LAND TRANSFERS

Greymouth Evening Star, 26 July 1923, Page 8

LAND TRANSFERS

BIG TITLE REVISION. The land Transfer Act Amendment Bill, which the Hon. Sir Francis Bell has introduced -n the Legislative Council with the object of bringing under the land transfer system all the land titles in New Zealand, involves a very heavy programme of work by the Leeds Registration Department, and it was the original opinion of the Re-gistrar-General of Land that it would take more than live years to bring all the titles under the simpler system of land transfer. However, in a memorandum to the Attorney-General, the oflicer states that it will be possible to complete the work within five years,\ except perhaps in the Auckland land district, in which about half the land affected is situated. The main difficulties will be to find additional examiners and clerks, and to find room ior them in the. deeds registration offices. The hours during which the public may inspect deeds will have to be materially curtailed during the progress. It is shown that throughout New Zealand the average proportion of titles held under Crown Grant is R. 6 per cent., the remaining 81.4 percent. being held under the modern system of land transfer. The estimated number of holdings or titles under the old system is 70,000, and. the number is increasing in spite of lands being brought under the Lands Transfer Act at the rate of 4 per cent, per annum. It is intended (says the ‘’Wellington Post”) to have an official examination of titles made and put on. record and to issue certificates of title guaranteed except as to the specific detects which may be found by the examiners to exist. A person searching the title will then only have to inspect the certificate of title with the Registrar’s minute setting forth the detects. ‘To issue fully guaranteed titles without requiring surveys,” remarks the Registrar, ‘’would be to invito numeicus claims upon the assurance fund in cases which abound, especially in. towns where the. documentary titleholder has lost his title to part of the land by enioaclunent and adverse possession of his neighbours and in cases where the descriptions of land in deeds are erroneous.” It is proposed therefore to avoid the immediate necessity for surveys by issuing titles, not. to be guaranteed as to the position, area, or boundaries of the Jmid until suck time as the proprietor (or it may be Hie adjoining proprietors) shall deposit a survey plan or plans showing wiiat the proprietor is in possession of, and the correct measurements. Landowners will not be. required to do anything or pay anything for bringing land under the Act, but the Department proposes to make a charge of £1 5s ior the first ceilideate ct title. This will bring in about £lOO,OOO, which is believed to be more than sufficient to cover the cost to the country. Payment by the landowner will not he made until a dealing is required to be registered, and the proprietor will usually be saved more than the special fee, by reason oi the lower scale of charges for preparing instruments under the Land Transfer Act.