LAND LEGISLATION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 15930, 29 May 1915, Page 5

LAND LEGISLATION.

_»_ .'FARMERS' RECOMMENDATIONS ; . , — » ! UREWERA COUNTRY DISCUSSED. i ! 7~ - A straißEtt of remits which raised a variety • ' of issues in regard to land legislation came J | before the annual conference of-the Aivek- - ' land Provincial Farmers' Union , yester- ; $$'*:s■*.*,.ss>*■( '*ii':\\4 ">'< t ■' A remit from the Patetonga branch was i to the effect that-.0.1MV settlers of Crown lands.he compelled to fulfil the condition ,- I of tenure, particularly regarding residMiee and improvements. The object, it was stated, was to check .-speculation and " dummying." v Mr. P. - Keegan said that when art v applicant received a action in a ballot,,, • and desired to vacate the land within two ■■, years he should bo compelled, to hand the section back to the Land Board.. ■ - -, .The remit was agreed to. ..„'«. , ...: . «, A remit from Orini, that ".the Govern- .-■ meat be asked to". acquire all unoccupied .;. native land and offer it for settlement , was agreed to. , - . ••• ■ '..., I Mr. P. Keegan moved: "1. That the Go- ~. vernment he requested to repeal, the Urewera Native Reserve Act,, and to, throw ; open for settlement what is known as the - TJrewera Country, 2. " That- the Govern-..- - ment he requested to put on tie market - at once all lands already, purchased from :;' the. natives in the Urewera Country." ; ; .-,.•:» • The' mover remarked that the ' land . was -V; principally bush, and was .of good quality, i' It was not what, was called good dairying \ country,'hut it was good cattle lan[d. l\l. There were-very few natives settled on the laud, lie had been informed by a visitor from England that a sum of £250,000 would be available .for.the. de- fl ,i; velopment of this country were the restric-f : ■ tions removed, r >. The -man with, capital- - ■ should be allowed an opportunity of secur-. - ; . ing blocks in this urea; ~'■ .''■' .'-*,. . ' ,-, -Another delegate- said .that to.reserve' the .'land for settlement in small blocks '~ would only retard the development of wo ),{ area. . ■,-,. '' ■ ;•;> ... - ! ; '^,- With regard to the; reservation of land for the returned soldiers, it wis claimed -, ;i that the soldiers deserved easier and more genial country than this. The motion was agreed to. '~;" i ' It was moved on a Pateferc remit that native land owners be made responsible - i for the control of noxious weeds ami rob- . j bits on their land, and for an equal share * , of the cost of fencing where native land adjoined the land of- European-settlers. It was pointed out that the matter was ■ already covered by a plank in the union's >■. platform. A motion was then' carried reaffirming this plank, which provided that ' native land which benefited from the ex- - penditure of special and general 'rates should be planed on the Rama footing as European land.