THE LAND BILL.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 8518, 24 August 1907, Page 5

THE LAND BILL.

(By Telegraph—Parliamentary; Correspondent).. WELLINGTON, August <23." In the House of Representatives,,, this afternoon, the Land Bill was rej ported from the Lands Committee, y The Minister said that he hoped to , state next week when he would take: 1 the second reading. The bill has been altered to a con--3 siderable extent by the committee, f but, generally speaking, the amendments are not of a drastic character.. ; The leaseholders on the committee do< j not consider that any concession of J marked importance has been made, j In regard to ordinary Crown lands,. 5 a modification has been made enabling P holders of renewable leases, with tho- ! consent of the board, to remove; , minerals other than gold, silver, and coal, from their holdings on payment, , of royalties. The modification of residence con- , ditions in special cases is made to apply to pastoral land as well as to ■ , other rural land. The renewable lease no longer applies to land leased ■= , under the modified residence conditions, and the Government is left free to make regulations specifying leases for this land. An important new clause provides : that the holder of a renewable lease, when he desires to make improvements, shall be entitled, on application to the commissioner, to have particulars of the improvements placed on permanent record. This record will be u«ed in assessing compensation. Town lands may be leased for 21 years instead of 14 yews. Provision is made for special flax leases, the area not to exceed 2,000 acres. The limit of area to be acquired by applicants for Crown land is extended from 3,000 to 5,000acres. A new clause is added providingmachinery for the encouragement of the wood pulp industry. The Crown is empowered to exchange Crown land for private land when expedient, and to payor receive any sum byway of equality of exchange. Finally the clause of which the Hon. T. Y. Duncan has already given notice empowering boards to set apart areas of rural land for selection and occupation without payment, but subject to conditions as to cultivation'and residence, is embodied in the Bill. The amendments in regard to land for settlement lands are in the direction of ensuring the smoother working of the system.. The 33 years' lease with perpetual right of renewal remains unaltered. A new clause is added providing that when the Crown is acquiring land it may agree with the seller that he shall receive a lease or license for an area not exceeding the prescribed maximum as part payment for his land. A clause providing for the lease of settlement lands by public tenter (instead of ballot) is struck out, an(\ in substitution, there is a new clause, to the effect that before any land acquired jnder the Act is opened *or public selection the board may grant a renewable lease without competition to any person who has been employed on the land by the late owner for at least five years. The old system cf ballot, therefore, remains in fcrcc. Land may still be taken comr.ulsorily at the owner's valuation, plus b percentage. At the end of the Bill special new clauses have been added providing for the renewal of the grazing leases on the Cheviot Estate, conditionally on the land not being required for closer sub-division. The rent is to be assessed on the present capital value, less the value of the tenant's improvements. The right to purchase the freehold is confined to holders of leases in perpetuity of ordinary Crown lands, as in the Bill when introduced this session. An amendment was carried in the committee making the right extend to leases in perpetuity "under any Act," but these words were deleted at a later meeting. In regard to the compulsory purchase of land under the Lands for Settlement Act, the price is to be the valuation plus ten per cent, on values up to £50,000, and five per cent, on any amount over £50,000. This alteration is in favour of the owners, as the original Bill provided for adding ten per cent, on to values below £25,000, 5 per cent, on to values from £25,000 to £50,000, and 2$ per cent, on to values above £50,000.