LANDOWNERS' BURDENS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVIII, Issue 17845, 28 July 1921, Page 8

LANDOWNERS' BURDENS

PROGRESS BEING CHECKED.

SURVEYOR'S STATEMENT.

CONDITIONS GROWING WORSE

The disabilities under which landowners suiter at the hands of the Government and local bodies in the matter of the subdivision of land, and which were the subject of comment by Mr. H. E. Vaile, in an article published in the Hkbalp yesterday, were further enlarged upon by Mr. Arthur H. Bridge, president of the New Zealand Institute of Surveyors. He stated that his organisation had been very much concerned about this matter for some time.

The Government was getting worse and worse, remarked Mr. Bridge, in bringing in these hampering regulations, which were simply adding to the cost of subdivision and piling it on to the landowner, and incidentally putting up the price of land. With regard to the 5 per cent, of a subdivided area which the Minister insisted upon being set aside for public purposes, there did not appear to be any legislative authority for this. There was projrision in the Act for the setting aside of reserves in Crown land subdivisions, but none as regarded the subdivision of private lands.

Referring to Mr. Vaile's statement, to the effect that local bodies were now in the habit of compelling an owner who 'wanted to subdivide a block of land to make all the roads on it before allowing him to sell any portion, Mr. Bridge said that was not quite correct. It was the district ! land registrar who refused to register any dealing until all new roads on any plan were dedicated, and by so doing increased the cost of subdivision to the public. Definition of a " Totto.'* The Government was at present dealing with the question of subdivision of lands outside boroughs and town districts from a town-planning point of view. The effect of the proposed new regulations, if adopted, would be to make the cuttingup of land more expensive still. Originally a town was denned as " an area cut into lots not exceeding one acre." Now, however, the purpose for which a subdivision was intended was the dominating factor in deciding whether it was a town or not. There would not, in future, be any distinct definition as to whether any subdivision into allotments would require the approval of the Minister for Lands under the Lands Act. As a consequence extra delay must take place in the prej'liminary work in connection with subdivision.

The effect of all these proposed new regulations, said Mr. Bridge, would be that the surveyor must have a great deal more running about to do in seeing the department and carrying out the preliminary work, in order to serve the best interests of his client. That, of course, meant additional expense to the latter. His own idea was that, while townplanning had come to stay, in the matter of these reserves in subdivisiopal areas the Government was going about the process in the wrong way. Instead of confiscating 5 per cent, of the land of the man who was going to the trouble of cutting it up, and by so doing adding to the growth oi" the -particular district, the Government could, he thought, promote a scheme by which the local body could be given authority to raise a loan,, with or without the consent of the ratepayers, for the purchase of an area or areas for public - purposes. Thus the cost of providing such areas would fall on the public as a whole and not on a small section. Under the town-planning movement the 5 per cent, of land taken by the Government was for reserves for public buildings, post offices, etc., and. for breathing and resting spaces for beautification. Provision Affecting Mortgages. . Mr. Bridge stated that at present there was very little subdivision going on in Auckland. This was largely due to the state of the money market, and partly to the hampering regulations complained of. The effect of these would be that people who in the past had bought land fpr subdivision where there was a profit in it ■ would, owing to the cost of subdividing land having been so greatly increased to them, cease buying and cutting up land. This must have a detrimental effect on the growth of the district, because there were numerous cases where the landowner was not himself financially strong enough to go to the expense of subdividinnr his own property. Another thing which Mr. Bridge characterised as iniquitous from the point of view of the mortgagee was an amendment to the Land Act passed last session. He said there was * provision in this amending Act that on > deposit under the Land Transfer Act 1915, or the Deeds Registration Act, 1908. all lands shown on any such plan as reserves should be deemed to be vested in the King, free from encumbrances. This meant that, if a. man held a' mortgage over a property the owner of which subdivided it and hapded 5 per cent, of the area over to the Government as required, the security was depreciated by thai amount of land.