NORTH AUCKLAND LANDS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13305, 11 October 1906, Page 5

NORTH AUCKLAND LANDS.

PROPOSALS OF THE GOVERNMENT. [BY TELEGRAPH.— CORRESPONDENT.] "Wellington*, Wednesday. The Minister for Lands devoted a part of his speech on the Land Bill in the House of Representatives yesterday to the Auckland lands. There was, he said, an impression prevailing that on account of the special conditions" attaching to the Auckland district the proposed renewable lease would be less attractive to that district than to other parts of the colony. On the contrary, he said, the renewable lease could be made more attractive to the North of Auckland than the absolute freehold. The Auckland people were always crying out that certain of their lands were poor. He did not,, however, think that the land was poor, but the trouble was rather that the people were unable to ascertain the best method of cul- , tivating it. The land was poor because the people did not know how to work it. He admitted that he was not very familiar with the North of Auckland, but it-seemed strange that he had never seen any workable proposal for dealing with these lands brought forward by any person ; from the North of Auckland. - . Mr. Alison: .They have never had the chance. ■-■"_ : x ' '* -, .[~ •:-'-■.: ' * ' Mr. McNab said that in the case of the. poorer lands the Government would be quite* prepared to give the selectors the land rent free to enable them to ascertain the best means of turning the land to account. The Government would be quite glad to do this, well knowing that at the end of the term of the lease the colony would be more than recouped. By granting the' settlers such liberal facilities it would, he believed, be possible to make the renewable lease more 'attractive to the settlers than the present * system of "dumping them down" with indifferent means of access.