THE KAIKOURA STAR KAIKOURA, OCT. 9, 1906. THE LAND BILL

Kaikoura Star, 9 October 1906, Page 4

THE KAIKOURA STAR KAIKOURA, OCT. 9, 1906. THE LAND BILL

This Bill has emerged from the Committee stage in almost a new shape, and will be discussed at its second reading in the House this evening. The new Bill contains several very important amendments. In regard to endowments, the area set aside includes all Crown Lands remaining unsold or unselected under thedeferred payment, occupation with right of purchase, lease-in-perpetuity or perpetual lease systems at the time of the coming into operation of this Act. The only lands which will remain outside of the endowments will be the lands for settlement lands and lands hereafter to be purchased from the Natives. No alterations have been made in the former provisions dealing with the setting aside of the land *for educational, hospital ami charitable aid, and old age pensions. All payments in the way of royalties, license fees and other sums of money which have been fixed by Act of Parliament to be paid t 5 local authorities or public authorities of any kind in connection with land still require, to be paid, although the laud becomes an endowment, and provision is also make for the Local Bodies Loans Act, 1901 to apply so that money nay be obtained for roading and bridging the country, and charged against the blocks that are being opened up. All endowments save pastoral country lands and all land for settlement lands are to be disposed of under the renewable leases. The other Crown lands, such as purchased Native lands are to be disposed of under the optional spstem, but they will no longer be open for cash occupation with right of purchase and leasein perpetuity, but merely an option between occupation with right of purchase and renewable lease. The provision regarding the renewable least being for sixty-wix _ years, wl’iU i-oueWttl for another sixty-six years remains as before. The machinery clauses dealing with the end of the first term remain practically as before, as also do the provisions relating to surrender of lease in perpetuity, perpetual lease and deferred payment licenses. Practically any of the tenancies may be converted into renewable leases. The former provisions which allowed renewable leaseholders to pay off from 50 per cent, to 90 per cent, is now extended to the lease-in-perpetuity. The lease-in-perpetuity holders of the colony will, whether under the Land for Settlements Act or on ordinary Ciown lands, now be able to pay off up to 90 per cent of the capital value and thereby reduce the rent to one tenth. When this reduction takes place the lease-in-perpetuity holder will hold for 999 years free of all covenants and conditions of the lease, excepting the old conditions of residence for the whole period of the leases. This practically creates the 999 years freehold at the original value. Extensive additions have been made to the conditions providing for the limitation of private estates in land. A list of holders owning or being lessees of £50,000 worth of land is to be gazetted. Only land outside cities and boroughs is taken into consideration. This list when fixed remains for ten years, at the end of which time, if the owner is still on the list, a portion of his property is sold by the Minister, sufficient to reduce the value of the balance to a sum of less than £50,000. Any person on the list, who sells the excess portion of his property can get his name taken off the list. Every person whose name is on the list selling land has to make a declaration that he is not retaining any beneficial interest in it, but he is allowed to retain a mortgage of two-thirds of the purchase money. This mortgage, however, does not allow him to buy in under the Registrar of the Supreme Court, If the Minister at the end of the ten years has to enter and sell, the sale has to be by public auction on the deferred payment principle, covering a period of ten years. The old area limit of 1000 acres is abolished and its place is taken by a value limit of £15,000 unimproved value.

Every person buying land or leasing land, or receiving land by way of gift, must make a declaration that with the land he buys, leases or receives as a gift he does not possess more than £15,000 worth. It does not, however, relate to bequests; these can be accepted. All contracts for the purchase or lease of laud made before the Act came into operation are exempted, if approved of by the Supreme Court. Small grazing runs and pastoral lands are to be disposed of as formerly.