THE LAND SALES ACT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25394, 27 November 1943, Page 6

THE LAND SALES ACT

Sir,—l have been following with considerable interest the correspondence in vour columns from “ Citizen ’’ and your footnotes to his letters in connection with the Land Sales Act. Apparently from vour footnote to “ Citizen’s ” letter of the 20th inst. you consider it is obligatory on vour part to publish the names and descriptions of the parties, particularly of the land affected, and. the amount claimed or awarded as compensation, and you are acting in acordance with this view. We wonder if it would be possible for you to state what procedure some of the other leading papers in New Zealand are adopting in connection with the point under discussion. If the names of those concerned were omitted from the particulars vou are publishing this should much reduce the present cause for complaint. If it is obligatory for the papers to publish all the particulars you are giving, one

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wonders why it is not done In all cases. It must be agreed that although the committee holds its proceedings in public, and anyone may attend such proceedings, this would give a very limited publicity compared with that resulting from the publishing of full details, including the names of those concerned, in the daily papers. We would add that there is a good deal of Indignation at the publicity that is being given In the Daily Times regarding property sales, especially the publishing of the names of the parties. I notice that “ Citizen ” in his letters has more than hinted that there is a political bias behind the matter we are discussing, and in this connection I would merely add that I am not a Labour supporter, and never have been. There is no doubt that the present position is very disagreeable to many pepole.—l am, etc., Citizen No. S. Dunedin, November 24.

Sir,—X cannot see what good purpose Is to be served by the publication of the full particulars, and also the full names and addresses, of parties to transactions before the Land Sales Committee, unless the object is to make the Act unpopular. From the whole tone of most of the letters in your paper one can only conclude that there is something deeper than what the correspondents write about. They must be very bad losers. This sort of thing cannot do their cause any good, as it must boomerang back on them. It is a great pity. There seems to be an unbridged gulf in this beautiful land. —I am, etc., O. Johnston. Karitane.