LAND BILL.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1580, 25 October 1912, Page 6

LAND BILL.

THE COMMITTEE STAGE. Tho Houso went into committee on the Land Laws Amendment Bill at 7.35 p.m. On Clause 20c, conveying to the owner of a lease-in-porpetuity the right to purchase tho fee simple: An amendment by Mr. \V. A. Voitrh KVanganui), proßosiag to extend the right

to acquire the fee simple to lessees of private land was ruled out by the chairman as being beyond tho scope of tho Act. Mr. E. II'CALLUM (Wairnu) moved to insert the words "hereinafter granted," making tho clause prospective, as well as retrospective. Tho PBIME MINISTER said that if tho amendment were inserted there would be an end of the Bill. Tho lease-in-per-petuity, ho pointed out, had been abolished by previous legislation.

Tho amendment was defeated on the voices.

, Mr. G. WITTY (Eiccarton) moved an amendment "making the price of lea.-o in perpetuity lands purchased by tenants, not less than prcswit-diiy values. .Air. T. 11. WILFORD (Hutt) paid that tho owner of a lease in perpetuity could ■sell it at the present time. If Hie purchaser woro only allowed to buy the freehold at present-day values he would be paying for the samo tiling twice over, which was obviously unjust. Tho amendment was negatived on a division by 48 votes to 19. Mr. G. W. RUSSELL (Avon) moved to add the following proviso to sub-clause 1 of Clause 20c:—Provided that tho fee' simple shall be granted ou the conditions as to residence shown in Clauses 159, 160, and 161 of tho principal Act. Mr. G. W. FORBES (Hurunui) supported the amendment. Ho invited Mr. Anderson as', an advocate of occupying ownership, to support the amendment. Mr. MASSEY said that residence was not compulsory at present in the case of lease in perpetuity tenants of Crown, lands. The clauses enumerated in the amendment made residence compulsory on different classes of holdings. In the case of lease in perpetuity lands, the compulsory provision extended only for a period of ten years. Mr. A. H. HINDMARSH (Wellington South) said that the Prime Minister was playing into the hands of the land speculator.- Instead of being the friend of the small man he was a traitor to tho cause of tho small man.

Mr. Okey asked if the term "traitor" was in order.

Mr. Massey: It is good enough for tho member for' Wellington!

Mr. ilindmarsh: It is good enough for tho man who called out Rats! Rats! the other night. Mt. Massey: Mr. Lang, I want to deny that statement absolutely and I 'would like to express my meaning by a very much ■ stronger term!

Mr. Hindmarsh: Well, you can! Mr. W. D. S. MACDONALD (Bay of Plenty) said that only 1200 holders of occupation with right of purchase leaseholds had purchased them. Five thousand were still leaseholders.

Mr. Russell contended that there was nothing unfair in asking that leaseholds which were now occupied should continue to be'occupied on Ixing converted into freehold. )f the Prime Minister declined to affirm that the'-c should be occupation of all these holdings, it meant that ho was not prepared to legislate against aggregation.' He asked the Prime Minister whether he was prepared to go any distanco in insisting upon occupation cf these holdings. Mr. MASSEY said that ho accepted full responsibility for this Bill in the Houso and in the country. He was not going to place freeholders,in a worse position than they were in now as leaseholders in perpetuity.

Mr. Wilford: They would not be freeholders.

Mr. Massey agreed,' but said that he would not pursue that point. He odded that he intended to stand by the limitation provision which made (MO acres of fii'st-clnss land the maximum, and proportionately largeT areas of second and thirdclass land.

}lt. T..M. WILFORD (Hutt) contended tliftt tho only effective method of preventing aggregation was by endorsement of title.

Mr. G. ,T. ANDERSON (Mntnnra) said that he would support a straightforward proposal to make residence compulsory, but that the amendment proposed by Jlr. Russell was useless. Mr. Anderson also declared himself ready to support the endorsing of titles to prevent aggregation as suggested by Mr. Wilford. Mr. J. FANAN (Invercargillj contended that to secui'o limitation and prevent aggregation, there must be something more definite and more restrictive than was contained in the Bill.

Mr. ; FORBES usked the Prime Minister whether ho would fra.ne a limitation clause to meet tho wishes of the Committee.

Mr. MASSET said that ho was prepared to accept any reasonable suggestion, but he was not prepared to assist those who desired to kill the Bill. Mr. RUSSELL said that he did not went to kill the Bill. He wanted to affirm a principle. The emend-nent was negatived bv 45 votes t0.23.

A proposal by Mr. Witty to substitute balloting far tendering in a proviso relating to the subdivision of some classes of land was discussed at length.' On a division, the amendment was negatived by 35 votes to 28.

The provisions relating.to Native lands were extensively discussed by the Hon. A. T. Ngata. ' '

At 1.30 a.m., Mr. Wj'lford moved to report .prowess, but withdrew his motion on the Primo Minister statin? that he would not be unreasonable. Mr. Ell and other Oppositionists protested against the continuation of the sitting, but Mr. llnssoy. declined to make any more definite promise. Mr. Anderson urged the Prime Minister to- carry on and put the Bill through, and other Government supporters indicated, by interjections, that they ' took a similar view.

Clause 27a, dealing with the salo or leasing'of Native lands, was retained on a division by 37 votes to 2G.

Mr. Massey proposed to take tho next three clauses, and to report progress after Clause thirty (which provides that settlement lands may be sold in feesimple) had been passed.

Mr. Veitch moved at 1.55 a.m. to report progress.

The Prime Minister stated thnt if the motion were pressed his friend* would probably advise him to pat tho whole Bill through before rising. Tho motion was negatived by 40 to 20. There were more Opposition protests after the division had been declared. It was ultimately agreed to propose Claupcs BO and 31, and"put through the rest of the Bill. Tho Primo Minister had previously agreed to postpone consideration , of the new clauses which at present appear on th<* supplementary Order Paper.. Progress was then reported, and the House rose at 2X> a.m.