SETTLING INFERIOR LAND

Otago Witness, Issue 3804, 8 February 1927, Page 13

SETTLING INFERIOR LAND

‘ MINISTER EXPLAINS SYSTEM. WELLINGTON, February 3. In order to settle tho inferior lands disposable by the Crown, the Minister of Lands (the Hon. A. D.. M'Leod) is now about to offer them for nothing. Under the new policy the Government asks for no rent, but it insists on certain improvements ■in lieu of rent, and these improvements, when completed, will enable the holder of the land to become a freeholder free of cost. In the first place, he will be given a license to occupy. This license is for 10 years, and is rcntless. The conditions of the license set out grades of im-provements—two-yearly, four-yearly, and six-yearly —that is to say, the total improvements required are normally expected to take not more than six years, but they may be done in much shorter time. The completion of these total improvements .which are specified below, give the right to the freehold, and if the licensee completes them all in two years, instead of taking six, he is at once fully qualified to becqine the freeholder. In short, he pays his footing by improvements to the land, thy! fee simple of which then comqs to him gratis. The improvements are specified under two heads:— 1. Clearing and cultivation. 2. Substantial improvements of a permanent character. Within two years the licensee must have cleared and cultivated not less than onetenth of the total area of his selection, and the improvements must be valued at not less than 10s an acre. . At the end- of the fourth year the . clearing and cultivation must cover an aditional area, equal to onethird of the selection, and the added improvements must be worth another 10s an acre The total required improvements, for which a six . years’ limit is allowed, comprise the laying down in permanent cultivated grasses and clover of not less than half the total area of the selection, and “substantial improvements of a permanent character to a total value of not less than 30s per acre.” To sum up, the permanent grassing of half the area and permanent improvements of not less than £lO 10s an acre give the ■ freehold. The above provisions, which will bo embodied in regulations shortly to be represent an. attempt to offer inferior land on the .easiest possible terms. The next question is, where can the Gov-

ernment obtain land on terms cheap enough to enable the Government to give it away? In a conversation this morning with a reporter, the Minister of Lands pointed out that there were various difficulties in the way of offering lands which, otherwise, might be suitable for the purpose. He referred to certain national endowment lands and Native lands. However, a start was being made notwithstanding the difficulties. “With the qbject of introducing this system of settlement as early as Cosible,” said Mr M'Leod, “steps are now eing taken to set apart two blocks, one of gum land in the North Auckland’ land district, and one of pumice land in the Auckland land district. The gum land is part of the Riverhead block, situated close to Auckland, and comprises about 10 sections, ranging in area from about 110 acres to 128 acres. The block of pumice land is situated between Atiamuri and Waiotapu, and contains about 15,000 acres, which is subdivided into larger considerable portions of which comprise undulating land in tussock, fern, and scrub. The new policy is being applied under the provisions of section 223 of “The Land Act, 1924.”

With regard to the National Endowment Lands Act, referred to above, Mr M'Leod pointed out that when the matter of applying the provisions of section 223 was taken up a difficulty was found in the fact that the national endowment lands had been valued years tgo at a time when the ideas of land values differed from those of today, and it was_ provided at that time by law that the National Endowment Fund must be recouped to the extent of the valuation placed on any land that was taken out of the national* endowment. The lowest valuation was 10s an acre. At that time it was considered that if land was not worth 10s an acre it was worth nothing. “But,” said the Minister, “the. Department of Lands cannot afford to pay 10s an acre for land in order to give it away.” This was not the only quarter in which the obtaining of land, otherwise disposable as inferior land, was handicapped. There was Native land that might be treated as inferior land and brought under section 223, but through the price paid for it, or the cost of acquiring it, its total cost was now too high. Some purchase negotiations with Native owners had extended over many years and were still incomplete, so that the interest on what had been paid had mounted up. Expenses had accumulated and if the Native Land Purchase Account were to be fully compensated the land could not be taken as inferior land, unless the Consolidated Fund came to the rescue. The Minister mentioned these matters to show that the way was beset with difficulties, some of which might be removable only by legislation.