THE LAND COMMISSION.

Press, Volume LXII, Issue 12129, 27 February 1905, Page 10

THE LAND COMMISSION.

p , . r FURTHER EVIDENCE AT INVERV 3 : CARQILL. [ FREEHOLD v. LEASEHOLD. !• ■ ' ■ — ■ (BT OTTO SF-CU-f -U-POBT-Jt.} i XNVERCARQILL, February 25. ■', 'The members of the. Land Commission a'left Orepuki shortly after 7 a.m., and pfimmediatety on returning to Invercar-i'-lfill proceeded to take evidence. ij f Duncan Murchison, a farmer at Ora-fi-iWia, and a lease-in-perpotuity settler, S*',withlß3 acres of land on the Merrivalo 8 ''fcstate, objected to tho loading on roada fr.«xpen<_iture for county council and aid rates. Ho thought tho should have tho . option of pt*JiM»sniring the freehold; settler- would ly/thon have more heart to farm tho land Ssr" properly. He knew of some lease- &• holders who said, only got a j*, lease of this land, w wo will tako all Wire oan out of it, and then throw it fvLup.''. He thought settlers under the ||||And for Settlement system should pay ccflt., the same as Crown tenants. Ki||.'^Uan' McDougall Carmichael,. a farwith 3600 acres of freehold land on of th_ district, in tho Valley, said his land was very nprj>kisn.' H© was the only freeholder ||pjare, but he knew that all his neighbours round about all *i_hed to acquire of their lands. The setabo- complained "that _.their holdtoo small; the right to purK_l|§j&''"£oald f give' settlement a greater i||php-£u'* in. hia. district; it, would also ||p*J-« settlers rdere careful in deatroynoxious weeds. He spoke well of gltee/local Land Board; they were haid rqeri, but he suggested a board to which settlers could apply WfitS-aee of dispute with the Board. H»*KiFohrl DriscOll, a farmer at+Alataura, H»M'-tM; occupier of a lease with -h6 ■Mghtttf purchase, said the lease in ||y<!*peluity Mrw tWe best form of tenure. beett a'Crowh tenant at Highrapt.nk, and sold out at a profit. Ho hive applied for a section at gjfift&ndale, >ut: lor th 6 restriction in the_ §Hsjhp_* of examination by "the Board, .It for him to attend ior flsJWSjt- I '®^"'^*™^'^^' oo- ''''".' 1 *''■ 'AA' -'■-'"*■ ' Lyons Oswin, officer in charge PMUhe Advance- to Settlers and QoValuations Of6cej said setoffice -thinking they get loans on their cases but under the Act they could lilP'-'ie-t.'-> : loan until they had been in twelve months. A. Iti several RjSfpil -Kit" was found that' the- Depart- . vvaliiation ww much lower than. thero Tfort) about 17(1 mortgagee .'in'-the 4 district, . «n the • laads: of Crown tenants. if fy was not the P«per.that. th6> refusalvof the ■Board to • but also to there be-lt_sji_fi-i-_tt' meansat the disposal of rajwf Vhtti no ■ • MfM(^''*-^ , if ho it ad-rHsabl-Jnot to divulge conKpentuU' not answer the question P3n?_BcUy, but stated that- ait applications mji^b f d-O-ded by the: Board" in WelliriggHPg& to Wellington to i|p!^;-f].' , h© ; .'obuld'Mi;*tbe number of ■ ap-. ; M»Kcat4ohs refused to Crown tenants m pjwi'dist-'ictA The Board only knew Uie Sptei-on why loans were refused.-'"'.. fe?'J»m_-'Miller, a settler twenty miles 1500 of freehold and 1000 acres with a |g|i-ih ;, on it to the. Qa'verhment. Ho bePJferV'ed infthe freehold .system* Tie did lifei} - the leaso-in-perpetuity system. P'*v Alexander Piper, district land valuer,, evidence regarding tbo case ot *j§|u?Gonru-H, » formes witness who had g&jgdtaplained that he had been refused mK-jb-J*..' Ho said he found that O'Conhad removed the houso from his pA'aection,: and waa living on another secjs*sioh.': the Department therefore refused p; the loan altogether.