POLITICAL NOTES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13502, 29 July 1907, Page 5

POLITICAL NOTES.

THE LAND BILL. WORK OF THE COMMITTEE. [BY TELEGEAPH.—SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.] Wellington! Monday. The Lands Committee'of the House, ;which has held two meetings during : the past; week, has as yet transacted only ordinary 'business. The real work, of this committee, the consideration of the Land Laws Amendment Bill, will, it is understood, be; entered upon on Tuesday, next. ~,.. The-deliberation on the original measure brought down last year occupied the committee over ,a fortnight. As, however, the endowment and limitation clauses have now been detached from the Bill and .em-. bodied in separate measures, the work of the committee will be considerably simplified. ' ' ' ■-; ' A member of the- eommfitee informed me that he expects that the Bill will be reported Aback to the House in about : . 10; days r after, the committee get to work on it. .Since the first brief : stir .-■ of > excitement . over the land proposals, there -has been : very little talk amongst members .concern- . ing the matter. In interest, the.subject, however, is only lying dormant, and .it will, no doubt, be keenly manifested when the contentious clauses of the Bill are brought, forward for consideration by the ; House. - ' . -' .. ; Mr. 'Remington, a freehold '.'•member''' states: that die is of opinion that all tenants of leases in';.perpetuity, whether of Crown lands or lands lor settlement lands, should be granted, the option. of acquiring the freehold on payment of an advance of '-. 50 per cent, on the original value. He will probably move an amendment to this effect when the Bill is under consideration by (he Lands Committee, of which he is a member. He considers that this would 1 be a simple and satisfactory method of ; meeting the demand for the option of the freehold. The fact; that one lease may have advanced in value only 30 cent, whilst another had advanced 100 per cent, at : the time that it was desired to exercise the option was pointed out to Mr, Rem- ,; ington.; . * - ..,■ • .'...■ "That-may be," he admitted, " but 50 per cent, would be a fair average, and it would be 'a simple basis-to work upon. There need be no confusion. A tenant could either take his freehold at that price or leave it alone." f| - ■ , ';) THE MINING INDUSTRY. The following paragraph appears in; the goldfields report:—'.' Never in.the history of New Zealand has quartz; mining been ■ in a more healthy condition. Coal mining is attracting capital for large operations. Efforts arc being ; made for Resting, our petroleum deposits, and shale mining is likely ' to be shortly resumed. ; Taking a general view of the mining industry as a whole, it may be said to be in a very satisfactory position." i