WOMEN NT THE BACKBLOCKS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 959, 28 October 1910, Page 4

WOMEN NT THE BACKBLOCKS.

A' LAND BOARD MATTEE.

A practice, now discontinued in the Wellington land district, of permitting single women to take up- bush, sections, was. the subject'of some criticism at the meeting of tho Land .Board yesterday. The Board kad under consideration the' suggested forfeiture of Miss E« Diekson's interest in a section of 201 acres, situate in the llakotukn Block, near, Baetihi, on account.of non-compliance with residential conditions.' i ':;• . ■

The statement made on behalf of-Miss : Dickson, for whom Mr. T. M. Wilford appeared,; was that she had taken up the section nine years ago, and-had since improved and stocked it Owing to ill-' health, however, she had been for a number of years unable to reside on her holding. Mr. : Wilford .suggested, that; his client's brother, who is the holder of an adjacent property, • might'be permitted to undertake her re,sponsibilities. If no. such arrangement could be ■ made,. his client was prepared , to reside on her section, but if she did she would die. This would inevitably result from her feeblestate of health if she were subjected to the rigours of back-block life. In corroboration of his assertion Mr. Wilford pointed to the appearance of his client who was present and further he submitted medical certificates which'stated that she suffered from chronic rheumatism.. ■.;.'. ,r \Vhat is the idea of getting single: women on sections in this-way?", inquired Mr. Wilford of. thij , commissioner. Mr. Mackenzie stated in reply that such cases were the most troublesome with which the board had to deal. Under the Land Act of 1892 ; it was permissible to , lease Crown holdings to any person over sixteen years'of. age. While this, provision ruled the board had no power to refuse land to a girl of seventeen. Id the Act of 1907 the word "suitable .■ was inserted before "person," Its powers thus enlarged, the board had, since shat date, made a practice of rejecting the; appli-cations-of. single women who sought to take up land. Nino out of ten sincle women who took up land gave trouble: In most cases an application of the.kind represented an attempt to etrengthen ■ someone else's chance of getting a section. As, often as not it iras, simple. rdummy--1 "Same old trouble" was the Return; of several members when the applicant and. her solicitor had departed. ■ ' .-;.■ Mr. Gcorgetti remarked that even it a single girl were, in perfect,' health she could not bo sent to reside on a bush section, alone. ■ The commissioner: Of course we are not doing it now.. •■ . , ■•■ ■' ' After some furthCT discussion Mr. Mackenzie remarked that the board jiacV twice, prior to 1903, empowered Miss Dicfcson to transfer her section to any suitable person, othov than her brother.' _;. _ Finally it was decided not to gazette the forfeiture in tho meantime and tn empower Miss Dickson os thq board formerly done to transfer her interest to any suitable person' other than her brother. It was further agreed to accopt residence by Miss Dickson won her bro- r ther's holding as equivalent to residence upon. her. own section. ■