Untitled

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIV, Issue 7905, 25 March 1887, Page 4

It is sometimes a considerable disadvantage that the vague outlines of intended legislation are allowed to " transpire," before the promoters of such measures are in a position to take the public into their confidence, and give detailed statements of the provisions. This is to be felt just now in relation to a proposed Government Bill indifferently described as one for the resumption of land, or the acquisition of private estates, by the Government. Apparent exaggerations have been made of the scope of the measure, possibly in some cases from interested motives; but these exaggerations have been reproduced in the sister colonies, and efforts based on them to misrepresent and damage New , Zealand. Although the details of the Bill have not been made publicly known, enough is disclosed to show that the sweeping and revolutionary proposals described as pending have not any existence but in the fertile imagination of newspaper correspon- . dents in quest of items. It is not contemplated either to relieve distressed landowners of their burthen of mortgages, nor yet to enter on a great scheme of compulsory 1 expropriation so that there seems I nothing in the contemplated measure to excite unduly either the hopes or i , the fears of those who are concerned in ! landed estates in the colony. So far as ' we understand, it is intended to meet the case of those who desire land for agricultural settlement in districts f mainly in the South, where from the • liberal alienations of other . days there is not land available for the promotion ' of settlement, such as is now going on so successfully over the Government lands of the North Island. With this object it appears to be intended that associations can apply within certain . restrictions for an area of land owned but not utilised by private holders ; that on the value of the land being fixed as at 10 per cent, beyond b its valuation for property tax, and on 5 the intending settlers paying to the - Government a certain deposit, the Go--3 veriiment may acquire the land by p paying for it in negotiable land bonds, / bearing interest like the State deben- . tures, and give it to the settlers on I perpetual lease, and at a rental covering r the interest on the bonds. It is, of - course, under all circumstances pro- ? vided that a sufficiency of land shall i always be reserved to the owner, and p that his homestead shall be inviolable. i At this stage, and with only an i outline of the measure known, we do 3 not feel warranted in expressing an 1 opinion on the propriety of the r measure. But while, no doubt, a very - large proportion of the owners of large , estates would at this hour very cheers fully part with their lands at a price of s ten per cent, over their valuation for 5 taxing purposes, any danger of a rush e in such acquisition of land by the State e seems obviated by the requirement i that the land must first be applied for i by members of an Association, who a, must be prepared to pay a deposit t down, and undertake a rental equal to i the interest to be paid by the Governe ment on the land bonds paid for its s purchase. Under these circumstances s the Government will be precluded from o going in for wholesale resumptions, i- and • land can only be taken in a such moderate quantities as may supif ply the demand of bona fide ine tending agricultural , settlers. While,

therefore, we are not in a position to pronounce on the wisdom or practicability of the proposed measure, it i 8 only fair to say that it appears to be free from the likelihood of any of those revolutionary or sweeping results which seem to havp excited the alarm of some people in the sister colonies, who are beneficially interested in landed estate in New Zealand.