THE LANDS BILL.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XLV, Issue 11931, 30 October 1919, Page 5

THE LANDS BILL.

Per Press Association. Wellington, Oct. 29,

In the House this evening Hon.. Guthrie moved the second, reading of the Land Laws Amendment BiJl. He explained that the Bill provided lor setting up a number of land purchase boards to assist in dealing with land for soldiers. There would probably be 13 boards, with three members on each. If it was asked why these boards were being set up, his reply was that a sum of £6,599,104 had been spent in settling 6,500 soldiers. It became evident that the increased work created by this responsibility was more than ordinary land was also the question of local knowledge, which these new boards possess in a larger degree tiian Ordinary land boards. Representation on these boards would be liberal, but" no one engaged in land agency business would be eligible as a member. He explained that the Bill old homestead tenure, and also affirmed the principle of one man one run in pastoral country. The remainder of the clauses were mostly of machinery nature. Clause 19 dealt with the aggregation of land in a manner which he hoped would be effectual.

Sir Joseph Ward congratulated the Government upon the advance in their land policy, as shown by their Bill. He endorsed the policy of settlement, more settlement, and still more settlement, but he wanted to know how much Crown land was left with which to carry out this policy, becauso his impression was that what was left of Crown lands was going to give a very poor selection to those who were settling under the homestead system. What this country needed was increased production. That depended on closer settlement, and unless large land ©wners in New Zealand recognised this,' there was going to be a revolution in this country before long, because the people would not go on paying famine prices for the necessaries of life. He approved manv proposals in the Bill, but he was convinced this country must be a country of small settlement. *>nd the large land owner must bo u;ade to appreciate this by material advance in gradutaed land tax. He was not altogether with the proposals to stop aggregation, because they did not so far enough. Provision should apply to soldiers' lands which had been purchased during the war, and transfers should be more closely scrutinised by land .boards. We must prevent the aggregation of large estates because New Zealand was destined to become a conufcry of small settlements. 4 Mr Massey said the proposals of the Bill regarding homestead settlement were an improvement; on the old law inasmuch as provision was now made to give settlers financial assistance. This was an experiment certainly, but he had every hope that if officers of the Crown were careful large areas of land now waste would be brought into profitable settlement. He defended the policy of buying land for soldiers, because, being able to pay cash, land had .been bought cheaply, and while the security remained the soldiers could be safely assisted. He agreed that the system of land taxation must be revised, but in doing so a way must be found for relieving the small settler from taxation on money which he owed. On the subject of aggregation," he claimed to be the iirs'S Minister of Lands who bad made a systematic attempt to prevent aggregation, but he believed the real remedy was increased graduated land taxation. Everyone admitted that the cost of living had gone np, but most people forgot that the cost of production had gone tip too. He knew of small farmers who were making less money than the men working for them, so that all producers were not making the huge fortunes many supposed. Ho hoped the Bill would do something to bring about a new era, but he reminded 'the people of this country that there could be no happiness without industry, and what this country wanted more than anything else was industry, more industry and still more industry. Hon. MacDonald approved of much in the Bill, especially the proposal to set up land purchase boards. He wanted to see more drastic measures taken in connection with breaking up big estates than anything proposed in the Bill. He also wanted to see better conditions given to men who settled on poorer lands. Speaking after the supper adjournment, Mr Pearce protested against the proposal to pay for aggregated land resumed by the Government on the basis of present valuations. One valuation might be six months old and another six years old. Hon. Buddo thought the Bill a modest effort to encourage settlement, and no doubt the country would be better for it, but the attempt to settle third class lands in 1000 aero blocks was bound to fail. While Mr Buddo was still speaking the Premier entered the Obamber and announced that Mr Colvin, member for Buller, had been killed in a tram accident in the city. He immediately moved the adjournment I of the House, which rose at 10.50.