DISPOSING OF LEASES.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXIX, Issue 7243, 31 July 1907, Page 1

DISPOSING OF LEASES.

TENDER SYSTEM CONDEMNED

A correspondent of the Oamaru Mail svrites as,follows:...lt is to be hoped that ■ill who'wish' to see land settlement a success "will'protest against the re-inho-luction of the pernicious tender system. An object lesson as to its effects was to be seen in the letting of the Kurow secions, about 1877, which were thrown open under that systemt With what result? Let the records be turned up, \nd perhaps the Minister of Lands' cye3 may be opened. The land was mostly L.endered for at a sum far exceeding its value, and the result was that in a few years, or less, a petition was forwarded to the Minister of Lands and the sections were reduced to the upset, and even below it. I contend, sir, that this was very unfair to the settler who tendered for it at a fair price, but was knocked out.by a speculator or one who did not know the value'of the land. The same thing happened under the auction system, and the State, instead of being a gainer under the system, was much worse off than if the land had been taken up at the upset. The late Sir John McKenzie and the Hon. T. Y. Duncan both looked carefully into the various systems, and finally adopted tho ballot as being the fairest and the best way of "disposing of the land, both as regards the State and. the settler,; and Mr NcNab has a lot to learn before \o can improve on their mot'hods. In fact, the general opinions of most, of those who would like to see the land settlement a- success-is that the present. Government are making a mess, of .the errand work accomplished by their predecessors, especially-by,tho practical T,bnnclomnent of tho leasehold syste^ md the adoption of thfi tender instead if the present plan of the ballot.