LAND LEGISLATION.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1512, 7 August 1912, Page 5

LAND LEGISLATION.

DEFERRED PAYMENT. THE BALLOT SYSTEM. It will not be possible this session to deal with all the policy matters arising out of the land question, but a Land Bill will bo introduced, which, anion" other proposals, will include a new method of acquiring land for settlement purposes and of settling such land on the deferrod-pa.v-ment system. There will be no increase of the Dominion's indebtedness;' the settlers will have security of tenure on easy terms, and landowners will receive a fair price for the laud required for closer setdement. The Government is of opinion that'tho experiment referred to will be well worth trying, and may lead to a more, satisfactory method of breaking up large estates than either of the systems in operation at present. There will alfo be provisions for an amendment of the ballot, system,, so as'to check speculation and give preference to those'who hav-s failed in two or more ballots. Railway Construction. • The, Government is also impressed with the importance of purchasing land, whether European or Native, in those localities where it is intended to construct railways or where they are already in course of construction. In the. past railways have in many cases been carried through large areas of unimproved and unoccupied land, and the consequence has besn to increase greatly the value ■ of such land, even though the owners lind done little or nothing in the way of improvements. This has been the experience on the North Island Main Trunk railway, and it will undoubtedly be the experience in other similar cases. It. behove* the State, therefore, to secure a sufficient area to. enable it to proppiyv participate in any.increase of values that may arise from public worlts expenditure. If this ift done it may be possible from the nroflts of such transact ions to return to the Government a very large proportion of the expenditure incurred in opening up , the country by railways or even by roads. The sites of the towns of- Te Kniti and Tnumarunui,. or any of tho other towns in the so-called. Kin? Country, might have been purchased before the coming of the railway for only a very small proportion' of their present value*. Such lessons should not be lost sight of. and they will not be lost sight of bv the Government now in power, which, without interfering unnecessarily with (lie enterprise of individuals, intend? to see that the riehts of the community are provided for and safeguarded. The Crown Tenants. , Tho Government may not'be able to place the whole of its land policy before , Parliament (luring tho present session, ,lmt it does not intend to depart in tho very slightest from the principles it has advocated on this very important subjectnamely, settlement, closer settlement, and absolute security of tenure for \tho settlers. Parliament will bo asked next, <-e--sion to give the Crown tenants holding land under leases in perpetuity the option 1 of purchase. The tenants on settlement lands whose tenure is renewable lease are in a different position to tenants whoso tenure, is lease in perpetuity, but they will also bo given the. option of purchase at a price to be fixed by actuarial calculation. The money received in. this way will bei paid into'the Land for Settlement Account and u«ed for the purchase of other land-for-settlemcnt purpose's, thus reducing the amount of loanmoney which otherwise it would bo necessary to raise. N lt is not. intended to' interfere in any way with endowment lands. It has been found that tho settlement, of Crown and Native lands has been very much retarded owing to the lack of surveyors. The Government has decided to increase the 'number of surveyors and to nay better salaries, in order to obtain the services of more competent men and f-n prevent the exodus of such men from New Zealand. Irrigation in Central Otago. Along with its scheme of land settlement, the Government is anxious to makn proper provision for irrigation in Central Otago. The Government is of opinion that with proper management tho lands of Central Otago will prove a.most valuable asset; but water must be provided, tree-planting must be enraurnged, and something must be done in the way of regrassing the hill country either with indigenous grass or with other grasses that may be found suitable to the soil and climate. With proper management the soil and elimnte of Central Otago should prove a very important source of wealth to the Dominion as n whole, and the district one where many prosperous settlers may be located. Land in Mining Districts. Thtre have been many inquiries from men engaged in gold-mining as to the possibility of taking no for agricultural or pastoral purposes land in mining districts which is not required for mining. 'Vlicie are large area* of such land in different parts nf New Zealand,' for instance, mi the Cpronmndcj IVnimula alone it i< fstima'.c'.l that, there are 2.">0.00U acre; of laud which would be readily taken up by f«tikrs if opened for settlement with, reasonable security of tenure. The Lands Department !:«.$ been instructed to prepare and submit to (lie Government k for thp more '■atiaf.idor.v j.'trleuieu 4 . of such land*,in small area;. ,m<l w« bpliprp that, ill wsra] plants the two great, indusi. tries of agriculture and niiniug can work.

, [ i-ide by side to the advantage of both and ■ I Hi:.' benefit nf (ho Dominion. Glim Lands. ! For many years gum-digging .has been _ one of urn- most. important indu'-tries, ' llious;]) out-ido the Auckland Provincial ; District it hns attracted little addition. ; Some idea nf the importance, of this industry nr.iy be gathered from tho fact i that for tho last two years (he .exports of kauri gum from New Zealand were valued ; n .CI ,017,101). The gum is, however, beI'oiniug exhausted, and if nothing is done , (o attach them tn the syil many of the diggers will probably leave flic country— wiiiie oi thorn have already done so. The Government has reason t'.i believe that, many of fhe.-e men would bo willing to become permanent settlers if sufficient inducements were offered them to do so. It is proposed to, have a number of sec- • lions surveyed in areas, suy, of 25 acres . each, a digger to have the opportunity of • joking up one or more .sections accord- ! ing to tho size of his family, if any, and to his ability to work the land. This I privilege must, of- course, be limited to . British subjects. The terms will bo . made exceptionally easy, and the land , offered at. a nominal value. No rent will \ lie required from the settlers for five , years from the date of occupation; after | that, if in the way of improvements and , residence- they are able to give proof of . having become.permanent settlers, they i will be- allowed to purchase, if they feel I so inclined, the freehold of their sections, : either by instalments or otherwise. One • advantage the new settlers will have is in . 'the fact that until their holdings become I MilTicicudy productive they will be able to t add to their income by gum-digging. It i is hoped in this way to utilise land which - is iit present unoccupied, and at the same . time to give an opportunity to industrious' : men to make homes for Ihemselves. Crown Lands. As (he prosperity of the Dominion de--1 pends very largely upon tho successful ■ t'cltloinont and subdivision of its land, it ' is intended .both by legislation nnd ener- | jjotio administration' to do everything pos--1 tible to provide land for all who desire to 1 occupy nnd use it, thereby increasing tho I number of our producers and coiisequent■ly the value of our exports. With that : object instructions have been given to Iho [ responsible officers of the Departments ■ concerned to prepare returns of the Crown land available and suitable for settlement in each county of the Dominion, showing separately ordinary Crown land and laud set apart as national endowments. These returns showthat there should bo available 2,809,098 acres of ordinary Crown land, and 1,524,927 acres of endowment lands. As if- is necessary and in ■ tho interests of the Dominion that all ' lands at present unoccupied should bo ' made productive at the earliest possible' 1 date, .surveys 'will be pushed on,: and ; everything done to expedite the opening J of such lauds (o industrious bona-fide ; settlers, so helping to meet the, demand ' which undoubtedly exists,, and making it I unnecessary for young New Zcalanders to ; leave the country of their birth in their search for land on which to settle and iinake hrfmos for themselves. Experiment Farms. It is intended practically to reorganise the Fields and bxperiment Farms Division of tho Agricultural Department. The Government is of opinion (hat the experiment farms can 1« made much more useful to the agricultural community than has been theease up to the prfli sent, and special- attention will be given I to the training of young men in scientific <■ and practical agriculture. For this pur-' ' pose it will be necessary to procure as instructors men specially trained in the I higher branches of agriculture and with • a thorough knowledge of stock. In this ■ connection the aim of the Minister for ■ Agriculture is to establish at least one • agricultural college in each Island, on the : lines of the Hawkesbury Agricultural Col- - lego in New South Wales and the College i at Dookie in Victoria, and the Govern. • ment believes this, can be done without 1 materially increasing the annual expendi- > tnro of the Agricultural Department. s There is no intention to come into com--3 petition or interfere with the excellent e work which is being done by the Lincoln ! Agricultural College. . Very 'moderate fees 2 will be charged to the students, but it is intended to moke an arrangement by which scholarships for higher agricultural education may be tenable at our agricultural colleges, or, in the meantime; at our i farms of instruction. In the way of op- , portunities for education in higher agrii cultural methods New Zealand has iip ■ to the present been behind oilier English- ; speaking countries, but Parliament will t bo given the opportunity of "removing this - drawback. \ Munificent Bequest. 5 In this connection it is fitting that j mention should l,e made of the munificent . bequest of the late Sir John Logan Campbell, of Auckland, the terms of'whoso will '. provide for a sum of .£20,000 being jet ; aside as an endowment to the Council of I the Auckland University College for the purpose of founding a* Professorship of 1 Agriculture. It may be staled that tho . late Sir John Logan Campbell was firmly ' conviuced that agriculture would continue • to be the main solirce of wealth to the 1 Dominion, and that it was most desirable 1 that our young settlers should 1» taught ' through tho medium of the University of - New Zealand to carry on the calling of 1 farmers and graziers on a scientific basis. - This .splendid benefaction will be a lasting ! monument to .Sir John Logan 'Campbell's ■ patriotism and public spirit. Native Land Settlement. A fair amount of activity has ■ been '. shown in the settlement of Native land : under Part XVIII of tho Native. Land Act [ of 11)09, particulars of which will be found - in the valuable report of the Under-S'ecre- \ tary for Native Affairs, already lnid on the. table of the House. It is with, regard to the area of i)G1),.155 acres vested in the Maori Lund Boards under Parts XIV, XV, and XVI of the Act for Kuro--1 'pean and Native settlement that the ! speeding-up process is necessary. Tho Presidents of the various lidards havo 1 been instructed fo furnish exhaustive rc--1 ports on the suitability for settlement ■ and otherwise of the blocks vested in their respective Boards. Next session proposals will be submitted to Parliament which it • is hoped will ensure the speedy settlc- : ment of these blocks by both Europeans • and Natives, and will also facilitnto the ■ settlement of other Native lands, while ! duly conserving the interests of the N'afives themselves. A Jiill will bo introduced this session amending, where it has been found necessary, the' Act of 1009.