THE LAND LAWS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 237, 30 June 1908, Page 9

THE LAND LAWS.

A CASE OF HARDSHIP. ■' • (BY TBLEOBiFH!—SPECIAL CpEMSPONIIEST,}.,',.,, Auckland,.lJuhß': 29; ... A ease of some hardship to; a- runholder.' occasioned through recent- ; tho land laws, was brought;.to: light .-.at _;a rccent meeting of the Crowm.-liawki Board,', when those involved appeared:"to: -prescmt' their-case to the' Board m -tlio hope of'im--proving their prospects. It., appears thati.a father and .his sons , hold p. ; small. grazing: run'of 8500 acres in thoi'Tauranga-district, - Under the provisions of a.-certain section-iof tho Act of 1892 holders,,'had tho;.power to. subdivide the run and exchange.-theso subr. divisio&s for leaso in perpetuity, tlie-- subdivisions not to contain more thsn 2000 ; acres.i This, it was pointed out,."would..cnabloi the holder to subdivide the :: nui- into; fivev different holdings for the members - .-.of • his family. It is hardly necessary. to say .'that' tho titlo for leaso .in perpetuity. is . much better than a small grazing run . titls, which.; only runs for twenty-ono-. years without tho right of renewal. Under .the .Land'.Laws Amendment Act- of last year,.however,'.this ; power to exchange the subdivisions,.of,,small, grazing runs is absolutely- taken away, andnow the holder finds himself , in-, tho position that he has the run with;.four and.,a' half, years to run,- and he cannot apply for, renewal for eighteen months.;. Jf-, tho Board considers that the land -proper .land forclose settlement it can bo tajvehvaway.-,; power to subdivide amongst- ; .th^,vfamily : : is lost. Tho holder asked the ."Board.-to give, him a promise, that it woiild fe'new his lease and explained that his sons, were not inclined to remain on the run under' tlie existing: conditions. Ho had spent £5000, in cash on tho property already. Tlie Commissioner Baid it appeared to bo a caso of hardship,' but ho did not seo how tho Board could legally fall in with tho holder's request. ■ •