PARLIAMENTARY REPORTS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 6091, 18 August 1881, Page 3

PARLIAMENTARY REPORTS.

(Per United Press Association.)

THE OTAGO V.UNS-

YI'IsLLINQION, AugiV-t 17 til. The following was read iv the if.-usa tolay :— OTAOO TASTORAL LKA3BS COMMITTSS'S REPORT ON THK WAHTIi LANDS IIBLD UNDRR LBASB IN OTAOO. The Committee havo the honour to report that they havo agreed to the fullowiug resolutions : — 1. That in order to prevent future ditliculties in the wa* of settlement, care should be taken iv any classification ol the Crown lauds to exclude all land fitted for agriculture from areas proposed to bo leased for a term of years lor pastoral purposes.

2. If tho whole of the runs, tho le-.ses of which terminate in .March 18S3, are ottered tv the public in teimsof tho Act in or about March 188-2, iho Committee is uf opinion that however minutely they may be subdivided, the gre.it bulk of the country would he secured by tile present tenants at littio, if any, increase upon present rentals. 3 'Ihe L:*ud Acts now in force would, with a few careful amendments, enable a responsible administrator to deal with the whole of these runs to the best advantage. 4. It is inadvisable to amend the Land Act during the present session (except as hereafter provided) for the tho purpose of completely dealing with the whole of the runs, the leases of whicli terminate in March ISS3.

6. The runs containing auriferous deposits in Cen tral Otago should not be offered for salo.

C. Runs not known to contain auriferous deposits, and so situated as to be likely to be immclistei.v required by,existing settlers, settlers' sons, aud others for purchase or lease aa ugricultuiul or pastoral lands should be divided—in the ease of pastoral lands not sold on deterred payments, in areas calculated to carry not more than fijuu shcei*-acc.u-iling to the configuration of the country, and offered in terms of the Act, for sale on pastoral deferred payments, or for lease for a term of 10 years. So soon as the law will allow, the widest publicity shuitld be given to such intended sale. Where possible the deferred-payment pa-t.ral. blocks should bu placed alternately with blocks offered for lease only. 7. A short Act should be introduced by the Government this session, giving power to take the whole or any poi tion of any runs terminating in March, ISB3, or subsequently tlieretr, not immediately required fori an c, settlement for public purpo. es, and to giant temporary licenses of such portions of the runs not now required to the present tenants or others until 1334 ; and in such last-mentioned cases to provide that it shall not be neccsary to re-let such portions of jthe runs for 10 years, as required by the existing Land Acts.

S. Careful amendments of the La: d Act should be prepared during the recess, to enable the balance of runs not immediately required for settlement or subdivision to be dealt wicli so as to give the freest facility ior settlement whero and whenever required, and to ensure limitation of area and fixity of tenure to ail leaseholds, with valuation for improvements, to be paid by the incoming tenant at the end of the term, and to compel residence in the caso of each such loasehold.

9. The Governor should be advised to intimate his approval to the Board of an immediate notification to be given to all tenants wlnso leases expire iv 1532, or terminate in March, 1333, that their runs, either in whole or in part, will be required for sale under part II of tho Land Act, or for sale or settlement on deferred payments under part 111 of this Act. This would overcome any difficulty arising from a doubt as to when the leases expire. The Committee approve generally of the proposals submitted by tho Government as the mode of the classification and proposed subdivision of the runs, subject to the recommendation proposed iv tho foregoing resolutions.