THE LAND BILL.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 15602, 4 November 1912, Page 3 (Supplement)

THE LAND BILL.

IMPORTANT ADDITIONS MADE IN COMMITTEE. WELLINGTON, October 9. The freehold |xi!icy of the lieform party has been more strongly emphasised in the hand Hill by the additions and amendments made while the measure was before the Lands Committee. The Hill now g i; «s much fnrtlier than tho original proposals towards the abolition of landlordism. When tho Hill was reported to the House of Heprcsenlatives this afternoon the Minister of Lands said the Hill would ho reprinted as early as possible and brought on for the second reading next week, certainly not later than Wednesday. The committee had gone through the Hill very carefully indeed, and in the ordinary way made some amendments lo which, on the whole, ho look no objection. The committee had dono its work very satisfactorily, and he was glad to have tho opportunity to say so. Two amendments of very considerable importance, had been made. The first was a series of clauses inserted on his motion providing that tenants occupying Crown lands on tho leaso-in-pcrpctuity tenure might have the opportunity to acquire, the freehold. Hon. Members : On what conditions.

The Minister of Lands: On this condition. It will lie recollected by every member of tho House that settlers who took up land on the I.i.p. tenure paid nominally 4 per cent, on tho capital value. Other settlers who took up Crown land on the o.r.p. tenure paid 5 per cent., so that they were practically paying 1 per cent. for tho right to purchase. Wft propose to givo termnta the opportunity to acquiro tho fee simple on conditio that they make up tho difference of 1 jxjr cent. Mr Ell: On tho original value ? Tho Minister of Lands : On the original value, and—mark tho words—with compound interest. Mr Masscy continued that the other important amendment proposed to extend te Native lands the new way for securing tho subdivision of private estates originally proposed in the Bill. That scliemo was that tho owner of a private estate might havo it ronded and surveyed by the Crown on the, understanding that it would be subdivided and settled. 110 believed that tho application of that system lo Native lands was tho most important proposal in tho way of land legislation submitted to Parliament in the last 20 years. It might ho necessary that the proceeds from such settlement should bo handed to a trustee or board of trustees, who would use the money in the best interests of the Natives. Provision for this was made in tho Hill. Tho general principle in this connection was that the land should bo sold, but there might lie exceptional cases in which it was required for tho maintenance of the Native owners, and in those cases it might be destrablo to deal with it on tho leasehold tenure.

" I consider thin proposal will really bo the solution of the Native land difficulty," said .Mr Masscy, " though it may require somo little time to bring it into operation. I have already been interviewed j.v some leading chiefs in tho North Island, and they offered to hand over to mo as Minister of Lands 250,000 acres of their lands to bo dealt with according to this scheme."

Mr Masscy added that he had not been ahlo to put all his proposals into this Land Bill, but he had another Hill in preparation which would ho submitted to Parliament next session. It would deal with land for settlement lands. PREFERENCE AT LAND RALLOTS. Tho new clauso regarding preference at land ballots has horn replaced by the following:—" At every such ballot preference shall bo given to landless applicants who have elrildrcn dependent on mediately preceding tho dale of tno ballot competed at least twice unsuccessfully at any previous land ballot." thorn wlto have within the two vcars ItnNATIONAL ENDOWMENTS. An important amendment has been made in the proposal that national endowment lands may bo exchanged for other lands. It was originally proposed that tho <iiffercnoo in value on any such exchange lo bo made up by a cash payment should not exceed 10 per cent. Tho margin has now been increo-sed to 25 per cent., ami a new rule inado that all moneys received in such transactions shall bo applied for tho acquisition of otlier land for the purpose, of national endowments. Tho proposal to limit tho light of renewal of leases o[ small grazing ruas to one term has been struck out. Another added clause provides that where the holder of a pastoral licctiso has suffered exceptional loss of livo stock by reason of the severity of tho winter and tho heavy falls of snow, and such loss has crippled his resources, his license may be extended for such period not exceeding five, years as in the opinion of tho Minister of Lands and the land board seems equitable. PRICE OF LLP. LANDS. Tho prico at which the freehold of l.i.p. holdings may bo acquired is to bo computed as follows : (a) A Bum cipial to one-half tho difference between a rental of 5 per cent, per annum and a rental at 4 per cent, per annum on the original capital value shall bo treated as having become due by (ho purchaser lo Uto Crown on each halfyearly day appointed by the lease for tho payment of rent prior to tho delivery of the notice (of the lessee's intention to'purchase the fee simple), and lo have remained unpaid. (b) Upon each such sum compound interest shall bo computed at tho rate of '1 per cent. (c) The aggregalo of tho sums mentioned in paragraph (a) and of the interest computed according to paragrn.ph (b) shall bo added to the original capital value, and tho total shall bo tho price. Tho lessee may purchase for cash or by deferred payments extending over nine years. These provisions do not apply to land which is subject to tho Lands for Settlements Act. THE NEW SETTLEMENT SCHEME. Some amendments have been made in the proposed new system of settling private estates. The Minister of I,ands is to consult with the Land Purchase Hoard in fixing the terms and conditions of such subdivisions. Where a selector under this system purchases'an allotment on the deferred payment system he may at any time complete the purchase by paying the balaneo of the purchase money with tho interest due at the dale of payment. Fourteen clauses contain the machinery to extend this system to Native lands in the manner described above by the Prime Minister.