AGGREGATION.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXII, Issue 25, 29 July 1911, Page 9

AGGREGATION.

ATTITUDE OF LAND BOARD. A great deal of the business of the Wellington Land Board during its sittings Milieu concluded yesterday has been connected with the consideration of applications for transfers of land to settlers who already have large hold* ings. A number of these- applications were rejected as simply tending to aggregation of holdinga as Well as of iamily aggregation. The board has laid down a maximum area for districts, governed by the value of the land, and beyond this limit, unlera for some very special reason, Hi. transfer is allowed. Among the instances that came under the notice of the board were such as these ; A young lady, whose family already held a large area, sought to secure another S'<3s acies. She trankly admitted to the Crown Lands Ranger that ehe had no intention of residing, and that she only wanted to secure it for a. brother, already a substantial land-owner. Another applicant for a transfer had twelve montns before obtained a transfer of a Crown section, and had turned it over at a good profit. He now applied for a larger area, on which he admitted he did not intend to reside, as it was too far back. The commissioner pointed out that whilst (his sort of trafficking might bo quite legitimate in private dealings, the board did not open land for settlement in this way. particularly when so many wouldbe genuine settlers could no* secure an acre. The board every meeting used its discretionary powers in the interest* of tilt genuine settler who complied with the spirit of the law, although perhaps not exactly within the letter, but it was altogether too much to pxpret that the board was 'going to exchange resident settlers, although' struggling, for those who said straight out that they would not rfrr-lde, bill would even sublet on their own account. The transfers wero refused. Numerous other case 3 were- similarly treated, but in each case il. was stated by Mr. Mackenzie that the board would block no transfer to any eligible transferees.

At Mount Cook Police Court yesterday, before Mr. T. S. Lambert, J.P., Spencer Barden was fined 10s, with the option of 48 hour/ imprisonment, for being drunk while in charge of a horse and vehicle. A lirst-offondinjf inebriate was convicted and discharged.