THE GLOBE. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 1882. THE LAND BILL.

Globe, Volume XXIV, Issue 2628, 8 September 1882, Page 2

THE GLOBE. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 1882. THE LAND BILL.

We confess to having been somewhat premature in onr article of last evening an the Council's views with regard to the Land Bill; but, at the same time, we claim indulgence, for surely no one could have dreamt that they would make such a complete somersault as they performed yesterday. There were no indications in their debate of Wednesday that they did not hold to the main principle involved in the Government proposals. All that could be gathered from that debate, as far as it was telegraphed to us, was that the Council were dissatisfied with the amount of option that was given to the Government with regard to the proportion of rural land to be let on perpetual lease. The Bill, as sent up from the Lower House, proposed that one-third of all land to be offered for settlement might be disposed of on leasehold tenure. The Council decided that only onefifth might be so offered. There was not the slightest symptom that tho Council thought of practically nullifying the proposal for perpetual leases Out of 69 sections in the original draft of the Bill, the first 43 are devoted to this subject of perpetual leaseholds. The fact that the leaseholds are to be perpetual is naturally the main feature of these 43 sections, and even with regard to subsequent sections of importance, namely, those bearing on the relief of deferred payment settlers, the same principle may fairly be said to be omnipotent in them. But the adoption of the Hon. Mr. Reynolds' motion by the casting vote of the Chairman destroys as far as concerns the Council this main feature in the new departure. On the Bill reaching in Committee the 31st section, Mr Reynolds moved the following : —" Should the lessee within the period of six years have complied with the conditions of improvements as sot forth in sections 33 and 36, then he shall be entitled to acquire the fee simple of the land comprised in his lease, at a price to be fixed at a time when lease is granted." The 30th and three succeeding clauses deal with the conditions as to occupation by lessee. He has, with certain necessary exceptions, to reside on the land within six months of the commencement of his term, and thereafter for a period of six consecutive years must reside on some portion of the land leased to him. Within one year he must cultivate a twentieth part of the land, and so on gradually, till, at tho expiration of the sixth year, he must have cultivated onefifth of the land, and have put substantial improvements of a permanent charactor on the land to the value of one pound for evory acre of such land. By the 35 th clause, not sooner than three years and six months and not later than three years before the end of the term, a valuation of the fee simple of tho land, with all im provements thereon, shall be made. A copy of this award shall be given to the lessee, and another copy to the Commissioner, but not later than three months before the expiry of the term for which the lessee then holds the lands, and the lessee shall elect whether ho wiU accepts i

fresh lease of the said lands for a further term of twenty-one years from the expirs* tion of the term, at a rental equal to 5 per cent, on the gross value of the lands; as &xe£ by the arbitral ion r after deducting therefrom the value.of the substantial improvements of a permanent character, as fixed by the said arbitration. It is at this point in the scheme that the Conncil proposes to step in. After six years of his original twenty-one years' lease have expired, the lessee may apply for and obtain the fee simple of the land, provided he has complied with the conditions enumerated above. Clause 36 being retained, the Council does not propose to abolish the possibility of the lessee electing to obtain a renewal of his lease shortly before its expiration, if he has not already bought the land outright; and it may be observed that by a later resolution the option of purchase is extended by the Council to eleven years. As the matter will stand if the Council has its way, the man holding land under the proposed tenure will havo a porpetual lease with the right of purchase during the first eleven years. Whether the House will be content to receive this modification yet remains to be proved. Were it earlier in the session the decision of the Council would most decidedly be objected to in the Lower House, and if the Council held out a severe block would be the result. *i_ut, with the House in its present temper, all things are possible. Members are so anxious to get away that most of them will feel inclined to swallow almost anything. The Council, moreover, has the vis inertias on its side. It does not appear to be nearly so hurried, and would probably, were things to come to the worst, quietly starve the House out, so to speak. It will be interesting to note how matters will progress in this matter. The Bill may possibly be dropped in disgust by the Government, or the Council may partially give way and merely limit the application of the Act. But anyhow it may be fairly inferred that much thought will not be given the question at a time when a general scramble is eventuating in Wellington.

THE PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS.

It is difficult to quite understand Mr, Wynn "Williams' suggestion in the House last night, to the effect that Government House should be altered so as to appropriate it to tke Legislature. Any one who knows that building will see at once that the structure would be of little possible use for legislative purposes, and, indeed, would only hamper any architect who was instructed to provide new accommodation for members. The house is an ordinary dwelling-house, and that is all, and is no more fitted for Parliamentary work than some of the houses on Park terrace in this city. The only possible solution ef the riddle is that Mr. Wynn-Williams was having a fling at the Governor. If he wished to do that, he might just as well have done it in a more straight-forward manner. Mr. Williams' suggestion that the Parliament buildings should be fitted np for the Governor was in even worse taste.