LAND BILL PASSES SECOND READING

Wanganui Chronicle, 29 November 1948, Page 6

LAND BILL PASSES SECOND READING

LONGEST MEASURE PRESENTED TO CURRENT SESSION WELLINGTON, Nov. 25 (P.A.) A weary debate on the longest measure presented to the House of Representativs this session—the Land Bill —was continued tonight by Mr. Ormond Wilson (Govt., Palmerston North), who said that the farmers, because they owned the freehold of their land, should not have a right to do what they liked with that land. The matter of utilisation was of great importance in land tenure. Mr. W. A. Bodkin (Opp., Central Otago) said the socalled freehold, as set out in the Bill, was nothing more than a title which gave no security for the capital invested in it. There was no such thing as a freehold title in New Zealand- it was a simple leasehold title under the control of two Government Departments. Mr. H. E. Combs (Govt., Onslow) said farmers and other occupiers of land were trustees to the people of New Zealand,, and if they were not making the best use of their land they should be removed. The people had a right to expect that fanners wer© good trustees. Mr. J. T. Watts (Opp., St. Albans): What do you think the watersiders are? Mr. W. S. Goosman (Opp., Piako): Who is going to be the judge? Mr. Coombs said that if a farmer did not farm his land with good husbandry the people of New Zealand had a right to expect that he be called to order. Mr. F. W. Doidge (Opp., Tauranga' said there was a vital need for an increase in land settlement which would give us increased production, but in both directions the Government had given no encouragement whatever. To all intents and purposes the £30,000,000 spent on settling ex-servicemen had been wasted, because they had been settled only by displacement of more experienced farmers. The Minister of Lands (Mr. Skinner) replying to the debate, said some control over pastoral licences was necessary, because high country was concerned which required regeneration and involved an arrest of erosion.

Mr. Skinner said that the reason for the freehold clause in the Bill was that the Government had decided to give Crown tenants the opportunity of freeholding the land they occupied. If the farmers felt they would have more security of tenure through freehold than through leasehold with a perpetual right of renewal, then the Government was prepared to give them that right. The Government also felt if production and farming conditions could be improved, it was prepared Io give farmers the additional security thev sought. Tho Minister considered that the Opposition de-