LAND FOR THE LANDLESS.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 13958, 3 February 1911, Page 7

LAND FOR THE LANDLESS.

■ —• • CANTERBURY PASTORAL

QUALIFICATIONS OF APPLICANTS

At the meeting of tho Canterbury Land Board yesterday tho members discussed tho qualifications to be required of applicants for the Canterbury pastoral runs to be disposed of towards tho end of the present month. It was decided that applicants may apply for any number of runs, aed that runs not disposed of at the first ballot be open for application the day following the date of the ballot. Mr J. Stevensou brought up tho question of preventing gambling in the runs, find said that apparently there was nothing to prevent a successful applicant from transferring almost as soon as tho result of the ballot was made known. It was decided to inform applicants, before tho ballot, that under tho power* conferred by section 2-13 of tho Land Act, 19GS, tho Board had decided that unless some very extraordinary reason is shown it will refuse all transfers until the expiration of two years from tho commencement of the losses. Applicants will be required to disclose that they possess in cash seven times the amount of tho annual rental of the run applied tor. Mr J. Gibson brought up tho, question of limitation of area. They did not want to provide land for people who were well* off, he said- The idea of the subdivision of the runs was to provide land for tho landless, and as far as possiblo they ought to try and get landless men ou them. Mr Stevenron thought that the Commissioner should got an opinion on tho subject from headquarters. Gibson referred to the legislation on tho subject of the run* as "a. bungle"; certain matters wore left to the lioard, and other matters were not provided for. Mr Stevenson did not consider that tho Board ought to legislate in ' the direction indicated by Mr Gibson. It was not right that the Board should have that responsibility placed on it. Unless tho country's legislators indicated oiactly what they wanted he did not Teel called on to legislate. Mr Gibson pointed out that pastoral runs have not been balloted for hitherto. Jlr Stevenson remarked that it was difficult to understand from the section in the Deserves Disposal/Act how much the provisions of tho Land Act relating to small grasiug rune, and how much the rrrovisiona relating to pastoral runs applied to tho disposal of the runs under discussion. The Commissioner (Sir T. N. Brpderick) read tho section in the Reserves and Other Lands Disposal Act to the effect that when a pastoral run ia being ro-offered it may be disposed of by auction under Part VI of tho Land Act; or on application at such yearly ! rental as the "Boarcl, subject to the I Governor's approval, thinks fit, in [ similar manner to the disposal of small grazing trims; "provided that ITio license shall contain all the provisions of Part VI with ref;ard to payment of rent and the. ulfilment of conditions, but shall not j contain any of tho provisions of Part V. respecting the occupation of lands." He added that they were waiting for the. forms of application to see what they provided tor. Hβ intended to' write to headquarters to ascertain the position. Mr Gibson remarked that, ,as the Board had decided to accopt the age limitation of applicants as provided in the case of small grazing runs, they should also adopt the provision as to limitation of area. , The Commissioner said the section might be read in that way. On other hand, the paetoral run conditions specially exempted applicants from provisions respecting limitation of area. 'What was in his mind was that the intention of th& section in the Reserves and other Lands Disposal Act was to apply the ballot to the disposal ,of I tho runs. , , Mr Stevenson thought that was so. Mr Gibson: Whnt is the ballot for,; what is the idea? The Commissioner: "Ouo very great reason is this: There is a sort or feeling amongst runholders that will not allow them to compete ag&WSt each other; and the rune will, ia consequence, KO to their oriftfnal owners. I understand that, the ronholders, instead of sending their sons to other part* of tho country to ftt lan., intend to let them compote in tho ballot. With the I ballot the runholders nwo&nised that tho chancfes of getting the rune.beck are reduced." ,-,..»_ n ~* Mr Giodon contended that tho Board would be justified in taking the action Tie proposed. Aβ far as possible they ousht to admit landless people to the ballot. If the Board, did not possess the jurisdiction, then the W»P° Bal would fall to th* ground. .The remftrks made in Parliament indicated that the sub-division of the runs wm to enable men to get on tho land who could not otherwise get <» «;. . Mr J. McAulcy supported this view I ° MrV Scaly ateo thought that first I consideration should be for tiw lamj. I Ices, bnt ho was not certain that tlio Board had power to restrict applications to these, who were landless." Mr GHkon moved to the effect that applications-be.limited to those who are landless, provided the Minister for Lends gave the Board power to so stipulate. . Mr MeAnley seconded the nwrtion. Mr Stevenson, »& an amendment, moTed that the opinion of headquarters be obtained on the point. Tho Commissioner pointed out that whilst there was n limitation of area in respect to applicants fer small gracing runs (1000 acrw), th«re wae ao such limitation in respect to paetcral runs; applicants for the last mentioned being required, however, to declare that they possessed no interest* in, and were not tho holder* of, a l-'ceiwo in respect to a pastoral run. In the counre of further discussion, Mr Stevenson said he was not opposfQ to Mr Gibson's proposal. and wan quite prepared to carry it out if it was th© law. Tho Commissioner said that it was a matter he would like to find out moro about before he expressed a definite oj)inion that might mislead the public altogether. Ho v«e quite iv favour of landless people having the preference, if that was the intention of the Act, but that did not appear to him to be quite its intention. Ho would like tho matter left open. Mr Gibson said that th« men most likely to make a success of the runs Mere men who had worked on thorn --head shepherds— r and if they allowed people who had land to apply, tho chances woro lessened of those who did not possess any land. Ultimately it was "decided that the Commissioner ehould get a decision on the question whether- rigid preference to landless applicants should be given.