DEMAND FOR FREEHOLD

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1845, 3 September 1913, Page 4

DEMAND FOR FREEHOLD

WORKING OF THE LAW. AN INTERESTING RETURN. Tlio Under-Secretary for Lands, in submitting his annual report of tlio Lands and Survoy Department, which was tabled by the Minister for Lands (the lion. W. F.'Massey) in tlio liouso of Representatives-yesterday, refers to the Land Laws Amendment Act of last session. This. Act mado important changes in our land laws in several directions, tlio principal being: (a) Permitting a. tenant holding a loase in porpctuity section upon ordinary Crown land to acquiro tlio freehold; (b) granting a similar privilege to the holder of a renewable, leaso upon laud for settlements lands; (c) enacting that all moneys accruing from tlio sale .of any Grown lands shall bo paid into the Land for 'Settlements Account, and not into the Consolidated Fund as has been the practico hitherto; (d). enabling a tenant who is unablo from somo sufficient cause to pay his rent to obtain a postponement upou certain conditions; (e) providing i'or tlio settlement of land, in kauri gum districts. Acquiring the Freehold. As a supplement to the Lands Report the Prime Minister presented a. return purporting to show up to Juno 30, 1913, the operation of "tlio land laws as amended last year. Thero were 110 purchases of the freehold of renewable leases undor the Land Laws Amendment Act, 1912, up to March 31, 1913 (from January 1, 1913). Operations were confined to tlio purchase of lease in perpetuity holdings. These purchases wero as follow, the number of purchases being given first and the area of acres in brackets Auckland, 8 (731); Taranaki, 10 (1939); Wellington, 23 (3963); Nelson, 3 (652); Marlborough, 3 (97); Canterbury, 4 (196); Southland, 28 (4052). Tho total purchases numbered 79, and the area 11,633 acres. In the same period the. conversions to deferred payment wero confined to six blocks of Li.p. land in Southland, Which totalled 154 acres 2 roods. Tho operations in tflio next three months were decidedly more vigorous in every department. Tho purchases of tho freehold of l.i.p. lands from April 1 to June 30 wero as under:— Auckland, 34 (4580); Hawke's Bay, 4 (806); Taranaki, 5 (1018); Wellington, 56 (3836); Nelson, 13 (5823); Marlborough, 5 (1733); Westland, 5 (1953); Canterbury, 3 (120); Otago, 9, (830); Southland, 27 (2426). The total purchases numbered 161, and the area 23,135 acres. In addition, in tho same period there were two casos (totalling 10 acres) in Auckland, where the freeholds of renewable leases were purchased, and ono case in Canterbury where half an' acre was concerned. The grand totals up to June 30 from January 1 therefore showed that 243 transactions had taken placo in this section, affecting 34,780 acres. Conversions of Tenure. The number of conversions to deferred payment for tho April-June quarter were as under, tho area in acres being given in parentheses:—Auckland, 8 (1816); Hawke's Bay, 1 (70); Taranaki, 4 (1068); Wellington, 4 (526); Nelson, 4 (1166); Westland, 5 (917); Southland, 16 (1307). This gives a total of 42 conversions covering 6933 acres. In tiireo provinces there wero also in this quarter —April-June—conversions of renowablo leases to the deferred payment system. They I rere: Auckland, 10 (971. acres); Hawke's Bay, 3 (620 acres) ; Taranaki; 2 (6 acrcs); or, in' a)), 14 conversion? covering 1599 acres. The six months' conversions to deferred payment system totalled 62 transactions, aJfecting 8686 acres 3 roods. Applications Received. Tlio applications received for tlio purchase of l.i.p. and renewable leaso holdings under last year's Act, but in connection with which the transactions wero not completed at June 30, are as

follow Applications Applications to to purchase purchase on deferred for cash. payment. No. Acres. No. Acres. Auckland .... 16 2,020. 13 1,454 Hawke's Bay 9 . 4,053 — — 'l'aranaki — — 5 929 .Wellington ... 28 3,047 8 1,853 Nelson 3 ] ,696 4 1,027 Marlborough 1 104 — — Westland 4 873 3 1,627 Canterbury ... 3 441 — — Otago 4 808 — — Southland .... 5 859 2 12 73 18,903 35 6,904 The land here affected totals 20,808 acres, and tho applications are 108. In tho case of applications to convert renewable leases, tho figures nro: To purchase For deferred for cash. payment. ■ No. Acres. No. Acres. Auckland...... 18 8,121 48 4,486 Nelson 1 778 — — Canterbury ... — — 1 Southland 1 2 roods — 20 8,899 a. 2r. 49 4,511 The applications in this section total ' 69, affecting 13,411 acres. The prnnd totals of application awaiting consideration are: 177 applications for 34,219 acres 2 roods 15 poles.