LAND ACT AMENDMENT BILL.

Globe, Volume XXIV, Issue 2569, 1 July 1882, Page 3

LAND ACT AMENDMENT BILL.

[By TjHißgbaph.J CfBOK THE " PBESB."! WELLINGTON, Jcne 30. The important Bill which was promised by Major Atkinson last night, and w;-ich embodied the land policy of the Government, is just circulated. It is called the Land Act, 1877, Amendment Bill, and m introduced by Mr Kolleston. The first forty-three sections of this Bill make provision for leasing by Waste Lands Boards of rural lands for twenty.one years, with a perpetual right of renewal, lha lands, so to be dealt with are to ba proclaimed by tho Governor in Council. Leases are to be sold by tender, the upset rental being 5 per cent, on tk< capital value of the land, not being less than the statutory cost price thereof. That persons ef eighteen years and upwards may take leases under the Bill. It provides for the tenders to ba closed up until all are opened, and if two cr more persons offer the same amount and more than any other tenderer, it is to be decider by lot who ia to have the lease. As the object, of the Bill is to insure the actual settlement of land it prevents any person taking a lease under the Bill who will in any wj } become the owner, tenant, or occupier of mor-4 than 640 acres throughout the colony. This restriction does not apply to persons acquiring a lease by marriage or bequest. The Bill provides for the preparation of leases by the Commissioner at a fixed fee of £\, and for registration under the Land Transfer Act. Leases are to be for twenty-one years, but are so arranged as alwajs to expire on tho 30th June. The rent is to be paid half-yearly in advance. The consent of the Board is required to all building*, provision being made to prevent the aggregation of leaseholds beyond the beforementioned limit. Any leaseholder at any time with the consent of the Board may throw up the lease, and it shall be dealt with as if it expired by efflaxion of time, though to prevent this being clone merely in order to get rent reduced, any person so surrendering is for seven years prevented from taking a lease of the land so surrendered. The Governor in Council for any public purpose may resume possession of the whole or any portion of the land incurred in the lease, with, however, full provision for compensation to the lessee for improvements. 'I here are portions as to the occupation and improvements which are much the same an those insisted upon under the Land Act, 1877, with respect to deferred payment purchasers of the fee simple. As, however, it is intended, in laying out blocks for leasing, to alternate small freeholds with leaseholds, and, therefore, these leases may often be taken by persons going on an adjaosct freehold, Eection 29 al!ow3 the Board to dispense with the necessity for residence in such cases. One provision btrs all claimß for fouling of a stream by Crown tenants. This clause is intended chiefly for the prot33tion of the gold mining industry. The following is the provision as to renewal of leases:—About three years before the end of the term two valaations have to b 3 made, one of the value of the land with all improvements, tho other of the value of all substantial improvements of a permanent character then in existence on lano s, which have bseu made by lessee. These are defined to be planting with trees or live hedges, or fencing or draining, or making roads or sinking wells, making waterbanks and water-races, or erecting substantial farm or other buildings. The leasee has then, up to within three months of the end of the term, two years and nine months, to consider whether he will take a renewal of tho 10£.so on the like conditions, tho rental being 5 per cent. on the difference between such two valuations. He can obtain his lease at any time during that period, and if he prefers not to take it, then the Board can fix a definite rental for the land, which must not exece the amount which it offered to the outgoing tenant, it is then offered for public tender at cuch fixed rent. Then the lessee has fourteen days more to elect whether he will take a renewal at the rental fixsd by th-3 Board when inviting tenders. If he still prefers not to take the renewal, then his land and improvements revert to the Crown. Tho 12th subdivision provides fcr the conduct of the arbitration, and the 13th contains a ome miscellaneous provisiora, which sufficiently explain themselves. An existing lease may bo exchanged for leases under this Bill if so desired by the lessee. This Bill permits en Jowment reserves being leased under the Bill, though except as regards reserves fcr piiinary education they cannot ba so dealt with, except ■with the consent of tho body interested. Fdacational reserves may be sold by the Waste Lands Boards in tho same manner as ordinary Crown lands, though except as regards reserves for primary education they cannot be so sold, except with consent of body interested. Provisions for the tease of deferred payments settlers are intended to aid persons, who having purchased land on deferred payments, whether rural or pastoral, find it difficult to keep up payments whieu they had agreed to make. _ The Bill enables tbom on surrendering tho right of purchase to take a lease under this Bill -.vitbont going to tender; subject to these conditions: that they must have purchased and complied with the coaditions of purchase for at le'ist three years before; Jsecond, that the lent paynble should be five per cent on the price fcr which they bought the land. The lease dates sack to the date of the purchase, though the purchaser gets the credit for all payments he has made of purchase money ft 3 it rent. Thus a man who has paid his instalments for three years can sake a lease at once, which will have eighteen yours to run, and the rental will ba paid for the next three years. Persons who have purchased land on deterred payments in village settlements may pnre/iase a farm on that system. A person who las already taken up loss than fifty acrss on th-3 deferred payment system, and who hn?. fulfilled his conditions, may take up more land on the same Bystom, so long as he does not exceed 320 acres ia tho whole Residence may be dispensed with by the Board in the same manner and for the like reasons as in the case of leases. A number of important changes aro ma'ie respecting pastoral leases. These provisions are not retrospec'.ive and only apply to licenses herea.'ter to be granted. Pre-emptive right, which existed byEecUon 131 of the Land Act, 1877, to the extont of 320 acres, is taken away. Licenses may be granted for fourteen ytars instead of ten years, as at present. On renewal licensees Bhall have the same right to eomr.ei sation for improvements which exitts .i^.ws.-? the Otago runs. Land", of which possession miy bo resumed under eection 121, mua. fee defined cr. tho ibbuc of tho license, whilst the licensee is protected from sn h resurant;' a t.. the oxtent of eighty uerea i'o'iud the homestead. '"- Mi jellaneouS provisions include—(l) Si Ss« I graater facilities for A? ofiww

' Maitdettujs ajtd Bahgiora Deahtasb Boabd.—A meeting of the members of this Board was to have been held at Flaxton on Friday morning. Messrs Mnloook (chfti?man) and Duncan were present, bnt fox want of a quorum no basinets wet transacted. Kaiapoi WoOLUor Faotoby.—Owing to arrangements for members of Parliament to visit the Agricultural College at Lincoln oa Monday, their visit to the Kaiapoi Woolleft Company's mills will take place on Tuesday, when the original programme will be observed.