LEASES AND TAXES.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1495, 18 July 1912, Page 5

LEASES AND TAXES.

LABOUR CABINET'S LAND POLICY. * ; fo Telegraph—Press Aesoclation-Copyrisht (Hec. July 17, 9.25 p.m.) ,-Sydney, July 17. At the Farmers' Conference resolutions were: passed in .-'favour of railway decen- !; tralisatiou by the opening of netv ports , connected with tho railways, and protesting against .the (government land policy as, against the best interests of the State.; Jlr' Ileeby, of tho State Ministry, in addressing the conference, reiterated the Government's intention of adopting a system of perpetual lease. The first five years' Occupation would bo free of payment.'The first reappraisement would be ' at the end of 25 years. ■ . Dealing With closer settlement, Mr. Beeby said the-Government had devised a' scheme whereby, in the course of time it would bo impossible. for anyone to hold igbrS than . i! 5000 worth of land (unimproved value), within ten or twelve miles of a railway. A year would be given, the owners to divide their land,!and at the, end of the second year a super-tax of twopence in the £ would be imposed on holders above the amount mentioned. The tax would rise in the fifth year to eightp6nco in the Owing to the large prices paid for the estates purchased by the Government for closer settlement, a good deal had been left in their hands. In future it was intended to purchase ■wheat lands equally as good, but for' ■which they would pay 15s. an acre, in-, stead, of from £5 to £7 'an. acre, as had previously been done.

:.,v POLITICAL ISSUES. ■ , • Sydney, July 17. '( The' Farmers'' Conference adopted a system Of registration of members who take the place of. unionists handling. produce who may strik*. A visiting Victorian delegate urged that if the. association was going to do any / good it must be a political body. The Now Zealand Farmers' Union had started as a non-political body, but soon found it .had to lw political to be of any use.