THE LAND PROPOSALS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 171, 19 July 1907, Page 5

THE LAND PROPOSALS.

EXPLANATION BY THE MINISTER

OF LANDS.

THE ENDOWMENT LANDS.

(By Telegraph.—Parliamentary Reporter.)

WELLINGTON, Thursday

The Government has been widely criticised in connection with its proposal indicated in the- financial statement, to offer the freehold of ordinary Crown land held under lease in perpetuity at the present value, to be fixed by arbitration.

In an interview with a representative of the " Lyttelton Times" this evening, the Minister of Lands made a statement, on the subject. -1 don't think that people have a dear idea of the diti'eienee between the proposal of this year and of last year on the point," he said. " In the Land Bill of last year there was power to convert every Crown land lease in perpetuity holding into a freehold, but the sale was to be by public auction. The only change that lias been introduced this year is that -the sale by public auction is replaced by the sale at the prudent valuation, which is to be determined by arbitration, and that the uncertainty as to who shall get the section is removed by giving the land to the tenant in possession. Wo have not extended by one single acre the area over which the option of the freehold is to be given, nor have we given the land on better financial terms, because the price given at an auction should represent the present value. We have simply given a preference to the present holders. As a matter of fact, the proposal to sell the land by auction did not ensure that the present value would be given. There was power given the Government to put the land up on terms, and if local feeling had been against turning out the present tenant, the land might have, been sold for a mere song. There was nothing to prevent that in the bill of last year.

" The real departure from last year's position," continued the Minister, '-"lies in the fact that an area of from seven to eight million acres of land proposed to be put aside as endowments last year has been taken out from the endowment proposals. Now, look at the matter from the freehold point of view. We are putting that land into the market under the ordinary land laws. Only such portions of the area as the land hoards of the districts concerned consider suitable for close settlement will be offered under the optional system. Of that seven or eight million acres of land, probably not more than half a million will be offered with the option, at any rate, in our time. The rest oi the area will be leased as grazing runs under similar conditions to thOi.e prevailing at present. Wo. are not touching the, land laws as they affect the grazing run leases, under which large areas are leased in Canterbury and Otago. Those are points to be considered in estimating how far the Government has surrendered."