THE Grey River Argus. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 1870.

Grey River Argus, Volume IX, Issue 722, 3 September 1870, Page 2

THE Grey River Argus. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 1870.

We recently caJJed 'attention to tlje necessity which existed for the introduction into this Colony of some simple plan by which transfers of property could be made. Since then a Bill has been introduced into the Upper House by the hon. Mr Waterhouse, who, in South Australia was long connected with the working of Torreus' Act,' and the new Bill is framed somewhat after that Act, with a few modifications suiting it to the necessities of this Colony. The Bill passed the Upper House, and by our latest files from Wellington we see that it was read a second time in the Lower House, so that the probabilities are strongly in favor of its becoming law on an early day. The Government has to be congratulated upon introducing such a useful measure as this, because hitherto the transfer of property has been a matter of great difficulty and expense^ and in every Colony such as this, where the people show a desire to become the owners of land, the facilities for its registration and transfer ought to be simplified and made as cheap as is consistent with the proper performance of the- work required. At present the transfer of a title to land is a most cumbrous affair, but under the new Act all a man will have to do will be to go to the land registry office, have the title registered in the name of the purchaser, pay a small fee of a few shillings, and the matter is settled ; and any person can carry about in his pocket the small certificate which is his full title to the land. Laud-brokers or agents can be appointed, but they will have to be approved of by the Governor instead of the Registrar-General, but it is proposed by the Government that such persons shall not be employed except in districts where it is known that there are no lawyers. The public need be under no apprehension on this point, because the fees to be charged will be fixed by the Act, and any excessive charge will be punishable upon information and proof. But it is still under consideration, and will be warmly debated in Committee, whether these land transfers should not be done without the assistance of either the members of the legal profession or land jobbers, but only by the regular clerks in the land office, who would be responsible to the Government for all their transactions, and because the Bill will make the Government liable for compensation for any error that might be committed by their officers —such as forgery. This point was raised by Mr Hall, and Mr Fox promised to consider it, but that, in the meantime, the Government did not intend to make any appointment of persons to transfer property unless where it was .actually necessary ; and also he would take steps to see whether a provision could be introduced into the Bill to provide for the registration of trusts. So far the Bill has progressed satisfactorily, and has generally been hailed as a step in the right direction. We hope soon to hear that it has become law.