GRAZING-RUN LEASES.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1501, 25 July 1912, Page 6

GRAZING-RUN LEASES.

RIGHT OF RENEWAL DESIRED.

PRIME MINISTER'S OPINION. LAND BILL PROMISED. The grievances of Crown tor nr. Is who hold leases of small grazing runs were brought prominently b'fore the House of Keprescutalives. in the session of 1011, but nothing was done for their relief. The inatler was revived during the short l session at tho )>eginning of the present year, but the House again adjourned without being given an opportunity of dealing with it. Yesterday Mr. \V. C. Buchanan, M.P., introduced to the Prime Minister (tho Hon. \V. I". Masscy) a deputation of settlers who hold leases of grazing runs in the Mauriccvillo district, i'ho runs, in question are situated about twenty miles from Masterton. The dtputation consisted of Messrs. 1). M'Grcgov. E. J. Hose, J. T. Dagg, and \Y. Heckler. A Right of Renewal. Mr. Buchanan said that the subject matter of the deputation was the position of small grazing run lessees on the expiry of leases under tho Act of 1885. The lessees represented were in a state of suspense, because tho Land Board objected to granting fresh leases under tho conditions of the old ■ leases, namely, at a rental of 2' per rent. POT annum. Section 20» o"f tho Act of 1885 was ambiguous cud rather difficult to construe. To him it wad that if the Government was going to relet these small grazing runs at the expiry of tho 21 > ears leases, then the original lessees had a clear right to a renewal of their leases under the terms provided by the Act. A jiossiWe sale of the freehold was not mentioned in the clause. So for as lie knew, the intention of the Land Board was to relet. In tho case of some of the leases tho board proposed to subdivide the original blocks. There was no mention ot this in the Act, as far as ho knew, ami in his opinion very few, if any, of the holdings were of a character which would lend itself to intense farming or dairying. The blocks would not lend . themselves to very much subdivision. Some of tho lessees, at all events, he understood, were not at all insistent upon their right t) get new-leases at the rate of 2! per cent, on the fresh valuation.. Tho number or lessees involved was something like 140, scattered about in various parts of the Dominion. The Land Board had advocated special legislation to deal with these Leases in the session Wore last and also last session. On the latter occasion tho then Opposition was appealed to by the Government (tho AVaru Government) to assist in passing a.Bill which would put these settlers on a business footing. The Opposition consented, but nothing was done.

•A Great Inducement. Mr. E. J. Roso, one of the leaseholders concerned, stated that ho shared a. rim of 900 acres with his father. The board recognised that it was impossible to cut the run up. He had been refused a renewal oi Jits lease, but had been granted a temporary leate for 12 months, the Board stating that it was intended to introduce a lease at an equitablo rent and giving a more permanent tenure. As he undrstood the Act, the board had two options. m°u cither take the land for close settlement or grant a renewal of the original lease. If the present Government found that they could not grant a renewal under the old Act, he would lie prepared to pay a greater rent than ?.l per cent. A man taking up land in a bush settlement, Mr., Rose remarked, looked upon a renewal clause as a great inducement to undertake .the task of breaking in a holding. It seemed hard that such a man should bo penalised. His own lease had been for I>l years-ami had expired in the previous year.

A Distinct Understanding,

Mr. M'Gregor said that the other members of the deputation were in a somewhat -different position from Mr. Rose who had been informed by the Land Board that his land would not be taken for closer settlement. Messrs. Dagg and Hackler had been informed that tho Government intended to take a portion of tlieu* land and cut it up for- closer settlement. As one, who had been, an acquaintance of these settlers when they first took the land up ho was able to say that they undoubtedly did so on tho distinct understanding that -at tho end of 21 years they were to get a renewal at a rental based upon the increased valuo of their land. It was a very important thing that the Government should not break faith with industrious settlers who took up land under very disadvantageous circumstances. He was intimately acquainted with the country in which the Masterton district grazing leases were situated and had ridden through it frequently . Mr. Buchanan: You could not ride through' much of it.

Sir. M'Gregor: "No, there is only a surveyors' track." The settlers, he continued, had put into tliese holdings the labours of a lifetime. All the improvements that had been mado in the districts were due to the energy and industry of the settlers themselves. Tlie.v had made their own roads and no railwayhad come near them except tho main line which had been constructed before they took up the land. As to the subdivision of these lands people who wanted to go over the line of a road suggested by the Government, for the development of the district, at the present time, would have to swim for it. Tlie whole of that proposed road from end to end was under water. Not a single load of gravel could be obtained in the district for love or money.' He had asked some of the sottiers whom he had met: "If this land were cut up into hundred-acre sections would you take it up?" All of them had answered emphatically: "No; t\'o simply could not do it. The land is not suitable, and wo have no road facilities." Dairying had been tried in the district, Itr. M'Gregor continued, but it had turned out a complete failure, because the roads were impassable during a great part of the milking season. The Crown Ranger had reported that the land was unsuitable for dairying operations.

"When the Valleys Were Green." "The Land Board inspected this land last summer, with a view to subdivision," said Mr. M'Gregor. "They came .up when the weather was fine and the valleys were all looking green. The members of the board thought that it .would be possible to take roads up these valleys and open up portions of the country for closer settlement. The Land Board did not see the country at this season, of tho 'year, or earlier in the season, when the dairying industry is in full swing. They would have seen that dairying was absolutely out of the question "in £Ke district. It is twenty miles away from any centre, and gravel is unobtainable. The land is hilly pastoral country, pure and simple. Settlers who took it up" on the under-, standing that they r.hould get a renewal and contracted liabilities on the strength of thatnnderstanding are surely entitled to consideration." Mr. M'Gregor went on to state thai; some lessees of small grasiag-runs had been permitted to convert their tenuro into lease-in-perpetuity, but that permission to follow their examnle had lveen denied to other lessees. ' He hoped that, the sympathies of the Government would he with t.ho struggling settlers who had done hard pioneer work. The unimproved value of tho grazing runs in tlfe Masterton district to-day was about ill per acre. He bad a very strong impression that this value had been created by the settlers themselves, and not by the' Government. Tii his opinion settlers so placed. who paid 2A per rent, on present values as rent, were paying quite enough. Soin9 of them had not yet cleared their' feet of the liabilities that tliey had incurred to bring the land Titto cultivation.

land bill this session, THR PRIME MINISTER'S UEPLY. Mr. Massey expressed the opinion that the doputjaUuu hud imulc out a very jfocd case. "A on have certuinly made out a ease-Hint app«iU to inc." he continued. "[ have bten looking into the matter of praams run- this moniiiv,'. not lor the tir~t tinin. While T would liol like to say lliot the Act of 18S-"i is particularly definite, still my reading of it is that.'it was intended to siva t.lie Uv-sees of inns the right to renew at the end of 21 years, at a rent to b* arrived at; by the band Board and the lessee, bnt not less than H per cent, But while I think that .the Act pi 1855 is uot.definite^the.Doslj,

tioii of tho lessees was strengthened by succeeding Acts in 1892 and 1895."

Mt. Massey then quoted an opinion, furnished l>y tho Lands Department some years ago in regard to grazing run leases. The opinion was to the etfcct that the Act of 1892 gave to tlio lessees of rural land tho right to cliango their existing leases into lenses in perpetuity. This condition was held to apply to rural lands and not to grazing i-mi-s. Tho Act of 1895, however, govo lessees of small grazing runs the right to convert their lenses into leases in perpetuity. This was done, in some eases.' Tho right given by tho Act of _1595 was taken away by tho Act of 1907, so far as small grazing and pastoral runs were concerned. Mr. Massey stated that in his opinion tho House agreed to the clause relating to grazing runs in the Act of 1907 without understanding its impcrtanee. Tho Act of 1907 was a. very important one, raising large issues, and what occurred in regard to the grazing runs clause was that a tired Houso got the impression that it was simply a. technical alteration. He was wilimg to admit, speaking as a layman, that an injustice had been clone. 110 proposed to refer the whole matter to the Crown Law Officers, so that they might report upon « hat was intended bv the Act of 1885 and succeeding Acts, and upon the present position. When the report had been received and considered, an opportunity would be taken to deal with small grazing runs in a Land Bill which would be introduced during the present session. A member of the deputation had asked for (he sympathetic consideration of tho Government. If there was one class in (he community which was entitled to receive, and would receive, sympathetic consideration from the Government, it was that :of the pioneers who had broken in the land.