THE LAND AND DEEDS REGISTRATION DEPARTMENT.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1407, 6 April 1912, Page 6

THE LAND AND DEEDS REGISTRATION DEPARTMENT.

Sir, —Iα your issue of Friday you published a personal news item (o the ell'ect that four officers of the Laud and D;-ods Department hail passed tlie examination prescribed under Seel ion 7 of the Land Transfer Act to nimlify them to hold the positions thereunder. This is not only a very serious matter, but strikes a blow at anything like real merit in the Department. What are the facts!- . It is laid down by Section 7 of the Land Trans, for Act that no person shall be appointed to the oflico of Kegistrar-General of Lands, District Land licgistrnr or Kxaminer of Titles unless such person has ten admitted a banister or solicitor of the Supremo Court, or has passed such special examination as is prescribed by regulation under the Act. For nearly thirty years in this country it was found inadvisable to depart tram the express qualifications contained in the Act and no determined attempt was made to appoint to the important positions of Hegistrar-General, District Land Registrar, or Examiner of Titles any person other than a properly qualified person to fill them, i.e., u barrister or a solicitor of the Supreme Court. It is quite true that in the early 'nineties the late Mr. John' Unlliuica introduced a Bill to enable assistant-land rofc'isirars (v.iio were not barristers or solicitors) to fill the position of District Land Kosistrar, but he found that the qualification necessary, aye, essential for such a position was'a complete lojjal education, and the Hill was withdrawn. From that lime miril now the. express qualifications of tlie Act have been ob«?rved ami no tine liavin<; any respect, for the welfare nl tin- Department or the country as a whole, dared siiKgest any departure from it. A few months bach a regulation was gazetted that, a -special examination would be sullicient for certain assislant-!an;l iTsislrnrs who were nit. otherwi.p oiiali- | fiP-1 iiii-n. to fill the ptwHi-Jii <.f District Land Ucf-Mrar and allied piv-ilions, that I hitherto demanded the wrvu-es of I:;.;', i risters or solicitors—a fact u-liicli I ho late Mr. John Hallnmv admitted. WhH was the nature of this examination? An I examination in merely one law subioi.t. not one-seventh of the lojja.l knowledge hitherto required, and comprisiii !f , m ! v (he law of Heal Property. Cadets iii (lie Department, without the slijjhW prospect of promotion, are rcrimviled, in selecting subjects for their senior Civil Service examination, to take not only Heal Property as a subject, but o(!io'r law subjects as well, and who would fur one moment consider appointing them on such a lest to the important positions named! . Yet worso than I!in i< bo. in" don-? now! This examination—the subject of the news item of I'ridny— which any. law clorl: oftwo years' slai,din;,', acquainted with tnn ordinary |iraclite of ;i solicitor's oilice (~r:>irhin-. >lampand coiiul pa-s. «a> mili,,,iltod t<. four nflicer.-. and. tli,. y W( .|o duly qnalifinl for po-iti»ns «liii-li could up to the piTfent i- hclil onlv by oilhor ,i barrister or a solicitor. Win! a feolilifT mutt llii* nrnalo in n np|jnrlinpnl n- here thcro aro many solicitois some of

Ulan holding "•"."'•"•/fe.S'm: which "daily cumo uiulur review wliito men with such a trnininif. •'"■<> l wsw " «»r with contimipt? This is."- vc'-J , ■•l'iious matter to tho oliwrs '•> lll,! Ulpiirlninit iind to t-iio country. J l;« lation under review lias injured many ullicors in tho classification w-lionio wiiicli 1 will touch on later. The. Jl , l '"- , lfniuiu is now I lie Minister m «:l'"!«<! "[ this jJenartmonl, and J Ikivo a distinct rocoll.vtion of that gentleman Mating im (ho floor of the House of Ueprwcnlii ives four vwirs o> that men with n legal education should merit promotion in a legal Department as tho Land and Umls. Will .Air. Jlanan ri«lit-al.i>iit-lnL-« now and carry to its completion one of Hie evils yf tho Into Government l>.v appomliiiK the- four officers referred to above lo positions in the Civil Service, l«« <|ualitieaikms for which have been fixed by Act of Parliament and ctmh'nned by thirty year?' experience, while thoro are other qualified men in tho Dcimrlinoiit, mnn of liis own profession, and who occupy inferior positions? The late Government would not have dared to alter on the floor of the House, having behind thorn Iho lesson of llio early 'ninetire?, what they did by Onlcr-in-Cnuncil sonic few months back, which has .struck such a blow at Ministerially, controlled Public Sorvico that no person ran for a moment think of any other solution (x> this monstrous state of affairs than the appointment of a Public Kcrvico Hoard.—l am, etc., A BARRISTER.