INFERIOR LANDS.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 18917, 4 February 1927, Page 13

INFERIOR LANDS.

* ! NEW SETTLEMENT POMC'V. CONDITIONS OF GOVERNMENTS FREE OFFER. [THE TRESB Specie Srrvlc?.] \YELLINGTON, February ?.. I In order to settle inferior lands dis , posable by the Crown, the Minister for J Lauds, the Hon. Air Mel.cod, is now • about to offer them for unfiling. I uder the new policy, the Government asks for j no rent, but it insists on certain improvements in lieu of rent, and these I improvements, when completed, will en [ able the holder of the laud to become a freeholder free of cost. j In the first place he will be given a j license to occupy. This occupation license is for ten years, and is rcntlcss. Tho conditions of the license set out grades of improvements (two-yearly, four-yearly, and six-yearly). That is i to say. the total improvements required I arc normally expected to take not more than six years, but they may be done i" ', much shorter time. Completion of j these total improvements (sjicciricii be- ; low) give the right to free freehold, ' and if the occupation licensee com- I pletes them all in two years, instead of j taking six, he is at once fully qualified : to become the freeholder. In short, he | pays his footing by improvements to the land, the fee simple of which then [ conies to him gratis. ! Spocifled Improvement.-. The improvements are specified under ; two heads: (1) Clearing and cultiva- i Hon: and (-) substantial improvements j of a permanent character. Within two : years the licensee must have cleared ami : "cultivated not less than one-tenth of ! the total area of his selection, ami the I improvements must be valued ut nut i less t.1:111 10s an acre. At the end of 1 the fourth year the clearing and cultiva- j tion must cover an additional area equal j to one-third of the selection, and the added improvements must be worth another 10s an acre. The total required improvements, for which a six-years' limit is allowed, comprise (lie laying down in permanent cultivated grasses and clover of not less than half the total area of the selection, and substantial improvements of a permanent character to a total value of not less than 31)8 per :icrc. To sum up, thn permanent. grassing of lialf the area, and permanent, improvements of not less than £1 10s an acre, give the freehold. 1 The above provisions, which will be embodied in regulations shortly to be issued, represent an attempt to offer inferior land 011 the easiest possible terms. The next question is—Where can the Government obtain laud on terms cheap enough to enable lite Government to give it away In a eon versa! ion this morning with a reporter, the Minister for Lauds pointed out that there were various difficulties in the way of offering lands which otherwise might be suitable to the purpose. He referred to certain National Endowment lands and Nnlivo lands. However, a start was being made, notwithstanding difficult ie». Gum and Ptimico Land. "With the object of introducing this system of settlement as early as possible," said Mr McLcod, "(steps arc now being taken to set apart two blocks, one of gum laud in tho North Auckland Laud District, and one of pumice land in the Auckland land district. The gum land is part of the liiverhead Block, situated close to Auckland, and comprises about'tea sections, ranging in area from about 110 acres to 12S acres. The block of pumico land is situated between Atiamuri and Waiotapu, and contains about 10,000 acres, subdivided info larger sections, considerable portions of which comprise undulating land in tussock, fern, and scrub." The new policy is being applied under the provisions of Section' --'G of flic Land Act, If-'L National Endowment Lands. With regard to the National Endowment lands referred to above, Mr McLcod pointed out that when tnc matter of applying the provisions of Section i'J.I was"taken up, a difficulty was found in the fact that tho National Endowment lands had been valued years ago at a timo when ideas of land values differed from those of today, and it was provided at that time by law that tho National Endowment Fund must be recouped lo the extent of the valuation placed on any laud that was taken out of the National Endowment, Ihc lowest valuation was 10s an acre. At that timo it was considered that it land was not worth JOs an aero il was worth nothing. "But," said the Minister "the TJcpartnient ot Lands cannot afford to pay 10s an acre for laud in order lo give it away." Costly Nativo Land. This was not the only quarter in which the obtaining of laud, otherwise disposable as inferior laud, was handicapped. There was Nativo land that might be treated as inferior land and brought under Section 223, but through the price paid for it, or tho cost oi acquiring it, its total cost was now too high. Some purchase negotiations vitli Native owners had extended over many years and were still incomplete, so that 'the interest on what had been paid had mounted up. Expenses had accumulated and if tho Native Laud Purchase \ecount were to be fully compensated tho land could not be taken as inferior land, unless the Consolidated lund came to tlic rescue. The Minister mentioned these matters to show that tho way was besc with difficulties, some of which might be removable only by legislation.