THE LAND ACT.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXII, Issue 49, 26 August 1911, Page 3

THE LAND ACT.

• When tho Land Act Amendment Bill ' was reported to tlw House of RepreeenUtivee by the Lands Committee yesterday afternoon, Mr. Newman, its Author, | aaid the object of the Bill was to in- ; I crease th© number of elected members , of Land Boatds, and, he earnestly ex- I ■ pressed the hope that the Government ' would take up the Bill, on account of ' the enormous areas which they represented. Be also urged that the term of office fehould be increased to three years, and that districts should he divided into waidd. Mr. Jennings took a similar ! view on the ground that under the present conditions ma-ny of the settlers do not get sufficient representation. The Acting-Minister of Lands (Hon. D. Buddo) said ho had never heard Any demand from the Crown tenants for further representation, in fact, only about one-third of them recorded their votes at the election of a memoes, Mr. Guthrie B&id the reason for the introduction of the Bill was that the land districts are of such a siae that it was impossible for one m*a, to bring before th& board the requirements of the Crown tenants over the whole of hk district. Mr. G. W. Russell declared that as At present constituted Land Boards at© merely th© j vehicles for registering the decisions come to by departmental officers, but 1 if they desired to hare membera of boards with local knowledge of requirements they must either increase th© number of members or the number of boards. After further discussion Mr. Kewtn&n. intimated that he did not intend to proceed with the Bill.