Questions at Issue

Te Ao Hou, December 1963, Page 4

Questions at Issue The proposals on which the Committees are voting refer to succession to small interests in land. Under the ‘£10 rule’ interests that are valued at less than £10 may be given to only one of the successors. This could mean that some people could be cut out of their parents' land altogether. One of the Department's pro-

posals is to increase the value of these uneconomic interests to £25, which would mean that there would be less fragmentation of land titles, but more people would be cut out without receiving any compensation. As the law stands at present it is necessary for the Judge of the Maori Land Court to apply the £10 rule if he has any doubts about a particular case. The Department's second suggestion is to make it mandatory for the Judge to apply the rule whatever his doubts. Maori Committees throughout the country are being asked to say whether they are for or against these two proposals.