THE REFORM LAND POLICY

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2324, 4 December 1914, Page 16

THE REFORM LAND POLICY

ELECTION PROMISES REDEEMED THE FREEHOLD & SMALL SETTLEMENT OPENINGS FOR POOR MEN '"""" SUBDIVISION PROCEEDING APACE

-:-;:' Sleeping, refonna Kar« ibeen effeotod •y> In theland syfeteinof the Dominion .'< BlnoeVtho Reform -Government took,y office,; whioh have iiad the effeot at once ;';..:;.»£ ttolrt of settlers already ;, -iviuppn '{the., land, and .of, facilitating and accelerating the; ifurther extension of • •;; 'small, settlement. ; Carrying its eleotion ,> promises into effept, ,the Government; ~ ::oas; established the freehold tenure, ' .with; limitation of area,. while iiiaintain- ;, ing the leaseholdta a means by whioh < men'bf small capit«tl-may gain afooting ; ;;jOn the land. The national endowment :'.,-• lands'(which,are to;be raised to' an area' , of nine million aorw and have.now almost reached it) aio to be retained' in :*;■■> the -possession of the State, but with .;..>f'thia%«Eception th(i; broad i polioy- laid , :-.'.'■! down and placed''njiqn' the Statute Book ./-.;.■ byl.tEe present.Government.is",that any. • 'settler' oc'o'upying land as a 'tenant of; rthe State .shall be 'given every, reason..,able;facility to apqiiire the fee-simple //of ; his holding.' '..;. ■;'-;- :-,;; : : V A Justice to Crown .Tenants. ;.'\ ,' Th'eßeform Land Acts .are long and ,;./detailed,. measures■ containing, many ''ydauses,* -but ' their -broad ' purpose is to .promote; subdivision;; ;.- /.prevent aggregation, and provide easy i.r.'acoess to the. landlforinen of. small ■ Important-clauses in the- Acts "; of. 1912. arid 1913 cbnfer' upon lease-in- . perpetuity tenants of ordinary Crown ylanctß." and lea6e-in■perpetuity, and! renewable "lease tenants, of settlement V tlands,;the right to ilcquirethe freehold. • -lA minority in I 'Parliament alleged that ■tin taking; this aoticn the ■ Government ■ ]ivas. 'sacrificing the; interests of the> ■. .State, - ; and, it -was: c>ven -, suggested that ; increment; to a >' vast'; amount fwas .being handed over to ; the Crown ; ~ tenants.; Theeo contentions were com--.•\pletely, upset, by,';tl|e; Qovemment and ; 'jits adherentß in, siicoessive * land ': de-;, fcates, and it' was convincingly demon-, • .Bfrated ;that ,the-,99!l years' lease;.; had 'completely failed to' secure the, objects .^aimed^at.; TJnder.thsit tenure the tenant .;;'was -practically given the goodwill of • .Ms holding, v and'yefc:was.Bubjeoted hv , [ . peTpetuityito the hampering restrictions ;:(,*# leasehold. -.. ; :At:the. .same ;time, ~-o'wmgVto t )thei6strsrae.;length of .-.the. ;,, term,j'the.;"St'ate's -.reiversio'nary•■.interest in the) land was rediiced to'• microsebpio ;.' ipropprtions. -This was demonstrated in ■':■■ the following-statehi ent'-by -Mr/ Morris •-.;.iFdxiXGovernmerit Actuary), which was -,- quoted 'by the Prinie, Muuster, in the v&use In m3\r---.:rm : y:: : -q; /;;- :; : - -'. fin order to'allows the effect;" of';: : ; ' tfca, tong term (9S;9.;;.years);; lanay; , ; gay,that the totalrhnimproyed value ,'. of the land in New; Zealand, accord- % . ing;;to,tho.l9ll; 'Tear Book,'vwas> \ '. £182,062,798, and r supposing -that ; ; the whole of this' was unearned in- ' drom.ent, with all: the land' hold on ' ;':'•--•• 999-year leases haijing 989 years to , ;' run, the prosenl!: value . of tho "•■: K courrtry'arilntercstlin tho uho'arried-,-■ Inorament, assinniiig 5. per cent. in-". , terest, would be worth .less than the ten-thousand nillllonth part of a' ■r;-v;';'pehhy." -; :l-[\/.:'---: -',-■..-,'■' /Absentee Landlordism Abolished. : ■ The Prime Ministisr, proceeding from ■the fact that under.ihe methods, in; : ; vogue in past years, money for -the ac- .;; nuißition of land for; settlement, had. to be borrowed in London,^''■'fltigmatised ', the land-for-settlemtjuts system as it' f Iwaa; administered 1 b;f.;hifl Ministerial '-predecessors as "abiientee landlordism ; 'of a bad type." ' TJiia was not, going outside'the facts for while the' State , . Jiad practically no, efeotive interest in , the land, the tenant; remained a lease- • > holder and the rent which.- he paid was ■ ; annually transmitted i,to London as inv terest; on the debt incurred in acquir- , inr the land. >■■ Ilese oonditiona have , now been /•radically amended. ; Crown tenants .'have been given thti right : ,to acquire . \the freehold, for ca:ih or on deferred ;; payment, and the Prime Minister stat■'■■'■'.ed recently that when the freehold law ..cams into full operation it would be unnecessary to borrcw a single penny, of the. money, required for, the purchase of lana for settlement. Already, a sum of approximately a quarter of a ;;'-. million sterling has teen received from '/■-'tenants who are acquiring their'-hold-ings by direct or ; deferred "payments. One reform introduced by ]the;Massey Government is that of paying- all such sums derived from the sale of land by , the State into the Land Settlement Ac- - count/ and this is available for expenditure in. aoquiring further, land. Dn- • der the Continuous Ministry.the pro- ' ccedß ;from sales of Drown lands wore treated as revenue i.rid went to swell ' . the surplus for the year; to-day the country benefits by ; the sound financial methods of the. Reform.'.Govern->■-jjnent'i under whioh iho sums realised .from the sale of Crown lands are specially set aside for, the purchase of ; ; , fresh land for settlement.' ,'■•'■';■•';''. Rapid Subdivisions. The principal agents employed by the Government in accelerating the subdivision of land have been an increase in ttie Rroduated lanl tax (effected in 1912), and a muoh more vigorous proseVoution of operations i under the Land -for. Settlements Aot than was 'attempt^ ;'ed by its predecessors. The'results attained Bpeak for themselves. Particulars in the last Budgeu show that during the; period from March 31, 1912, to June 30, 1912, no fever than 1,126,678 ; acres of land were subdivided and made available for. settlement under the Land 'for Settlements Act, the Land Settlement Finance Act, aid by private ownThe following,table buows the te- • tal subdivision for tie period effected by eaoh method:— ;'■■■■. Original SuMlti- Area holdings, eions. (acres) BoMvtelon by free- , loldera ................ 2,259 6,569 Ui,iU iSnbdivWonjß • under ~ . ■ 'Land Settlement' : . Finance Act ;« 1« 18,881 .BuHivislons under land for Bettle- ., mente Act ,89 484 262,183 Total mbdrriflions 2,816. 6.19G 1,125,678 'Apart from the acquisition of estates iand tho automatio operation of the graduated land" tax, the Massey Government has taken further powers to promote, subdivision, ;ind the law as it now stands provides that on the servico to an owner thtit his land is required for purposes oi' closer, settlement ne is required either: (a) To himself subdivide the land in suitable allotments; or (b) To agree with 'the-Minister of Laiids for the subdivision and disposal of the land, pursuant to the provisions of Part 111 .of the Land Laws Amendment Act, 1912. In-tho event of tlie failure of th«

owner either to subdivide or to agree to the subdivision and disposal of the land referred to in,the notice, the land may be taken : compulsorily under the provisions of the Land for Settlement Act. ■■;>•■/ ._■__■

Preventing Aggregation.

Much has been said by the opponents of the Government about aggregation of land, but little weight attaches to these unfounded allegations. To an extent the appearance of aggregation (in statistical records) is due to increased land values. , It is admitted that some aggregation l must take place, but the best proof that it is not common or general is to be found in the, figures relating, to subdivision which have just been quoted, for these Bhow clearly that private owners are feeling the pressure of the forces making for subdivision. Grown lands and' lands settled by the State are protected from aggregation by, stringent provisions regarding limitation of area, while in regard to i pri-vately-owned lands the; graduated tax exercises'a counteracting tendency.' ' In addition' to this, the Government'has taken specific power to deal with the aggregation of land in the hands of private owners. Part VII of the Land' Act of 1913 provides that'"'»here aggregation of private lands has taken place and is deemed to be against the publio interest, ;the Governor may ,take tho land in; question by-proclamation, compensation being assessed in the manner provided by the Public Works' Act. All land so taken by the Governor is to be disposed of under the Land for. Settlemente Act.; Akin to the provisions against aggregation is a clause-in the Land Act of 1913 which provides that any person who, having taken up an area of Grown or settlement land; disposes of it,' shall' be disqualified for ten years from taking, up or acquiring any interest; in Crown or settlement land unless the Land Board otherwise determines. ■

Stimulating Settlement,

, The opponents'of the Reform Gov- | ernment. havo at times attempted to oreate a quite erroneous impression by quoting the total settlement returns for a period of years, and on this baßis comparing ', the ' record of the present Government and that of its'predeces-' lßors._ This; of'course, is quite unfair and inaccurate,, for the Crown lands of the Dominion, which used to bulk so largely in)'the.'annual'settlement operations, are rapidly approaching the vanishing point; and the progress/of settle-, ment henceforth must depend mainly upon the subdivision of private land by; State purchase or otherwise.; The existing position may be gauged from the faot; that when' the Massey Government took; office, only ono hundred thoußahd acres of first-class Crown land remained available for, settlement. _ A true test of the activity and enterprise of successive Governments is to ;be' # found in comparing the annual operations under the Land for Settlements Act. The folloSrine table shows what has been done in; each .year for the last five years. Tho figures given show ; the aggregate area of the estates acquired in each year and the price .paid for the land :— '•;'.>■';,:.. ;:;•'..:'•'"• : '" . Area. « : . "Price.:; 1909-10 ! '............"• 42,805' , 260,793! 1910-11 ............. 14,399 168,796' 1911-12 .....v...... '44,447: ; 881,483 j 1912-13 .....;.. 62.098 428,044 i i 913-14 ....;.;... : ....:141,062 .-,-. 660,708 It-will-be seen that the Massey Cov- j ernment last year acquired ten times as much land for settlement as was acquired by the Ward Government In 191G-11 a the value of the land acquired last year being more than three times that of the, land acquired in 1910-11. „ , Apart from what it has done in accelerating and greatly extending operations under the Land for Settlements Act' and in promoting the subdivision of private land, the Government has done a great deal to enable men without capital to obtain a footing on the land.- One important branch pr activity in this category is the extension of the: (Workers' Dwellings scheme in country, districts,--which:is dealt with in another column, and another is the opening for settlement of large, areas of. expended gum lands in the North Auckland district. These, lands are suitable for fruit, growing and; they are being opened'- in holdings of twenty-five acres; which settlers are permitted to occupy for five years free of rent. In addition, they are granted facilities for,ultimately acquiring the freehold of their selections., Work Pane And to be Done.. The Reform Land Acts, apart from the features: here touched upon, contain

innumerable provisions tending to benefit settlers and facilitate the extension of settlement. The whole field of State tenanoy has been reviewed ' and many detail tenures have been improved, the aim being always to give the bona-fide settler a secure tenure and, save in the oase of endowment lands, the opportunity of acquiring the freehold. Provision has been made also for the subdivision of grazing runs and other landß reverting to the State, when that course is necessary in the interests of settlement. It is generally agreed that finality' In land legislation cannot be reached for a very long time in a country like New Zealand, and the Masaey ? over ?SS n * V* a ' r6a oy laid down plans for additional reforms designed to promote the prosperity of the Dominion, to bo taken in hand in the next Parliament, Having oleared away most of the bad tenures and other restrictions which hampered the progress of settlement In past years, the Government now proposes to. actively promote the further subdivision of large estates whioh are suitable for close settlement by an automatic inorease of the graduated land tax._ In. exercising this polioy discrimto be exercised between land which is improved and improvable land which is kept in an unimproved condition, and between land fit for agricultural and dairying 1 purposes and comparatively poor pastoral land, whioh oannot be profitably occupied In small areas. Other measures designed for the encouragement and promotion of settlement are an energetic extension of roads and railways, the ■ establishment of agricultural and land Banks,' and the prqmotion of agricultural education. It is proposed, also, to expand the system by which the aid of the State's expert officers is available for, I various industries. In .dairying, stockraising, fruit-farming, bee-keeping, and other industries this aßsistanoehas in the past proved of the utmost' value, and Its further extension, will. no doubt prove correspondingly valuable. Bright Prospeots. 4 IJpon the whole, it may fairly be said ; that the, outlook; for settlers. and for settlement -under the sympathetic administration of the Reform Governis distinctly good. Settlement in this country-is hampered to some extent by. high land values and the comparatively limited amount of land available, but -the Government up to the present has shown ability' and re-' source in enabling poor men to get upon the land in ways scarcely, contemplated in the time of its predecessors, as well as in providing, though stillupon a modest scale, and with, due regard to limitation of area, for those who have more ample resources at command. ■ The further Instalments of land policy which have been definitely laid down promise equally well for the future. The Reform Government has shown that It has the courage of Its convlotlons, and that It can be relied on to carry out Its pledges.