THE LAND BILL.

Feilding Star, Issue 352, 24 August 1907, Page 4

THE LAND BILL.

. «q. AMENDMENTS MADE BY THE COMMITTEE. FREEHOLD v. LEASEHOLD. The Land Bill as amended by the '■ Lauds Committee was presented to : the House of Representatives yes- • terday. | The Bill has been altered to a : considerable extent by the commit- \ tee, but, generally speaking, the j amendments are not of a drastic ! character. The leaseholders on the ; committee do not consider that any concession of marked importance has ' been made. - | In regard to ordinary Crown lauds,, ' a modification has been made enabl- ; ing holders of renewable leases, with j tho consent of the board, to remove ! minerals other than gold, silver, and coal, from their holdings on payment oi ! royalties. j The modification of residents con- . ditions in special cases is made to , apply to pastoral land as well a<s to . other rural land. The renewable ' lease no longer applies to land leased under the modified residence condi- ] tions, and the Government is left j free to make regulations specifying i leases for this land. j An important new clause provides . that the holder of a renewable lease, : when he desires to make improve- ; ments, shall be entitled, on application to the commissioner, to have particulars of the improvements placed on permanent record. This j record will be used in assessing compensation, j Town lands may be leased for 21 years instead of 14 years. Provision is made for special flax leases, the area not to exceed 2000 acres. The limit of area to be acquired by appJi- ! cants for Crown land is extended ' from 3000 to 5000 acres. ! A new clause- is added providing machinery for the encouragement oi : j the wood pulp industry. The Crown is empowered to exchange Crown land for private land when expedient, and j to pay or receive any sum by way '• of equality of exchange. , Finally the clause of which the Hon. T. Y. D.uncan has already given ! notice empowering boards to set apart areas of rural land for selection and occupation without payment, but subject to conditions as j to cultivation aud residence, is embodied in the Bill. The amendments in regard to land for settlement lands are in tlie direction of ensuring the smoother work- ! ing of the system. The 33 years' i lease with perpetual right of renewal j remains unaltered. A new clause is i added providing that when the Crown | is acquiring land it may agree with i the selier that he shall receive a lease or license for an area not exceeding the prescribed maximum as I part payment for his land. I A clause providing ior the lease of settlement lands by public tender j (instead of ballot) is struck out, and, in substitution, there is a new clause tu the effect that before any land acquired under the Act is opened for public selection the board may grant a renewable lease without competition to any person who has been employed on the land by the late owner for at least, five years. The old system of ballot, therefore, j remains in>.force. . j ' Land may still be taken compulsory at the owner's valuation, .plus a percentage. At the end of the Bill special new clauses have been added providing for ! the renewal of the grazing leases au j the Cheviot Estate, conditionally on [ the land not being required for closer subdivision. The rent is to be assessed on the present capital value, loss the value of the tenant's improvements. The right to purchase the freehold is confined to holders of leases in perpetuity of ordinary Crown lands, as in the Bill when introduced this session. An amendment was carried in the committee making the right extend to leases in perpetuity "under any Act," but these words wore deleted at a later meeting. In regard to the compulsory purchase of land under the Land for j Settlement Act, the price is to be the valuation plus ten per -cent, on;*' values up to £50,000, and five per cent, on any amount over £50,000. i This alteration is # m favor of the ' owners, as the original Bill provided for adding ten per cent, on to I values bdlow £25,000, 5 per cent, on to values from £25,000 to £50,000 and 2J per oeut. on to values above £50,000.