THE LAND BILL.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 952, 20 October 1910, Page 2

THE LAND BILL.

CONSIDERED BY A COMMITTEE,

AMENDMENTS SUGGESTED,

SOME INTERESTING DIVISIONS.

The new Land Bill was reported t:o the House of Representatives yesterday. It appears that consideration of tlie[measure by the Land Bill Committee, occupied only thi'ue sittings. . The proposed amendments are- few in number, 1 .but there were a lot of interesting divisions,; which were decided on. party lines .where the Question of principle was involved. It was recommended by the Committee that the Bill should .be allowed to proceed .with amendments. Scope of Proposed Alterations. The Committee deleted Section 14, which' proposed to repeal Section; 191 of the principal Act (giving to the [owner of a renewable lease or of a lease-in-per-potuity ■ the right to: pay up. to 90 per ( cent. of. the cupital value of his lima).. An , important: alteration is made, in one of: the . clauscs providing for the acquisition of settlement' lands -by.-way of lease. The -Bill provided, that the price to be paid by the Governor for the fee simple of the land shall, in, thS absence of agreement'between the-owner and the Minister, be a sum equivalent to tho capitalised value of the rent (calculated. at live per cent.) reserved ;in the lease or in the renewal. thereof. The. Committee has altered "five per;: cent." to "four per cent..":-. ' ,A new subclause is added. to provide that land acquired'by , way *of lease shall be exempt from the provisions of ■ jPart 5 of the Land arid Income Assessment. Act, 1908. - : v : The proposal to delete Section.. 177 of the Act of 1908. is deleted: - : - ' What Happened in Committee, , ■ When .the'Bill was in Committee, Air. Anderson moved to, amend ; Clause 3 ■ to allow; the lessee ;of land ' held onthe renewable. lease system, as - well -as on 1.i.p., to purchase, the fee simple. The amendment was defeated by 6,; votes (Messrs."T. Duncan, Ell, . Forbes;'. Hogg, Witty, Ward) to '3. (Messrs. Anderson, Guthrie, and Lang). . '!r- ---, At: Section 5 Mr. Witty moved to make ihV purchase price the .present '.value of the land [(instead of 'the original).-. -The; amendrnent was'defeated, by ,5 yores-to i. The majority, were: ' Messrs; 1 Anderson, T. Duncan, . Guthrie, ..Lang, -and "Ward, and the' minority:: Messrs. Ell, Forbes, Hogg, and Witty. The sectionrelating t.o purchase' price in the . Bill reads: "The purchase price shall, bo the original value , of tho '_■ land, 'meaning I thereby the value .on.' which the - rent reserved by the lease was computed, and, in addition, quarter of the ■ eram ' (if any) 'by. ; which the, unimproved -value at the date, of the purchase exceeds the or-; !iginal' value." Mr. Guthrie moved to amend the section bv ■•substituting^-after-.the- word' "computed' the words!: "in- the case of occupiers'', of' Crown -lancl a • sum which at the time cf the: purchase would jhake the rent reserved in the lease ,up to the'time of the, purchase .equal to the rent which .would have been paid 'had the: land -taken up by tho ter.ant originally . been -'"'land, for ' settlement land."* Tho amendment, was defeated by G' votes to 3. The . majority, consisted of: ,Messrs. T.-Duncan,, Ell,- Forbes,,. Ilogg, Witty,- and-Ward, '-and-the minority of Messrs. Ander.son,- Guthrie,- and Laiig. , Mi'..;Witty -moved to amend the clause by striking out the' word'-one-fourth after, [addition - and, .-substituting .'-..two-thirds.; The amendment was defeated-b;r 5 votes to 4. -Thosd' voting -for .it were:. Messrs. Ell, Forbes, Hogg, and Witty. V: ,:, ;;

Payment of Purchase Money,

'i When subclause 3 of clause 5 (which deals, with the 'mode, of .-.payment ,of jiur-. chase'-:money) 'was-l-eached Mr.- Witty, moved to' .delete'the provision, forjhalf-year payments of three-quarters .of -thepurr chaso money. ' supported by Messrs.' Ell, 'forbes, and;; Hogg, j; but; the amendment was lost..' . -'' When, the Committee was considering the special '■ provisions 5 where ' laid;' is ;in a mining district ' (olause 10), Mr. Anderson moved to; strike out the applicant ia the" subclause,. providing, that the expenses of the reference to _-the warden shall- be. payable ;by'" the applicant." The word was retained; When the Committee" met for: the. second time, Mr.. Hoge . moved ■ to make the. renewal of; lease' of; small grazing rims', and pastoi'al.runs, contingent. On the land not being required. for .'subdivision, but ho withdrew his motion. . ■ '. '

On."clause 28 (which. makes provision as, to working and ' fencing grazing or pastoral runs) there was a division. .Those who voted - for .the. clause were: Messrs. T.Duncan, Ell, Hogg, Lawry, "WMty, and Ward.

Another straight-out division was taken: on subclause one, clause 40 (providing for acquisition > of settlement lands 1 by way; of lease). Those who voted for. the clause, were . Messrs. T. Duncan, Ell,' ?Forb*es, Hogg, Lawry, Witty, : and . Ward. -The minority' of "Noes" were Messrs. Anderson, Guthrie, and Lang. Exactly the same 'voting , was recorded f'pii subclause .five, .Which provides that :if suoh-sale and purchase does not take place, .within : twelve months' after the'expiration- of the said 'term of' 'ten , years; the Government' shall have/the. right, in case of the renewal of the said lease, to purchase the land or such part as .remains unsold at'any time,,within- twelve'"months. from the commencement of. the renewal by giving to the owner.'three' .'months' : previous notice.. . . .. ■ *. -• ; ' Compensation for Improvements. The Committee divided on subclause two of clause .42.\ Thos4 votinr for the 'clause wore Messrs; T. Duncan, '-Forbes," >Lawry, Ell, Hogg, Witty,i and Ward. This subclause provides for-compensation , for improvements, and-states that the value of the unexhausted improvements made, by the 1 sublessee,'as far. as they,- benefit the future working of the land, shall be as:eertained by valuation asvl arbitration,• and the ownor of the land shall pay to the Governor the value so ascertained.'

The word "campulsorily,"' in clause 43 (relating to compulsory acquisition by way of .lease)/ was retained after a division onparty.lines. • • • ' . . .' At subclause (b) ("The rent shall be determined •by the. Court, but shall not exceed a sum. equivalent to per cent, of the value of the .'land, including all.'improvements, as determined by the Court'.'); •Mr. Anderson - moved to strike out the words "determined by the: Court, but shall not exceed," but the amendment was defeated by seven votes to three on a division, which' followed;party lines. :v . '. At subclause d (providing"that the land shall be acquired , by' compulsory, lease, .unless the owner holds rural or" pastoral land of an unimproved value of not less than forty thousand founds), Mr. Witty ■moved to substitute-"thirty" for "forty," but withdrew, his-amendment. '• Graduated Land Tax. The Prime Minister moved; a new clause as follows"An owner from whom land is acquirod by the Crown by lease under this Act, either ,by way of agreement or coinpulsorily, shall be .exenipt from the operation of the l graduated land tax with respect to. the land ..so leased."'.'. The Prime Minister, however,' withdrew this motion, an'cj moved the following new clause," which was adopted"Land acquired by way of lease shall be exempt from the provisions of part 5 of the Land and Income Assessment Act,, 1908," which deals with graduated land, tax.' - Clauses 17 and -18 (dealing with non-ag-gregation) were passed pro forma, on Hie Prime Minister announcing that they would bo redrafted.