EVENING SITTING.

Northern Advocate, 4 October 1913, Page 3

EVENING SITTING.

LAND BILL. In the evening, Mr Massey introduced the Land Bill. Explaining the features, he said the desire of the Government was to give security of tenure and increase the productiveness of the Dominion. Consequently he was anxious to put this Liberal land law on the Statute Book and thereby do justice to the pioneers. The Bill provided, amongst other things, for granting the freehold to occupiers of land for settlement lands, and extended the time when the freehold can be purchased from ten to twenty years. It also gave the city man the right to take up a country section without compulsory residence on making double improvements. Regarding grazing runs, the principle of one man one run had been adopted, and in connection with re-aggregation provision was made in cases of aggregation that the owner be given the option of cutting up the land himself or handing it over to the Land for Settlement Department for cutting up. Failing the adoption of either of these expedients, the Crown would compulsorily acquire the land and cut it up. The gum land in the north was to be classified and settled. Italians and Austrians would be given the right to acquire sections under international treaties.

Sir Joseph Ward admitted that the tenure settled by Parliament was freehold, and he accepted that position. There were many provisions in the Bill which would not assist settlement, and few that would. He particularly condemned the provision to do away with the residential condition. The machinery provided for suodivision by the Government last year had failed" utterly: not a single case of subdivision had taken place under it. The rapidity with which money was coming in for freehold purchases was also a great disappointment to the Premier, as only £60,000 had been realised up to date. The failure was admitted by the Premier by his extension of time from ten years to twenty years.

The closer settlement problem had to be faced, and the only way to do it was by the operation of a graduated land tax. The tenure of the fut-

ure would be limited to freehold assisted by optional leasehold. Penal legislation must be provided to prevent re-aggregation. The debate was carried on by Messrs Newman, Mac Donald, Wilson, Isitt, the Hon. R. Rhodes and Mr Payne. The House rose at 12.35 a.m.