Canterbury members did not speak 'on this Bill, and said that some of their friends had been busy going about in structing members to vote against the Bill, He had no' doubt that it would be impossible to pass any Bill on this 'question,. unless it* allowed the Canter bury runholders to retain their runs X^upon their own terms. The system to "?be introduced was to give a perpetual lease unless the land was sold. Be cause wool had fallen, the Canterbury rnnholders " wanted their industry pro tected by getting a perpetual lease, or, : in other words, the voting to them of a sum of money. The honorable gentle man went at great length into legisla tion regarding Canterbury runs, con tending that the Canterbury land laws "should remain unaltered until 1880, but it was the runholders themselves who moved in the matter. In order to see how they would, stand in 1880, the land had been mapped but years ago amongst certain people, and it was sought to keep these people always in possession, to the exclusion of all other people in the Colony, Why, it was worse than the entail law of England. Mr Stevens pointed out that the member for Dunedin was labouring under an entire misapprehension. The general desire of the people and the leading principle of the Canterbury land regulations, was that the present occupiers should have an opportunity "of retaining the land at as high a rent as could be obtained, but not to inter pose any bar to the sale of land. When the present runholders obtained posses sion of the land, one provision of their tenure was that they should hold the land for pastoral purposes until such time as it was wanted for sale. This arrangement would be reversed by the present Bill. 