STATEMENT BY THE PREMIER.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 916, 8 September 1910, Page 8

STATEMENT BY THE PREMIER.

' P VAPROPpSALS /OUTLINED. ; - u .ON/HAWKE'S ;BAY.::'!!■'.■ ->/ When. the Land ■ Bill'-:, was; brought iiiown'yesterday/ afternoon,''the■■--.Prime -Minister,-in reply to a/suggestion '""by;' :^lr., Massoy,that he /should outline:its prbppsak, to; tho House, said '/(that the 'Bill,proposed'to.'give/the'right/of .purchase over .all land/under.,the 999 years' • ■lii.p: 'tenure—both!•lahd-fonr.settlemeri't; !lands;!and Crown'lands.'' It. jjrdpotied. to .preserve;, tho; ehilowmerit lands ; under the renewable 'lease system, only."; -The ; renewable /lease-; system • now. applicable ! tb tenants' .of' land" f or i settlement ./lands would[^co'ntihue;-/ , ' All other;/lands' unilbr ,bbth:brariches!which! , he,had .meritjonpd; iwould.'.vreniain , . nnder .'. the '/'optional I system.- .In '.that! respect;-'there'.., wds/aii. 'alteration./of■: what was proposed :■:''in-• connection with, the.,measure;.of-. ,last year! Hl'lie.sys'tonrplop'bs'etl in:thb'Bill '.last -year "of.. ;liavjng ! recurring./charges, Uri !,,coriTie'dtion .with-the ! ■ payment ;,:bf, 'land; under: the.land'.settlement.system arid . the-999 years' "■ lease ■ of -'.iCrown , ' /land was/ altered : in the; Bill. v.Thpire-'-j jpijrring..charges ,'proyideU';iu---last:year , a l Bill!.wero 'abolished, arid in lieu the proIppsal: was! made for 25 per-cent, of■■the : flifference-between tho : original',-valua-itioii! ind; the. value: at date, of/.sale/to■ :bb paid to,!.tl';e Crown, and,;it might be paidi'by' instalments over,.a.' period, of. ; yoars;\ .'! ''■,:■; "■/ /-!■; :iy J.''■':: /-" : '-'- : :;A-member:.Does it apply.;tp/,'all ; ; larids? V, Sir (Joseph.: //It ■ refers . to." ,th«!\. ..two :.teriuros;to.'which I have alluded. /, : ; .- ; !/ Continuing 'his'ireina'rks,, Sir Joseph stated .that- the .Bill! also, provided'for; the'right'-under, existing legislation -to ipay. 9U-per cent;', off the/original:'value ; toibe abplisHed,Vand' provision was! madefo'iv ithe .■purchasa money/ t0 : .b0.-'paid ,iri : :ins^lin'onte---9ve'r- : a;pißripd':'pf-'yeariii!'.; : ';-,- : , ,:. Mr'i.;l)avby/':.iTp"',-.purchase ' t--right",'oritp- / V Aoqiiisltlon /or Private Lands. ■' // •v- 'Sir/ : Joseph,- ; -'coutinuing, said that an importarit; proposal/.niacle. ,'in./the':'Bill-! enable! -private./lands -to-be 1 acquired; from\ landownors.;.;/The;:: land , . : might be acquired" from - landowners by , way of- Jeaw,',, either.!, by agreemeht'' or compulsion, ,/for. 33 .years,', with .a .right! in ii-the Crown ■ tb..perpetual-/renewal - on .revaluation , ; ; ,The Crown might,buy or , be , 'comp_elled;to;.buy .by-.tho owner, , at j the'/expiration .'of ten years .from tho' date Vpf/lease, arid 'the. Crowny might /buy! within., twelvo ' muiiths from 'the ,'date of renewal,! the price of.' the/free-hold-to bo the.'capitalised value calcu'iated! at .5 rjer! cent. ; If there, 'was no /agreement/ a-s^tb/,rent,"that, question was ; to ■ be. determined by, the ■ Cknirt. , -was .not to : exceed Ai ■ per 'ceiit:, of !,the' value'of the land, "including all iinprovomen td;- -.''■ There was, 'it,, ; would be ■ seeni ; a difference in .the -s'; per cent, arid 4-i.per. ceiit./: '-That would be:-assessed aa payable to/'tho/.;land-. ; owner .v .THb-reason-was "that. ernme'nt.'.wouia. have .the attendant'.ex-, pense.of, administering thb land: .That •was 'the reason for tho. margin. As; regards the compulsory, clauses in acquiring land by Way of. lease, it .wufl to' apply, to, land/the unimproved yajue '.of,which'.was not less!, than/ £40,000. The.. owner '/would /.have' : the'..-., right "to/ retain .'an. area of an uhiniprpved value. :ribt exceeding £500 U. ; •'.■■:. :•!/'/ ! ; . :A member:. Rural land? : ~,:.:! -~-.- :.V----;•',(Sir Joseph":"Uiiimprpved rural land. /■; The .Prime: Minister,, resuming,, said .that he, might say; in connection 1 with that-, aspect, that .as; a result of an ex-, 'amiriation of. the.positibn - in' .Hawkp's. •'Bay there,'would bo under the proposed , isystemV'bf 'leasing,', including deduction's of the ambunts' up to £5000 for owners, /room/fof'an extra 17,000 tenants.' /.In ,other districts there would also, be, a large increase in the number of tenants. : ■ A member: How is. the rent to ' be fixed?/:/' ' ;■■, ,";. '- ■ ,- -._,:- ,;. , '/.Sir'Joseph: It. is to-be based on 5 per .cent.; if not, the matter/would go to/the Court for' adjustment.. ■•'-...'/-.'-.; ; ." .Limitation of Area. Continuing, Sir Joseph said/that. : ln connection with the land to be acquired, /there' Would: be.limitation of a-rea, according to. quality.- The area/in jthat ■district- would bo reduced very lnatori:a'lly owing to 'its" productivity/ -.- The maximum areas provided. under tho Bill were to be,reduced as : under: 2500 of third-class land; '2000 of second-class land; and,4oo,of first-class land. He .was merely.giving that outline as an, : index'of: what was intended in tho way -of. promoting I :closer settlement. ; 'He need hardly poiri.t.out that it would gal-..yari,isb--.into life, .whole districts, and would, afford opportunities .for bettor, returns to all classes —retailers, wholesalers.! and workers, apart from' the fact'that'settlors'would havo larger opportunities of .getting on the 1 arid. The settlors woujdi have: the right to' purchase the freehold from the landlords on the best of terms, but not less than ;a sum equal tb..tho capitalised amount at 5 per cent. On sale to a settler his rent to the Crown would cease, • and the amount payablo to the owner would

.I/" , iproportionately.'reduced. If it were' V.:l'.i boloro, ten,.years the .lease from •the Crowji. wouW, ipso fact-o, bo extinguished. ■■'.. ' ' . '■ ! -..'The Crown and the Owner. If no. land was sold during tho term of the leuse the Crown could buv or bo compelled to buy at tho capitalised value at 5 per cent., a half per cent, more than' under the compulsory clauses. If the land was sold the purchase money required to be deducted and tho balance duo only would be paid by the Crown to the owner. The effect would t be that if tho owner did not dispose of ''tho freehold to all the settlors he would lose any profit ho might- make from th« sales, over and-above what the-Crown had to pay him. In other words, tlio landlord could obtain the wholo increase in the unimproved value- up to 10 years if he.pushes the sale to the settlers; otherwise .the .Crown, takes it under itsright of .purchase. .This provision protected tho Crown; from the.owners sell-, . ing the best land and leaving the poorer for the Crown. In regard, to improvement's, a tenant on' determination of, his lease would receive compensation from -fcho Crown." It. was proposed to maintain the endowments-for education, and old ago pensions intact under the renewable lease, and ashe had. also said to give Crown ..tenants ,who have land undo; , the l.i.p.,'tenure or land-for-settleinent lands.- tho right of pur-., chase. , Mr.. Witty-. On what'.basis? .. ■:.- ■ Sir Josepli: As ,1 said, on the difference between the'original.value and the value', at date of sale, plus 25 por cent./ to be paid to the Crown. :■/ . ■ I■, Mr. Witty: Unimproved ? .- ... Sir.-Joseph: Yos. . t . '';-.' ' Mr.Maesey: It is.quite 'impossible at present/ to discuss the important proposals of. the Bill..•"■/ ■.'.'" "■' '. '■ Sit Joseph Ward: I"thank the hori. gentlemain will. find:.there is nothing; involved ■ in , the Bill. I-recogniso thatit requires to be circulated. ■ ••'