LAND LAWS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1761, 28 May 1913, Page 8

LAND LAWS.

-« : — AND THE FARMERS' UNION. PRESIDENTIAL REVIEW. Referring to the matter of land legislation at the opening of the annual conferenco of tho Farmers' Union at Masterton, the president (Mr. J. G. Wilson), alluded to the Land Bill of btst session. I'or years—ever since its ( inception in fact—tho union had striven to place before the country the wisdom of .giving tho L.1.1'. tenants the right to convert their tenure into freehold. "Gradually," said the speaker, "ivo made it a political question of tho day. As far as lay in our power, we educated the public up to tho wisdom of the step from tho point of view of tho Stato as well as tho individual. Wo secured a majority of members of Parliament to support our views; though some were too timid to press their views against their party. The country was, how.iver, determined that this change should bo made, and Mr. Massey's Government brought in a Bill.and passed it into law, to enable tenants or ordinary Crown lands to have this right. We have no right to detract from the credit of tho party who passed it into law, because of any action of ours. Wo have no legislative functions, and wo can only carry our point of view by supporting and placing in power men pledged to givo effect to. our platform. This we were able to do; but I feel sure llthat tho action of the Government in giving tenants this right, ha 3 brought joy into many a home in New Zealand, for the constant inspection and restriction to say nothing of tho increased cost of money for improvements when borrowed, is very irksome to a farmer who is pioneering in the bush lands of New Zealand and doing so much for tho Stato by bringing more land into cultivation. Dear Money. "I am sorry that tho restrictions in the Land Act will, I am afraid, still make money dearer when the security in land on which the right of conversion has been exerci®d. The Registrar has to endorse on the title deed the fact that j the limitation of area applies to this particular land. Although the union has with one voice been favourable to limitation of area, still tho opinion has been freely expressed that some means must be provided, that .the limitation will exist without causing the holder of land to pay mora for borrowed money. True tho Government Departments can lend money without restrictions having any effect; but when there is no money to lend, owners must go into. the outside market. Be2ause of the restrictions imposed, tho large lending companies will not lend on this security, and those who do so charge a higher rate. The right of foreclosure is tho last thim; those lending companies wish to exercise, but the right must be a clear one before they will enter into any engagement. It seems to me that some means might, with due regard to the limitations of area, bfe devised, to remedy this somewhat serious difficulty. As Native land is subject to the Same provisions and in some districts much Native land is coming into nse, the subject should bo dealt with.

Valuation of Improvements, "Tits Valuation Act," continued .Mr, Wilson, "has also been . made much fairer to tho landowner, -and some combined effort should be made to deal with tho question of improvement so as to determine what comes within, tho definition. Tile • value of improvements is now no longer limited to tho actual cost as hitherto, and if it can bo shown that the improvements made 'On laad hava given it an additional value, ths total snm of the value may be deducted from tho capital value. Special rates for roa<ds, bridges, etc., imposed upon the land arc classed, as improvements to the estentspf the actual total amount of principal repaid.' "There are still matters to be dealt with in connection with Crown and we arc promised another Bill which will enable tenants on settlement land to purchase their holdings. The money so paid will be credited to the Land for Settlement Fund, and in tims this fund should not require to bo supplemented by borrowed money. "The grazing run tenants seem to mo to bo hardly us«l. Some had the right previous to Mr. M'Nab's Act to purchase tho land, but that Act took away that right. To my mind a distinct breach of faith. In bush land where so much has to be dono to bring the land into use, the union has always been favourable to tho tenants having the right to purchase. A conference between tho Minister for Lands and the District Land Commissioners was held to discuss tho question of dealing with the grazing runs, and I hope an equitable solution will ba found. Native Lands. "The Native land question still seems ti> be difficult of solution. In many cases it would be much better for the owners to sell tho land, which is returning them nothing and yet is interfering with the settlement of the country, rather than hold it. Tho Minister, Mr. Herries, says that tho land must, ba individualised before this can bo done. Meanwhile the pkeha is improving the surrounding land; roads and railways are being made at his.-espense, and the Maori's land is n. .'.bloclCto further -progress. There is much to be said for Mr. Herries's view that if.onco thi3 principle were adopted to allow Europeans or oven the Government to take this Native land before individualisation, that it might lead to a scramble and spoculation; but a statesman dealing with this question—it is not a very pressing one in the Wellington province, .though in some districts of the North Island it is a vital one—should be able to hedge rotmd tho rights of the Maori. It does not seem reasonable that when the land is taken from tho European, who is turning his land to account, that the Maoris should bo exompt, although his I land is unused. '

"We are promised consideration for the tenants 011 the West Coast Settlement Kescrves, during the coming session, but the largsr question of the settlement of the unused Maori lands is still, I am afraid, soino distance off, and unless the public make, an effort to place this question in tho forefront, it may remain untouched like the land I am speaking of."

During the conference, Mr. Mooro (Jlaknri) moved:—"That in granting the fee simple to all Crown tenants, the most stringent conditions shall bo imposed so as to malto reaggregati-ui impossible." Mr. Moore said, that the.v had to educate tho people that the leasehold temiro is -not a good one. An agitation had been {joins on in connection with the reaggregntion under the previous Administration. In a small district like Makuri they had lost 32 settlers in eight years. The papers ■which were showing- up the reaggregation had done a good service, as they demonstrated that the present Government had rciio in with a clean slate. Tho reaggregation of land wijs a very serions matter. Tho Government were going to carry out the policv which Mr. Massey had laid down—settlement with absolute security of tenure. After some discussion the remit was lost on thD voices.

Native Land Problem. Dealing with tho Nativo land question tho Hon. W. H. Herries, whe attended tho conference in the afternoon, said the Government was acquiring land fairly rapidly. It was no part of tneir policy to take land from tho Natives under the Land for Settlement Act. This would not be fair to the Natives. It yas hop.-ul to bring down legislation whereby tno Native Land Boards and Courts would bo amalgamated under one set d officers. It was thought that by this nuans there would be less litigation and Kss trouole between the Native and the pakeha. Imobject should be to raise Ihe moral standard of the Maori, and not to lower it.