REGISTERING LAND AGENTS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 12745, 24 April 1912, Page 3

REGISTERING LAND AGENTS.

(Per Pj-.ess Association.) HAMILTON, last night, A deputation of land agents waited upon the Premier, urging the necessity for legislation for the registration of land agents, and asked that. Mr Witty's Bill should be brought in as a Government measure. The Premier asked the view of the deputation in regard to an agent selling land at £50 or £60 an acre and accepting a deposit of a few pounds only. Did" they not think that by such transactions values were being unduly forced up above the normal value? The deputation replied that this was outside the province of an agent, resting solely with the vendor, who stated his terms. Mr Mackenzie asked if such a state of affairs ought not to be corrected. It was considered by the deputation that reform in this respect was perhaps desirable. The. Premier replied that not only did the Government want the status of those dealing in land raised, but desired to protect tlie public from the artificial values raised by tl^eso small deposits. He could not promise to put anything on the Statute Book this year, but he promised to go into Mr Witty's Bill, and see if anything could be done in the direction indicated. He quite approved of the status of those engaged in the sale of land being fixed and guaranteed: Replying to a question by Mr Mackenzie a-s to 'what qualifications a man should carrv in order tp be registered; the deputation said that it was proposed that this should be left to the local authority,