"THE USEHOLD."

Auckland Star, Issue LVII, 1 March 1926, Page 9

"THE USEHOLD."

■ ■ " — I LABOUR'S LANS POLICY. j Witt THERE BE ALTERATIONS? : A PROBLEM FOR NATIONAL . I CONFERENCE. j (By Telegraph.—Own Correspondent.) .! WELLINGTON, this day. j Delegates who attend the tenth annual conference of the New Zealand ■Labour Party, at Wanganui, at the beginning of April, says the "Post," will ibe faced with many problems, and it iis safe to assume that one of these ■ ' problems will be the party's land policy. lAt the last general election the land I policy was the storm centre of the I battle, and the opinion is held in more : than one direction that it was largely i responsible for the set-back which the party received at the polls. : Included in the remits which have •been received at the head office of the 1 party, and which have been circulated to the various branches for consideration, are a large number dealing with the land policy, and in these many amendments are suggested. Various suggestions are made that the policy, jas it at present stands, should be made ;more clear, so that it could be more j readily assimilated by electors, and so that it could be less open to misrepresentation. The suggestion is made by the Hastings branch that, as soon as I the conference meets, a committee j should be set up to revise the party's .land policy and report to the conferI ence. but delegates possibly will prefer Ito give expression to the views that they hold on the amendments that have j been proposed at tho conference proper. Land Tenure. I As it stands at present, Labour's land policy aims at the reorganisation of i the interests of the whole community iin the land by: J (a) A land tenure based on occupancy and use, which shall secure to the workj ing farmer the full fruits of his labour and exertions; (b) the tenant's absolute j right to improvements; (c) the securing jto the community of all values created ;by the community; <<l) the elimination of exploitation of the working farmer by the institution of a State Bank; of j the community by securing for it the rent of the land, now absorbed prin- \ cipally by tiie money-lending instituI tions. It was this clause in the policy which ■ gave it the name of "usehold.' , but in the amendments suggested the wording jof the policy is altered very consider -

I ably. From Auckland unions comes the suggestion that the following clause, among others, should be inserted in place of the policy as it stands at present: — ! The recognition of the interests of I the community in the land by securing jto the community all values created hy I the community. j The Canterbury L.TS.C. also puts forward this clause and adds the words: "Winle ensuing to the owner or occu- : pier all values created by him." ! The Whakatane branch will move: ! That the freehold mnv be acquired by

the men.ns of a sinking fund added to the lease rental, provision being made to prevent purely land speculation.

Sale and Transfer of Land. One of the clauses of the Labour party's platform which came in for very strong criticism during the election campaign was that relating to the sale

and transfer of land through the State, and that there is a school of thought against this proposal is indicated by the nature of one or two remits that will come up for consideration at the con- ! fenrence. The present policy reads as ! follows: — ■ That privately owned land shall not be pokl or transferred except to the State. ■ The Timnru L.R.C., the Timaru branch of the Labour party, and the Canterbury Drivers' Union will move at tho conference that this clause should be deleted from the policy, and the Amalgamated Society of Painters and Decorators" Union and the Roskill branch will move that the clause should jbe replaced by the following: — That privately-owned land shall not be fold or transferred except through the State. Land Valuation. ! Extensive alterations arc nl>o suggested in regard to the present policy relating to valuations. The present policy ! proposes a State valuation of nil pri-vately-owned land, such a valuation to remain on record "as the measure of i the present land-holders interest in the i land." The Wanganui branch proposes !the deletion of this clause and the substituting of the following:— "The land valuation system in connection with this policy shall bo as folilows: The valuations, capital and un- | improved, will be determined by the 1 Valuer-General as at present, with a right of appeal to an Assessment Court, and, if desired, a final appeal to a valuation appeal board. The constitution of the Assessment Court would be as follows: — One member appointed by the Government; one member appointed by the local governing bodies within the land district in which the appeal ie made; one member selected by the land occupiers of the district. "Appeals may be lodged within two months after announcement of decision of Assessment Court.

"An appeal from the decision of this Court may be made by either party to the valuation appeal board, the constitution of which would be as follows:— One Supreme Court Judge, one person appointed by the Government, one person representing the land occupiers in the land district in which the land is situated. "Any owner who is not satisfied with the State valuation, as provided above, may fix his own valuation; the State to have the right to acquire the property at any time thereafter at the valuation so fixed, plus the viluo of improvement. The owner may at any time reduce his valuation. The surrender clauses will not apply to such valuation, and until the Government chooses to acquire the land so valued such land may be sold through the State Land Transfer Department. The ValuerGeneral would revalue all land at least once in seven years, and also at the time of transfer to the State. When transferring to the State takes place, the occupier would receive the full amount of the previous valuation, plus any improvements made by him subsequent to the valuation." Included In other amendments which will be proposed are the following: — "That the clause stating that the party's land policy does not interfere with, the right of inheritance be deleted." (Christcliurck East branch.)