FREEHOLD AND LEASEHOLD.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVI, Issue 44, 20 August 1908, Page 3

FREEHOLD AND LEASEHOLD.

| THE QUESTION OF COALITION. [Br Telegbaph.— Special to The Post.J CHRISTCHURCH, This Day. ' Some interesting remarks on the land tenure question and tho Government and Opposition coalition suggestion were made at a meeting of the North Canterbury Executive of the Farmers' Union yesterday by Mr. G. W. Leadley, colonial vice-president of the union. Mr. Leadley was reporting to the executive on the recent colonial conference. He outlined the business dealt with that was of particular interest in Canterbury. ! The most important question, he said, i was that of the freehold versus the leasehold, and he had found that the delegate! from the North, and especially Auckland, were strongly in favour of the freehold It was clear to him, after hearing their views, that the leasehold tenure might be useful or applicable in many respects to front country such as Canterbury country, accessible by rail or road, that did not require such a great amount of work, and where a man might get the benefit of the privation he might go through. In these circumstances the leasehold tenure would be popular, but in country such as there was in the [ North, where a man had to practically exile himself and carve his way through difficulties, it was different. There was a lot of Crown and native land in New Z^aL nd that never could be settled on any other tenure but the freehold. Nobody would go out and give the best years of his life breaking country on the off-chance of being deprived of it when he had become worn out after years of struggle. In Auckland a great deal of the opposition to the freehold came from men who, were at heart land nationalisers, who' said that the freeholders wanted to fritter away the heritage of the people, and that if Crown land was sold the State would not receive any I benefit. To meet the cost of endowment lands he had proposed an addition to the remit which had been carried, that in cases where endowment lands were sold under the freehold option the moneys realised should be set aside and permanently invested for the purpose for which the lands were originally reserved. The under-valuation of improvements had called forth a great deal of protest. It was general to undervalue improvements, and while the trouble might not be acute in Canterbury, it was in bush and swamp country. When it was improved the valuer might never know that it had been bush or swamp, and the better the man did the work the less evidence there was that the work had been done. Great injustice had been done in this direction. The conference had spent three nights in committee on the political question. One of the proposals recommended a coalition of the two traditional parties, but it received scant support. The men from Auckland were strongly Opposition; Mr. Massey's influence and popularity were so great in the North, and the recognition of the work of his party was so keen, that there was no wish that he should go over to tho other side. [PRESS I ASSOCIATION.] TECHNICAL SCHOOL PUPILS. DUNEDIN, 19th August. At d, meeting of the Technical School managers to-day the directors stated that guarantee pupils were required to attend during two quarters, and in many instances did not do so. A monetary penalty was provided for in the guarantee. Mr. W. Scott said he had hopes some day of getting employers to make attendance at a technical school part of the apprenticeship. A committee wa& appointed to ascertain the board's legal position and draw up a form of guarantee in distinct terms. " SHEEP IMMIGRATION." AUCKLAND, 19th August, liiere has been a considerable influx ot sheep into the Auckland district during the winter, the largest number being drafted into the Waikato. Since the sheep census closed in April no fewr. than 40,000 wethers have been brought overland, generally from the Southern districts of Taranaki and portions of Hawkes Bay and Wellington into the Waikato. Although there was a very gfeat influx two years ago to all parts ot the province, tlie sheep immigration to the Waikato this winter is unprecedented in the history of Auckland as a sheep-grazing district These figures show, of course, that the frozen meat industry and the local meat trade are both increasing, and that land is being steadily settled. , CHRISTCHURCH PROPERTY VALUES. CHRISTCHURCH, 19th August. A city property containing 16.2 perches and having 26 feet 8 inches frontage to Colombo-street, near Cashel-street, pioducing £376 per annum rental, was sold by auction yesterday. It was valued at £250 per foot, and was ultimately knocked down to Mr. T. Kincaid for £418 per foot, the total purchase money being £9333 6s Bd. Other properties in the same block were withdrawn, owners' reserves not being reached.

TO CHECK THE "OCTOPUS/ * AUCKLAND, 19th August. In submitting its annual report to the Employers' Association meeting this afternoon the executive committee stated that the aggressive attitude of the extreme Socialistic Labour Party was becoming so pronounced as to demand tho most careful attention of all thinking people, and the time had now arrived when the Employers' Federation must seriously considei ways and means of checking the growth of this "octopus" if the best intereste of the inhabitants of the Dominion as a whole were to be conserved. A SPLENDID COUNTRY TO SETTLE IN. AUCKLAND, 19th August. The Government Tourist Bureau at Auckland has experienced an exceptionally busy week. "We have had a great excess over the ordinary number of callers," said the officer in charge to-day. He stated that a considerable number of American officers from the fleet called to make enquiries in regard to the Dominion as a place for settlement. Some spoke of making a start on the land in New Zealand, returning here after their period of service had expired. They wished to ascertain all -particulars concerning the prices and classes of land and the chances of commencing for themselves with a certain capital. Enquiries were also instituted as to the best parts of the Dominion for settlement. Many expressed themselves en_amoured of the 1 country with the glowing accounts they had read of it, and the results of their own observations during their stay here. All these callers were supplied with settlement guides and other information relating to the subject. It could easily be seen [ that they appreciated the conditions pre- [ vailing in New Zealand. They expressed the opinion that it was a splendid country in which to settle. MOA BONES. CHRISTCHURCH, 19th August. While workmen were engaged yesterday in excavating on the Cashmere Hills for the city reservoir they unearthed a number of moa bones. The bones apparently belonged to a small specimen of the moa. They were found about fifteen feet below the surface, and had been flattened to some extent by tho pressure of the earth above. The bones have been secured by tho Christchurch museum curator. POST-CARD SALE IN AUCKLAND. AUCKLAND, 19th August. It is estimated ttiat 150,000 post-cards, •chiefly for America, were posted in Auckland last week. UNDESIRABLE STATE OF AFFAIRS. AUCKLAND, 19th August. "The Maoris are not clean. They are afflicted with skin diseases, and if they are continually in the close neighbourhood of Europeans they are liable to carry these diseases to white people. ' Thus Mr. G. Edgecumbe, in advocating the erection of a separate school for Europeans at Taumarunui at to-day's meeting of the Education Board. "If it is not provided," continued Mr. Edgecumbe, "a number of the children in Taumarunui will not havo the benefits of a public school education." Taumarunui was referred to as a growing and important centre, and several members expressed the opinion that the existing state of affairs was very undesirable. The board's architect will shortly furnish a report on the matter, and the board will, if necessary, make application for a grant. SHEARERS' ACCOMMODATION. CHRISTCHURCH, 19th August. At a meeting of the North Canterbury executive of the Farmers' Union to-day Mr. Leadley moved : — "That in the opinion of the executive the proposed amendment of the Shearers' Accommodation Act is thoroughly unnecessary and unworkable." Ho said the Bill was a short one, but it was very far-reaching. The inspector actually had power to pull down the farmers' buildings. Mr. H. T. Cooper said the Act would seriously affect small farmers. The men employed by them were quite satisfied with the existing ararngemente, though some such provisions might be necessary on large stations. Mr. W. Hall said that an addition should bo made to the motion pointing out that the Bill would inflict a hardship on small farmers. ! ,Mr. Leadley agreed with this. After further discussion the motion was amended and passed. j A MOST IMPROPER PROCEDURE. AUCKLAND, 19th August. In the course of evidence at the Supreme Court to-day, in a robbery case, a young policeman, under a severe crossexamination by Mr. Lundon, said he had made a note at the time of what a female witness told him on the date of the robb«ry, 23rd July. He prepared a full statement from his notes and showed the statement to the witness at the Supreme Court a week ago. His Honour Mr. Justice Edwards stigmatised the procedure as most improper. Addressing the witness His Honour said : "You have no business to do anything of the sort, and you have no business to refresh a witness's memory in this way. You have taken brief notes and added to them, making a full report. That is manufacturing evidence. The witness should come here not according to your notes, but according to her memory. I hope I shall not find anything of the sort again. If Ido I shall have to take some serious notice of it.' 1 Speaking to the Hon. J. A. Tole, K.C., Crown Solicitor, his Honour added : "These witnesses have no business whatever to be coached by the police from their notes. They must come here according to their memory. I must say it I is somewhat shocking." !