LAND FOR SETTLERS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14808, 11 October 1911, Page 5

LAND FOR SETTLERS.

THE PURCHASE OF ESTATES* ."■':■,.. ■■-.'.~ ■■. i: -■■■■■.:■ ■ \ ..,...■...-,•■. .::::';: ; ..>!'• '.';■■ -. ... : :- ._ ; :; : ''-'i: ■.. : ',:~ INFLATED VALUES. AMENDMENT TO ACT PROPOSED. \ [bt telegraph.—special correspondent.] " ■■■'/> ■■-■ Wellington*, Tuesday.- ■ In .the- House of • Representatives this '-■, afternoon Dillon (Hawke's Bay) asked « if the Government would acquire for closer r? settlement Mr. R. R. D. McLean's Mar kakaho Estate. The question led to a general statement by ; the Prime Minister in regard to land purchase. '" Sir Joseph Ward said he could not give an offhand answer to- tho question put, . because the Land Purchase Board would : have to inquire into the matter, and see if tho price was such that the land could bo profitably worked by those who would be likely to take it up. If a syndicate - in the district was prepared to pay more /'-"■'; than the lan was worth, the Government would ,t take : ;it.?'. ; Such a thing had U been dc in Marlborough, and the syndicate Ljtf offered the land> to the. Govern- > ment at ra-tny thousands ' of ' pounds less than they had purchased it -for, but-. the ' Government ( would not buy- it. r In the Hawke's Bay district, or any other dis- '"-;■ trict where land was offered at a fair price, the Government would obtain it, i : and they proposed to ask the House .'this session to .give effect to an alteration in ■■' the law, whereby land could be obtained without having' the country: swindled 'by ; - enormous prices.' ~ There was an effort be- V ing made on the part of -large landowners > to obtain a price for their lands from the country; ? altogether'in. excess of the - value of the lands. The Government had. % tried . different ways, : and • each (time* they . had been defeated. ' The new system proposed would enable them to acquire lands ' ' at fair value, and t-> take them compul- , ■ sorily: where necessary. They, would pais '§$ that law this session, no matter how long' 1 it took them to do it. - • ... Mr. Ross :■ For both Maori and Euronoan l« ?

Sir Joseph Ward : .Yes; I'll ask the' ' House to adopt it generally. '■ ' i: % The Prime Minister added that the ''. action he proposed to take would prevent > v those ; unfair statements that were being > made as to the Government's want of sin- ' cerity. If Mr. McLean would offer his land at .a price that the■, Land;; Purchase ? -i Board would .agree to, the i Government ■ would take it, but they would not pay Mr. McLean or any other person £4 or £5 or £10 an acre more * than the land was worth. "I The Leader of- the Opposition had: stated that he ; would advise : his friends to ask three, times the value of their land. " Mr. _Massey- (emphatically) : That statement is not correct. * t *- Sir Joseph Ward said that : the J hon. gentleman had made the statement at one of ■ the .committee meetings. "" Mr. in a personal explanation, ,said that his statement was v preceded by a reference to* a sentimental value attaching to land. ( He mentioned his own farm, . and -said that if the Government proposed to take it compuleorily, and he believe! he could save it by such an expedient, he would ask three times its value. He.waa* strongly of opinion that the system of determining the value of land by arbitration was much better than the present one, which had superseded it by the Act of 1907. •.. Mr. Massey expressed his ; doubts regarding ', the « foundation 'of the complaints by.the Government that land wa.i not available for purchase for settlement' at' reasonable '; : prices. i : JHe "suggested ? that ; the Minister for Lands. should table a* I return showing the estates which had been I offered to the Government during the pastr two years, arid the prices asked, Mr. Massey ridiculed the statement- that £500,000 worth- of land could not be purchased, at a fair ■ price, and guaranteed that he could in one : year purchasa £2,000,000 worth at prices that would eni able the settlers to make a fair living. " The Prime Minister asked whether Mr. Massey : proposed "to- spend the whole of the £2,000,000 in one locality. - • • - Mr. Massey : - Certainly : not. The Prime Minister, said that in thai* case Mr. Massey must> be carried off his feet by his imagination.: if he believed that so much land was available for settlement at a fair price. 'i The Government had never purchased an estate at the price at .-■'■. which it was offered by the owners."'.,' Mr. Massey : Will you give us a list of, the estates offered ? The Prime {Minister : I am prepared to consider the request. '' There are probably some people who r would not like their business made public.