THE NEW LAND AGENTS' ACT.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIII, Issue 304, 20 December 1912, Page 7

THE NEW LAND AGENTS' ACT.

(To the Editor.) Sir, —The bill affecting land agents, recently passed, comes into force from January Ist Admitting that an Act of some kind is necessary, the Act, in its present form, was passed through the untiring efforts of the large land agents, and at their request, but is of no materia] benefit to buyers and sellers, as it is in the nature of a combine, and will do away with many poor, but honest, agents who have not the funds necessary for compliance with the Act. I should have liked to see a clause in the Act to prevent agents taking the option of purchase, a thing so much practised, not only to the detriment of buyer and seller, but against the well-being of the Dominion as a whole, by the forcing up of fictitional prices on properties by people who have no knowledge of the working of land or building of a house, or of values, and thus prices and routs go up while, in many cases, it is not the owners of the property that get the benefit, and great injustice is done besides to small, struggling tradespeople and workin, men with large families, by exorbitant rents. The Act as it now stands states that these applying for registration must have a testimonial as to character, signed by at least five reputable persons, a thing in itself very easily complied with, but which would hardly have the desired effect, since it is not so much the character of the applicant that is of chief importance, but the method employed in the business. In order to have the most reliable men registered, the Magistrates should have a free hand in the selection of applicants, with regard to character and business methods in the past, and the names of tliose applying for registration should be advertised, giving the public notice of the right of anyone to lodge any objection to applicants with t/e Clerk of the Court by a fixed day-. A publican, when he applies for a license, has to submit the fact of his application to the public, and even to fix the notice on the door of the hotel. The land agent's application should lie publicly notified also, and thereby any person victimised in tbe past could come forward and proffer his obj p ction for the protection of others, and could materially assist the Magistrate in his decision. False bidding at auctions should be made an offence against the law. Were it not unsafe for mc, I could go on to expose some smart practices carried on by some agents and their host of canvassers, and not affected by the Act at any rate. The Massey Government is responsible for the Act in its present state, and it is yet to be seen how it will operate.—l am, etc., R. _a<___B__D.