KIWI PROTEST

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22079, 22 July 1946, Page 6

KIWI PROTEST

STATE PURCHASE VENDORS’ RETENTION COMPULSORY TRANSFERS A strong protest against the action of the Minister of Lands, Mr. C. E\ Skinner, in agreeing to the retention of 270 acres by the former owner of a block in the Uawa district recently acquired by the Crown for servicemen's settlement was made at Saturday's conference in Gisborne of subassociations convened by the Gisborne Returned Services' Association. On behalf of the Tolaga Bay Association, Mr. O. G. James, jun., reported that between 60 and 70 Kiwis had signed a petition asking that the matter be reviewed, on the grounds that the vendor of the property had ample land in other blocks which made the retention of an economic unit in the Crown-acquired property quite unnecessary for his survival in comparative affluence. Mr. James asked that the conference take note of the matter, and decide what action it would take on the Kiwi petition. Specific Provision of Act During the attendance of Mr. J. P. Lane, Crown lands commissioner, at the conference he was asked whether a property-owner having more than one block was able to claim an economic unit from each, in the event of the Crown acquiring the land. Mr. Lane's reply was that the Servicemen’s Settlement and Land Sales Act was specific in the provision that a vendor might exercise that right in respect of any property taken by the Crown under the compulsory clauses of the Act. If a man had a good deal of land, and it was all taken at the one time, he could exercise the right on any portion of his property he might choose. If several blocks were acquired by the Crown in succession, however, there was nothing in the Act to prevent his claiming an economic unit in each block. Minister’s Direct Undertaking; The Tolaga Bay delegation pointed out that neither the district rehabilitation committee nor the Lands Department's officers were responsible for the agreement between the Minister and the property-owner in the case cited. The Minister had made his arrangement direct with the vendor, it was understood, and the local rehabilitation committee had not been consulted in any way.

At a later stage in the conference Mr. A. H. Barwick secured unanimous approval lor a motion recommending the national executive of the N.Z.R.S.A. to seek an amendment of the Servicemen's Settlement and Land Sales Act in order to prevent a recurrence of incidents such as that complained of by the Kiwis at Tolaga Bay. The mover remarked that it probably was not intended at any time that a vendor under the compulsory clauses of the Act should retain a number of economic units in various blocks, since that would narrow down considerably the field for settlement of returned men.