LAND FOR SETTLEMENT.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1871, 19 June 1888, Page 4

LAND FOR SETTLEMENT.

Notwithstanding that there are m the colony millions of acres of unsold Crown land, there is, at any rate m Canterbury and some other parts of the colony, hardly any land available for settlement. Some one has defined "dirt" as .matter m. tHe wrong place, and that deflation affords key t\. the apparent anomaly that while? "we have lots of land suitable for settlement to dispose of we are yet .. nnable to provide for settlement, the fact simply being that the land we have for disposal is -situated m the wrong place. We do not mean to say that * settlement blight not to proceed m the course of time on such lands, but we do Bay that there is a demand for land for settlement m .many .localities where the Crown possesses no lands. ]t may be said Wat if this be bo then there is an oppisrUSnity for private enterprise, of which private enterprise may be trusted to avail itself, and at first blush this would -appear to be a sound argument. But the answer is that private enterprise loots for large profits, and will not step m m the interests of settlement only, and that we cannot look to it to provide small holdings upon easy terms. Upon such terms is acquisition alone possible to the class for whom these small holdings are a necessity. It follows then if land suitable for small holdings and m the right localities, that is to say m the midst of agricultural settlements is to be rendered available, the Sfate must step m and acquire Ijlocks of land to be afterwards subdftfljed for this purpose. This has been to some extent recognised already, inasmuch as the Land Act of 1885 contains provision enabling the Government to acquire land for this purpose m blocks of not exceeding one thousand acres m each locality, but the stipulation that the consent of both Houses must first be obtained m regard to each particular transaction has rendered the section referred to altogether inoperative, because of .the long delay often necessarily involved before any purchase could be completed. Kir George Grey has perceived this, and has come to the rescue with a Bill intitled the Land for Settlement Bill, which is now for the second (or is it the third) time before the House of Representatives. It has passed the ordeal of the Waste Lands Committee, and as amended by that Committee will, we hope, pass into law paving only as regards a proviso foisted into it, similar m effect to that which has rendered nugatory the clause m the Land Act of 1885 before referred to, and which proposes to make it necessary to obtain the specific sanction of both Houses m each individual case before my land can be acquired by the Crown. ihin must be struck out if the Bill is to ft eaf any value at all. Supposing thijß to done the Bill would be workable , enough. It provides that the Government may contract with the owner for the acquisition by the Crown .of any private land required for purposes of settlement at a price not exceeding by more than ten per cent, the Propertytax valuation, or may take such land . compnlsorily m the same way that land may be taken for roads, railways, or other public works. The Government may bo moved to act by the recommendation of any County Council or Eoad Board, or as regards suburban lands by any Municipal Council. Payment for the land taken is to be made m cash, or bonds bearing four cent, interest, at the option of the person from whom the land is bought or taken, power being given to the Colonial Treasurer to recoup the Treasury the amount of cash payments, by the issue and sale of bonds to a like amount. The lands so acquired by the Crown may be sold or leased with a right to the lessee m all cases to acquire the freehold on paying the fixed purchase price. In the event of transfers of leases or of resumption by the Crown the value of his improvements is to be paid to the lessee ; the yearly quit rent is to be at the rate of six and a half per cent, on the purchase price, including m the latter the cost of subdivision, of laying off roads, and of all expenses incurred m preparing tho land for settlement. Some such measure as this ia very greatly needed, particularly m the portion of Canterbury and m North Otago, and we heartily hope that the member for Auckland Central may succeed this year m securing its adoption by Parliament.