CONFERENCE OF LAND BOARDS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XLVIII, Issue 12364, 2 December 1904, Page 5

CONFERENCE OF LAND BOARDS

Per Press Association

WELLINGTON, December 1. At the Land Conference, the Minister of Lands, in opening the proceedings, congratulated the Boards upon being so largely represented. The Conference was one of the most important that had taken place in the history of the colony, since it was essential thati the conditions under which lands are settted should be the beet possible, and carried out with the least possible amount of friction, so that setters might be contented, happy, and prosperous. He courted the fullest discussion upon atll matters brought before the Conference, and urged those present to speak freely and uniresserveddy, as it was -the sole desire of the Government to obtain the opinions of.; the members of the boards who administer the Land Act, and, as the result of their experience, are perfectly "competent to sa^d inawJiote d-jrectkov amendments are necessary or desirable. The matters discussed by the Confereaice to-day were; —(1) The question of whether Crown tenants labour under any restrictions iniinicablte to their, well-being and unnecessaily in the interests of the State; (2) are the residential1 conditions too exacting, and do,they require retaxing ; (3) the working of the -present .ballot system and dealing ,with applications for 'Lands1. Various alterations in the law were suggested, one of the most important being im the directioni of giving the Land Boards greater discretioinary powers than they at present possess. . ■. ■•-..•■..- . • • . ;