VOLUNTEER LAND SCRIP.
The Defence Minister (the Hon. Mr Secldon) was waited upon on the sth iust. by Messrs P. Fredric and W M. Henderson as a deputation appointed at a recent meeting of holders of volunteer land scrip. They wire introduced by the Hon. T. Fergus.
The matter was brought before the Defence Minister by letter on the 22nd March, when it was pointed, out that land grants were of little or no benefit fo holders, as most of them were iv business or in situations, and it would not be worth thtsir while to leave town to settle on siu:b. fmall areas as Oh^y were indisidually entitled to; whe.efore it was asked that the Government would either purchase the scrip or permit the holders to transfer to each other, on an undertaking being given not to sell to outside parties. The block of land would thus be occupied by volunteers exclusively, but one would be the representative of several of the original scrij/hoUUTfi, thereby giving him a sufficient quantity of land on which to make a living, and giving the others the beueSt of the scrip without loßing their present employment. To this
representation a reply was received to the' effect that, while ttie Minister had every desire to assist the. .volunteers in the direction suggested, he found that he had no power to do so. Mr P. Fredric, in again bringing the matter under the notice of the Minister, said that the holders of scrip had obtained a legal opinion to the effect that the Minister had the power, under clause 8 'of the Naval and Military Settlers' and Volunteers' Land Act— the very clause quoted by the Minister in his reply — as in subsection 4 of that clause reference made to <a "transferee," thereby leaving it to be inferred that transfers could take place. Mr Fredric further pointed out that according to the act several sections could be grouped into one allotment according to the area of claims.' •He had been over the land at Woodland,- and. the settlers there ridiculed the idea of any man' going on such a small area as individual scrip--holders were entitled to, saying that it was no use attempting to settle there on less than 200 acres.
The Minister, in reply, said that the matter was under* consideration, and that he would forward an aiißwer. if nothing could be done in the manner suggested by the deputation it would be done by legislation.
VOLUNTEER LAND SCRIP.
Otago Witness, Issue 1994, 12 May 1892, Page 8
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