Taranaki Herald. MONDAY, OCTOBER 24, 1910. THE LAND BILL.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LVIII, Issue 14344, 24 October 1910, Page 2

Taranaki Herald. MONDAY, OCTOBER 24, 1910. THE LAND BILL.

Somewhat contrary to general expectation the Laud Laws Amendment Bill made its reappearance in the House on Wednesday last. When- it was referred to the Land Committee some six weeks' ago it was thought that before it emerged into the daylight again it would have to submit to considerable cutting about. As a matter of fact, tbe committee has dealt very gently with it. Only three meetings were held to consider it, and no important amendments have been made—none affecting the main policy of the measure. In clause 40, providing that after the expiry of. the leasing period the Government may compulsorily purchase, or the owner may claim his right to sell tp the Government, at a sum equivalent to the capitalised value of the rent, the capitalisation basis was altered from five per cent, to four per cent., tbe former rate having been inserted in the Bill by mistake. Provision is also made for exempting from the payment of graduated tax land compulsorily leased by the Government. This omission from the Bill was also probably accidental, as it would be manifestly unfair to apply the graduated land tax in tbe case of land so leased. But in spite of the Bill coming through this stage practically intact there were plenty of indications that it will not have an easy passage through the House. On the Land Committee there are seven Ministerialists and three members of the Opposition Party, so that the latter were helpless to get any of their proposed amendments adopted. In the House the Opposition 1 is likely to get a better proportionate hearing, lor the other side is decidedly split up on the land question. There was some crossvoting oh the Land Committee, and an idea may be gathered from this ns to the clauses of the Bill which are likely to be most vigorously opposed. The first division took place on Clause 3, which proposes to give lease-in-perpetuity holders the right to acquire the fee-simple. An Opposition member moved to include renewable leases within the scope of the clause, hut tbe division showed party lines, six to three (Mr. La wry being absent). Hence we may infer that a similar motion in the House will be opposed by a fairly solid Government party. Tbe motion that tbe clause stand part of the Bill disclosed Mr. Whitty as an uncompromising leaseholder, voting against the rigid to purchase being given to l.i.p. holders. The same member endeavoured to amend the succeeding clause by striking out H.e provision that when l.i.p. holders decide to acquire the freehold they may make payment ny instalments, and he was supported by Messrs. Ell, Forbes and Hogg, the Premier and Mr. Duncan voting with the Opposition members. There was a similar division or a motion by Mr. "Whitty to,amend the proposal to fix the purchase price of l.i.p. holdings at the original value, plus one-fourth of (he sum by which the unimproved value at the time of sale exceeds such original value, by substituting the word “present” for “original.” The compulsory leasing clauses were retained by the full

vote of the Government Party—seven to three. .These divisions seem to indicate that by vigorous whipping the Government can carry the measure through the House without inaterial alteration, the chief danger to which it is likely to be exposed being a determined and combined effort by the Opposition Party and the uncomprimising leaseholders, like Mr. Whitty, to block it by every constitutional means. As against this, however, there is the fact that there is not a single clause upon which the followers of Mr. Massey and Mr. Whitty can join forces. They may be actuated by a mutual determination to defeat the Bill, if possible, and by the same method, obstruction, but while believing that the Bill is in some respects unfair we must, confess that in the light of its treatment by the Land Committee there seems to us a strong probability that it will eventually go through the House if the Prime Minister is determined to force it.