a—4.

10

[j. MCQUEEN.

138. What was the length of the leases you have been administering ? —Twenty-one years. 139. With the option of renewal? —No, although some have been allowed to purchase, and I believe all will eventually be allowed to purchase. 140. Will they get compensation for improvements ? —Yes. 141. Have you restricted the cropping ? —Yes. 142. Are the restrictions the same as the Government restrictions? —I could not say. 143. The Government restriction is not more than one green crop and two white crops ?—The conditions specified the amount of manure, and that is not in the Government conditions. I do not approve of cast-iron rules like that, because if you give the right of purchase you do not require the same terms so long as you have the general conditions that the land is to be farmed on the most approved system adopted in the neighbourhood. You cannot make any general conditions that are suitable everywhere. 144. It is one of the matters we have to report on —viz., as to cropping regulations, and whether they can be varied in any way ? —I should say that as long as a man farms properly —so long as he feeds the land, and he must feed the land —he may take from it as long as he likes. 145. You believe, then, in discretionary power given to Land Boards to vary the conditions?— Yes; if the persons administering the Act have sufficient knowledge, the larger the discretionary power given to them the better. 146. Do you believe in practical farmers composing the Land Boards?—lf they have to administer and decide what the tenant has to do, if they are not practical farmers they are not fit to decide. ... . 147. Mr. Johnston.] You are practically putting the administration of the land into the hands of the very men who might want "to be tenants also? —No. A banker, for instance, might have a knowledge of farming as well as of banking. 148. Mr. Forbes.] You stated also that, with the various regulations in connection with Crown leaseholds, of course a man has to farm in a decent way, and you said that the regulations kept a man up to the scratch. Are the local bodies attempting to deal with noxious weeds in this district ? The regulations in connection with Crown land compel the lessee to clear his land of noxious weeds? —They cannot compel him, because it is impossible. You cannot compel a man to do an impossibility. 149. But he is supposed to keep his land clear —that is, of course, in reason; he cannot be expected to do an impossibility. Do not you think under a leasehold with these conditions in his lease he is more likely to keep his land clear than a freeholder ? The previous witness mentioned the case of a freeholder whose land was infested with weeds, whereas under his lease he had to clear his land of weeds? —We have Inspectors here for nearly everything, and amongst them we have a noxious-weeds Inspector, and he has to worry the freeholders to try and keep them up to the mark. He worries the people just as your agent would do a leaseholder. We have about eight hundred thousand people in this colony, and if you want to enforce the Noxious Weeds Act here you will require to have a few million people in the colony. 150. You said the leaseholders were afraid of a change in the legislation providing for revaluation : are they not subject to the land laws of the country the same as freeholders, and is there not the same chance of heavy taxation being imposed on freeholders as on leaseholders, and do they not feel some amount of apprehension in that respect ?—I suppose some of them do. 151. The law would be just as likely to deal with a freeholder as a leaseholder? —It has dealt with the freeholder already, for his Crown grant has in some cases been taken from him. Seeing that they have broken faith with the freeholder, the holder of even a 999-years lease will know perfectly well that he is in danger of having his lease varied during even his own lifetime. But the difficulty is this : that in varying the rent he will have to pay rent on his own improvements. 152. That is, if the valuation is not taken properly ?—lf you have attended Assessment Courts I would simply ask, Are the valuations equitable, as far as your experience goes ? 153. I must say that there has been very little objection to the valuations in the Assessment Court in my district. The freeholders would be subject to the same changes as leaseholders? —Not in some respects : they might increase his taxeS. 154. Would not that be a greater breach of faith—to break the lease in perpetuity—than to increase the land-tax? —It would not be a greater fault than breaking the freeholders' Crown grant. 155. You mean, in the case of the resumption of land for settlement purposes ?—Yes. 156. If that result is required the leaseholder would have to give way, as in the case of the freeholder ? —No doubt; and that is a reason the single-taxers will have. They will say it is in the interests of the general public that the 999-years lease should be broken. 157. That supposes a very large change in public opinion ?—As to the reaggregation of estates, some people hold that there is a danger, if the right to acquire the freehold is given, that there will be a reaggregation of large estates. As far as Otago and Southland go, there is no danger of that, because the fact is this : that the cutting of estates is at present going on in these districts, and will continue to do so. Estates here are being voluntarily broken up by the owners. There are various reasons that have led to this. For instance, rabbits came, and it has been found necessary to have more people on the land; and then the rates and taxes have increased to such an extent, and the price of labour has increased. These things have all tended to this result. It is almost impossible to get labour in some districts. The worry and annoyance to landowners in carrying on these large estates has so disgusted them that they have in many cases cut up their land for sale. These conditions will remain here, and therefore there is no fear of any reaggregation of estates in Otago and Southland. 158. I suppose the spread of noxious weeds will also tend in that direction ? —Yes. 159. McCardle.] You have already expressed the opinion that the Education Board and Harbour Board endowments are a drawback to the settlement of the country : do you not think it would be an advantage to the State to take over the management of these reserves, giving the