THE LAND COMMISSION.

North Otago Times, 7 April 1905, Page 2

THE LAND COMMISSION.

-The Windsor Kirisodc.At the sitting of the Land Cornw ssloil at Morven Jlr 51, J|, Corrigan arrived 100 late to givo evidence, but he proceed-i ed to Timaru on Wednesday, and gavo evidence there, Ho said lie would tiko tlio option ol aqunig tho freehold o( Ida land, Tlio freehold would bo better for the tenants and better [or tin) State, Ho would like to pay od the capital value in instalmcntsi Ho had never met a Crown tenant who wasfreallj| satisfied to ho paying rent for over, and if S r John M'Kenzio were alive now h(> would see tile fallacy of tlio lease-in-peri petuity. So long as the Statu lost not 1 thing by the transaction there could hil no harm in allowing the tenant to aci ipiiro the freehold at tho original ,vaiuu( Tlio leasehold was all light as a ideppiiig stone to Hie freehold, lie was ufrad ol revaluation, Durng .Mr M'Lennau's cross-esaiuituu (ton oi this witness an Interesting side* light on the manner in which evidence 1J secured was shown. Witness said tlio Crown tenants would reully'all bo asking (or the freehold, but for the threats that had been made, He Instanced a meeting at Windsor, at which Jlr M'Lennan hlnn self had proposed a resolution favoring tlio leasehold' That meeting had beeii ( convened by Mr Livingstone. (Mr M.'L»n« nan, interrupting, said witness hud nd right to give liumen:)) Witness continued'• that although'the Crownlienants liadnoli actually asked for the freehold the great majority were 'in favor oi It.- That iuoct< ing «'Q3 attemled |ljy forty-one (.'rowij tenants and they carried a resolution i« favor of tho leasehold, bat the chairman of tho meeting summed up tlio position when lie said, in opening* that they wen) ' all freeholders at heart* That sentiment) ivas cheered by those present. The Crowa tenants tiiero wanted 'the freehold bull were too frightened to ask for it, bo« cause oi a threat made by tho Minister, of Lands, and reported in " Hansard '> about revaluation and putting their seci lions, iij) to auction. Mr JL'Lennan knofll as well as 'lie (tlio wilness) did, that that resolution was only passed through fear: indeed, when the Chairman of tho meeting said they were all freeholders at I.Mi't, the (.uiivener oHIio meeting said 1 ".'•uv tho Chairman has hit tho nail on the head,"- and 'those present cheered tho sontiment, ' m Mr Hall If the 999 years' lcaso Is not socure, ; s tho freehold moro securo ? Witt ness: It seems not; for Ihc Government hurst up the big estates, and an till} town monitors had banded themselves tQ secure revaluation, he thought they; would be safer with the freehold. To Mr M'Lennaii t Did not think 3t[ dangerous to interfere with the Act.To Mr M'Cardle: Co not think it ~ ' would injure the prospects of future land settlement, to give the option oi freehold Did not think the Government appointed this Commission to find out anything! but as a sort of stonewall morely, Th 9 Government did not want to ascertain the mind of the pulillc; they knew it al,i ready, Mr Paul asVeil Iquestions Eiiggcsttiif) " that no responsible body of men had ever .proposed to 'make revaluation rotro« ■ spectivej witness said Mr Ml had pro< •' posed it, in an indirect way. 5 Mr I'anl criticised the witness's statO" 1 inciil that Crown tenants lmd passu! 9 resolution contrary to their rcaj opinions when they had no occasion t<J '■ pass any resolution at, all. He asked th(J witness whether it was not a rather set ' rloiis 111 ng to come there and tell tlifl s Commission the Orowil tenants were noli $ satisfied, afte:- they had been hearing dozens of witnesses stating oil oath Khali 1 they were satisfied. Mr Corrigan said ltd relied upon what took place at tho Meet* I ing. Mr Paul suggested that the propell t indication oi the feeling of the meeting was the resolutions passed, not a casual • remark by any ono member, oven if it was tho chairman. |