THE LAND BILL.

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 13603, 11 December 1909, Page 9

THE LAND BILL.

■ a j LIKELY TO BE BROUGHT ON FOR SECOND READING.

j THE FREEHOLD OF RENEWABLE LEASES.

I REPORTED CHANGE OF FRONT I BY THE GOVERNMENT.

j (SPECIAL TO "THE PRESS.") j WELLINGTON, December 10. ! The statement that the truce ar- ; ranged at the recent caucus regarding i the land policy was likely to be only a | temporary one, would seem now to j have been an accurate forecast. Memj bers on the Government side of the ! House are not at all satisfied with tho i present position. "Mr Massey's amendI ments the other day were extremely j awkward for a number of them, and ! they would liko to get an opportunity ito explain their position. With mis j object in view, it is understood that ; the Land Bill will he brought on for \ its second reading. Meantime a con- | Terence between the freeholders and the | leaseholders on the Government side of j the House is being talked about, and jit is understood that the Government j will agree to throw over that portion jof their policy which relates to the ! granting of the freehold to holders of ' renewable leases. This, of course, will I be- rather a bitter pill for some of the j Government freeholders to swallow. To jan onlooker it would seem to be a tac- ! iical blunder to bring on the Land | -Hill at this late stage of the session, because it will be an utter impossibility to got it passed before Christmas, and the House seems bont upon going hozio before then. In addition, there must always be tho danger of some further amendment that will put Sir Joseph Ward's freeholders in an awkward corner.

When speaking in the House early this morning. Mr Massey declared that his object in moving ono of his amendments with reference to land tenure, in Committee on the Land for Settlements Administration Bill the other evening, was to kill tho renewable lease system. It was, in his opinion, a serious mistake for any country to settle land under such a system.