TRANSFER OF LAND

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 7865, 29 July 1911, Page 4

TRANSFER OF LAND

BOARD WILL NOT ALLOW AGGREGATION. NO BLOCK TO ELIGIBLE TBANSEEBEES. At the recent’meeting of the Wellington Land Board there were quite a number of transfers rejected on account of their being for aggregation of holdings, or for fainilx aggregation. The Land Board in certain districts lays down a maximum area, governed by the value of the land and its surroundings, and beyond this limit,. unless for some * very special reason, no. transfer is allowed. In an appeal; case from ‘the previous month's meeting—both transferor and! transferee appeared before the board— | at which a transfer of 400 acres was \ applied to he granted to a settler already! holding 200 acres, the board* led by the j Commissioner {Air James Mackenzie), was j very firm and adhered to a former de-! cisiun not to allow aggregation of .more than 400 acres in any one district. _ It was, however, intimated that no objection would bo offered to 200 acres of the 400 acres being transferred, or if an entirely new suitable settler came forward for the 400 acres. Another case somewhat resembling the previous one, and which shared a similar fate, was where a young woman whose family already held a large area, ©ought to secure another 325 acres. She frankly admitted to the (Jr9wn Lands Banger that she had no intention of Residing, and that she only, wanted to secure it for a brother already holding a substantial area. In a third case an applicant in the i Ohau district, who, within the previous twelve months - had obtained a transfer , of a Crown section, and had turned it j over at a good profit, sought to secure j another larger area. On cross-examina- 1 tion by the Commissioner he admitted! that he had no intention of residing, I complaining that it was too far back, although the Commissioner, who seemed I to know the land, pointed out that it I was two-thirds flat, fronted a metalled \ road, and was within two or three mile© | of a railway station. The applicant stated that it was practically a specular tion. , The • Commissioner said that whilst this kind of trafficking might bo quite 1 legitimate in private dealings, the board‘j did not open land for settlement in this , way, particularly when so many wouldbo genuine settlers could not secure an acre. The board at every meeting used its discretionary powers in the inTerosts'of the genuine settler who complied with the spirit of the law, although perhaps not exactly with the letter. It was altogether too much to expect that the board was going to exchange resident although struggling, for those who ©aid straight out that they would not reside, but would even sublet on their own account. The board would block no transfer to any eligible transferees. l The transfer was refused