A BAD TENURE

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2209, 23 July 1914, Page 5

A BAD TENURE

NO ROADS FOR THE SETTLERS. ' The needs of the settlers out-back for better roads are consistently pressed in. the House of Representatives by Mr. C. K. \Vilson, member, for Taumarunui, ono of the worst-roaded of all the districts in the Island. The following question, addressed to the Minister of Lands, stood in his name on the Order i'i-per yesterday: ''Whether he will make provision in the 1 and Act so that settlers on endowment lands can' get special provision made for roading, as they caiinotcome under the special road, ing provision ■ under the - Land Act, 1913?" The Right Hon. W. F. Massey (Minister of Lands) rcpliwl: "Endowments are set apart for specific purposes, and as the revenues accruing therefrom are payable ,to the respective endowment accounts for stated purposes, such as education, etc. Such revenues cannot, therefore, be diverted for the purpose of road construction as suggested.'Mr. Wilson was by no means satisfied that fhe reply was all.that could be. said on the subject. The tenure ou which the endowments were lot, ho said, wore the worst that had ever been put on the Statute Book, and he urged that some change should bo made in the tenure, to pormit of access being given to the settlers "away out in tho NeverNever Country." Mr. G. J. Anderson (Mataura) said that the whole system of dealing with endowments, and not only national endowment, but educational endowments, ought to be very carefully reviewed. The Act did not make any provision for the roading of blocks of endowment land in the event of subdivision, and the lack of any such provision deterred land boards from making subdivisions, and thereby impeded settlement.