LAND SALES BILL

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume 52, Issue 32314, 15 September 1943, Page 3

LAND SALES BILL

MR J. THORN AT MANGAITI

OPPOSITION QUOTED

QUESTION OF SALE OF FARMS

Considerable laughter followed remarks made by Mr J. Thorn at Mangaiti regarding the attitude of certain prominent members' of the Nationa Party to the recent land sales regulations. The Leader, Mr Holland, had said at a public meeting at Matamata before the legislation was brought down that some means would have to be devised to prevent the servicemen settled on the land fromzselhng out and "getting away with the swag.

“When the Leader of the National Party talked like that—and he also mentioned the other side, demanding fair play for the soldier—we though he needed some encouragement m his enlightened ideas so we brought down this Bill, but the trouble is that he doesn’t seem so pleased now!” commented Mr Thorn amid laughter.

Press clippings of the reported iemarks of Farmers’ Union and R-S-A. officers 1 were also quoted, the speaker claiming that all these indicated a widespread realisation that steps had to be taken to stabilise land values. Popular Subject The Land Sales Bill was also a popular subject at question time. In answer to one question regarding whether fir not the soldier settler could sell out, Mr Thorn said that-this would be according to which tenure he was settled under. The ones who had been settled up to the present would be able to, for they had been lent the money to buy freehold properties. The only difference was that now, like all other landowners, they would have to sell through the Land . Committees in accordance with the -new Act. Leasehold properties were not allowed to be sold, and the third system, one which commended itself to the man seeking permanent settlement as an owner, was the restricted freehold in which the right to sell had to 'be obtained, but from the point of view of working the land carried all ' the rights of the traditional freehold. Still Freehold Another question concerned the exposition of the landowner whose pro- ’ perty was bought out. Mr Thorn explained that the Act stated he must be. left sufficient land to be economically worked by himself. The question concerned the tenure of the land left to him, and it was stated that this, of course remained freehold or whatever tenure it had always been.