LAND TENURE COMMISSION.

Auckland Star, Volume XLV, Issue 169, 17 July 1914, Page 4

LAND TENURE COMMISSION.

INQUIRIES IN THE NORTH. A/N" OF I>TT3RiEST.?. The members of the Commission appointed by the Governor to inquire into matters affecting the land tenure system are spending a few days in Auckland, between the time of their arrival from tho South and their departure for Thames ou Monday. Mr. John Strauchon, 1j5.0.. formerly Under-Secretary for iLands. is the chairman, and his associates are Major D. H. Lusk, provincial president of the Xew Zealand Fanners' Union, and Mr. Albert Bruce, secretary of the Thames Harbour Board.

The purpose for which the Commission is inquiring is to ascertain in what manner the land, forests, and timber belonging to the Crown, situated within the Hauraki mining district in the Auckland I Land District, should he dealt with, and whether the existing legislation and regulations dealing with the disposil of the land and timber arc in the best interests of the- State, and j'f not, how far existing methods of administration and disposal can be amended without detriment to mining interests. Speaking to a " Star" reporter this morning on the operations of the Commission in the western portion of the South Island. Major Lus.k said that they had travelled 2,000 miles, visited 40 plam=. and examined 92 witnesses. They had found that in Westland alone 47 timber mills were operating, and very interesting evidence had been obtained in connection with the tnnher industry. Considerable overlapping had been found to exist between mining tenures, land tenures and timher rights tenures. The information so obtained would doubtless enalble the Commission to make important recommendations to the Government. Mr. -T. A. Marohant fa timber expert) had been replaced'by IMr. Bruce, who was especially qualified to advise in connection with mining tenures. Among other "matters the Commission has to report on whether the existing dual control by the Mining Warden and tbe Jjand (Board should be abolished, and whether the Ivand Board of the district should alone deal with all applications lor the sale of timber: also whether the holders of leases or licenses from the Crown in Te AToha township should 'he enabled to acquire the freehold thereof, and. if so, on what terms and conditions.

The funerary of the Commission, which is published elsewhere, includes the following places:—Thames;. Tapu. Coromandel. Cabiba_e Ray. Kennedy's Bay. Kiiaottinu. Whitiansn (Mercury Bay), Tairua, X"eve.=vil'e. Hikutaia. Puriri, Paeroa. Brady's I Gordon Settlement), Te Aroha. Galatea. Taneatua. Opotiki, Te Puke. Waihi. and Karangahakc. The Commission is to report to the Government belfore August 31.