THE LAND BILL

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 24, 23 October 1920, Page 10

THE LAND BILL

SALE OF NATIONAL ENDOWMENT

PROCEEDS TO BE REINVESTED INLAND

PREFERENCE AT BALLOTS

The Land Laws Amendment Bill was last night further considered by the House in committee. On the previous night ouiy thq "short title' had been passed. . i The Minister stated that amendments ho , proposed to put before the House would bo brought down Inter by Gov-ernor-General's Message. A new clause would bo proposed in substitution for that dealing with investment of proceeds from the sale of national endowment land. It was felt" that the clause in the Bill was. not sufficiently strong to safeguard the proper investment of the funds. v South African Votera'ns. When the House reached the iclause giving returned soldiers and certain other classes of landless applicants equal preference over all other applicants at ballots under the Land Act, IMS, Mr. G. Mitchell (Wellington South)'asked tu c Minister. to nccept an amendment, including in the clauso "members of the New Zealand contingenta who served in the South African War," The Prime Minister 6a,idit was intended to do something for the South African men after the soldiers, returned from l.ho late war had been provided with land. The amendment proposed by Mr. Mitchell seemed to be Ml appropriation, and therefore to be out of order. It meant bringing in more men— probably many hundreds.

Mr. Mitchell said ho thought that tho South African veterans oughjll to he. put on tho same footing as landless applicants with children find landless applicants who had been twice- unsuccessful at ballots.

Several members contended that Mr. Mitchell would not bo out of order in moving his amendment. The only question involved was ono of preference, not expenditure. More applicants meant more land, Massey rejoined, The chairman (Mr. A. S. Malcolm) eventually ruled that tho amendment was not an appropriation. Tlieo was 110 additional land involved, and the question was only one of naming those who should havo preference! Mr. Massey said it was clear from the ruling that tho etfect of tho amendment would, be that.South African veterans were going to take tho place of men who had served in tho Great War. He had thought of asking for the Speaker's ruling, but ho would not do so. Tho Hon. D. H. Guthrie (.Minister of Lands) said ho would not accept' tho amondniQiit;, Ho agreed with the Prime Minister as to what its effect would be. Mr. W. S, Glenn (Raf&itikci) 'protested, as a returned soldier, against tlio amendment. The soldiers who had fought in tho lato war, ho said, ought to bo settled first. Mr. C. E. Statham (Duncdjn Central) appealed for more consideration for tho South African veterans. Those men, ho thought, had not been very well treated by tho State. They had faced hardships and dangers, just as tho soldiers in the lato war had done,. Mr. V. H. Potter (Roskill) asked tho House to -support the Government in fulfilling the pledgo it had given to the returned soldiers. The returned soldier? had asked for preference ovpr other classes of applicants, and had received a "i-miiicp that thev would get it.

The Minister of Lands tlioneht that there was a good deal of "beating tho air" in tho, discussion that had beej> going on. The clause dealt with ordrnarv Crown land—not land set aside by proclamation for the. purposes of dis-

charged soldier settlement. It mentipned several fclasses within which many South African men desiring land would come. The amendment was defeated by ? 2 votes to Z(i. - Tho Endowment Lands, "That is one of. tho clauses which will be recommitted.' I am bringing down a Governor-General's Message regarding it." said'tho Minister, referring' t» clause 11, which provides, inter alia, that th* l (Jovornor-General may "from time to timo" declare that "any unoccupied national endowment land-not exceeding in the aggregate 10,000 aorea shall cease to bo national endowment laud' Mr. G. Witty (Ricearton) contended that the words, "from time to tinie" would enablo ; the Government to part with tho whole of t]ie national endowment land by successive proclamations. He suggested that tho words in (iifestiop should (bo struck put. Tho Minister agreed tn the -amendment, which was- adopted. Tho Prime Minister explained that clause 11 would at a later stace lie amended iu order, as tho Minister or Lands bad indicated, that the invest ment of the money from the salo of endowment land should ho properly safeguarded. Tha intention of the Government, said Mr. Alassey (and this intention would be expressed in the amendment) was that an endowment fund fthonld bo set up and placed under 'the control of trustees—either under the control of tho Advances Board or of the Public Trustee. When the money bugan to come in from the sale of the lands, that money—every copper of itwould bo reinvested in lands more suitable for endowment purposes, probably in land in tho neighbourhood of largo centres, where values; increased rapidly. Mr. Witty i It will not bB kept as a liquid asset, so that it can be taken at any timer Mr. Massey. No. It will bo put into land. Tho Prime Minister added that some of tho present endowment land was so poor that it. would not bo taken up .by nettlcra as _ If endowment land was in rural districts, it ought to 1m good land. He believed in parting with the poor land and in reinvesting the money according to tha principle he had indicated, The issue before- thi House, argued Mr. I.', Eraser (Wellington Central) wa« clwrly whether endowment land should be parted with or not. Ho was opposed to tho clausn as a whole, and ho would divide Die Honso upon it. Tho clause was carried by 37 votes to 20 Tho division list was at 'follows:— Aves (37): Anderson, Bitchenor, Bolhml, Brown, Burnettt, Coatos, IVild, Guthrie, A. Hamilton, J ft., Hamilto'n-, Hawken, Hona'rc, Hemes, Hockly, Hudson, .Tennings/Lysiinr, M'C'nllum, M'Leod, M'Nicnl, Massey, Masters, Nash, B. Newman, Parr, Pnnia.ro, Potter, Powdrell, Weed, B. H. Ithodes, T. W. Khodos, Jl W. Smith, Stewart, Sykcs,'Wilford, Williams, Youug. ' Noes (20): Atmore, Edio; Eru-ser, Hannn, Holland, Horn, Isitt, Kellett, Luke, Mitchell, A. K. Newman, Ngata, Seddon, Sidey, S. G ' Smith, Stntham, Thaoker, VVit'ch, Witty, Wright. Pairs: Ayes—J. S Dickson, Harris, ,T. Me. Dickson, Jonos, Lee. Noes—Parry, Savage, IJnrtram, Howard, M'Combs. J u regar* ,to tho lessees of small grazing runs, about whose grievances there had been a good deal of discussion on tho previous night, the Prime Minister pail there was a clause still to como ■loivn—not that night—which would meet with the approval of the peoplu interested. teases In Perpetuity, Tho clause reviving tho right to purchase settlement land held under lease in perpetuity was strenuously objected to by Mr. it M'Callum (Wnirati). The memlicr said that millions bad been expended by tho Stato upon thu purchase nf the land in question, and now the Coverninent proposed to part with it iir'iiiu on terms that wore unfair to the fountry. Ho moved to innlude in the clause the following proviso :—"That the rji'lit of purchase shall bo exercised only In" a tenant who has served as n member of tho Now Zealand Expeditionary Force unless the lands aro bush or swamp lands, or, if town or village lands, Ul'.n m ilv to tho extent.of two acres" •Vpnari'iitly, said tho Hon. G. J. Anderson (Minister of Internal Affairs) the member for Wairau would not object to

tlio sale it was mado on tlio basis of present-day values But what interest had the State in .1 099 years' lease, except what it originally gave- for tho kind?

Mr. K W. Smith (Waimarino) thought the Government wise in ridding itself of a contract, that involved the country in a loss. The holders of the -leasos had the kind at i pbr cent., and the tlovoninient was to-day borrowing monoy at 5J pe. cent. Mr. M'Callurn'a amendment was lo«l by 3G. votes to 12. The clause also wont to a division, anu vas retained. by 39 votes to. 11. About Aggregation, Clause 31 of. tho Bill, dealing with investigations in referenco to the a«quisition. of land in contravention of the law, was the subject of 6omo discussion Mr. C, 13. Statham pointed'out t thai while, the clause provided that, a witness deemed .bv the Commissioner to havo answered fully and faithfully all questions put to him, should be entitled to n certificate of indemnity, thcro was no provision that a witness should bo assure, beforehand that he would not suiter ioi anything he might disclose cone«rmnE his own acts.- _, ~ , Mr. Wilford endorsed Mr. StntlmiP » contentions. Ho protested that the clause violated a principle of Bntisn justice. , ~ , ~ The Minister of Lands said that the , Government was making an honest attempt to stop aggregation. Mr Wilford: Nobodv is debating that. Aggregation was going on m spue 01 Hie measures taken to prevent it. An. Guthrie continued. Therefore, soino suel. clauso wu needed to sh-engthei , hands of the Government in deal' with the trouble. Ho would have hi question looked into, and if aw P-"> ciplc of justice was violated, the viola tion would lie remedied. Mr. Wilford explained .that ho as concerned only for the iinncipte 0f i«-: clear all along. , . mom i. The Bill was reported wit jamm menti," certe m sub-clauses lw M W .11 steuek <nit of clause U in tow of the Minister's intention to introducem.™ ndments by Message ••|«*'gf' The third reading debate was otim. t-1,0 nouso had received the W « The Bill was passed ami the ttou-e journod at 11.15^P.»^__

-rim Council yesterday road ♦hi SS Societies Amendment Ml a second tine. The measure pm ; vit ,Sy for the incorporation or branches of registered M™ties. Amendments introduced by TJeneral's Message when tiie \\u>H»it Sur BUI and the Wary Amendment Bill were be ore the _ House were yesterday agreed to by the Legislative Council. The House hud already adopted tho amendmenls.