THE LAND BILL.

King Country Chronicle, Volume IV, Issue 215, 9 December 1909, Page 5

THE LAND BILL.

In Committee. The minutes of the proceedings of the Lands Committee, which were laid on the table, make interesting and even amusing readtng. It would appear that the committee sat first of all on December 1, when the following were present .'Messrs Anricrßon,Lang.Lawry, Witty, Forbes. Hogg. Hon. T. Y. Duncan. Ell. and Sir Joseph Ward. Upon a division clause S.wbich provides that a lessee may purchase the fee simple of a lease in perpetuity or renewable lease, was rejected by five votes to four, the division being: For the clause. Messrs Anderson. Duncan. Lang, and Sir J. Wa-d; against the clause, Messrs Ell, Fortes. Hogg. Lawry. Witty, Clauses 9 and !*). providing methods of potchaaiflg the fee simple, etc.. were also rejected under similar divisions. Mr Lang moved that holders of leases in perpetuity might at any time instead of within two years after the cerainjr into operation of the Act, purchase for cash, but the amendment was thrown eut. only Messrs Anderson. EH and himself supporting it; twt l»6er th3clause w»a deleted wpon the following division: for the clause, Messrs Andrrscn, Duncan, Lang, and Kir J. Ward: against the clause, Messrs EU. Forbes, Hogg, Lawry and Witty. Clause* 13, 14, tr>, which provided that settlement land may be sold in certain cases, were retained, their opponents being Messrs EIE, Forbes, Hogg and Witty. Clause 24, wbich reduces the limit of area that may be acquired, found two opponents in Messrs Anderson and Lang. Mr Lang moved to delete sub-clause 3 of section 26. which makes a person acquiring interest in land in excess "guilty of a crime," but withdrew his amendment, and, upon the motion of the Prime Minister it was agreed that the words "guilty of a crime," should be omitted, and the punishment increased from two years to five years.* Mr Lang moved that national endowment lands should be affected by the Act, but the only other supporter of the proposal was Mr Anderson, and the clause was retained. Several other amendments were moved, arid a new clause wat inserted, making provision as to working and fencing grazing or pastoral runs. On tie following day, when the committee again met, Mr Guthrie was also present, and the Prime Minister moved that clause S and the other rejected clause be recommitted for further consideration. Upon a division the recommittal was agreed to by six votes to four the voting being as follows: For the proposal, Messrs Anderson, Duncan, Guthrie, Lang, Lawry, and Ward: against the proposal, Messrs £ll, For bis, Hogg and Witty. Mr Ell moved "That only the lessees of land held on teste in perpetuity should have the power to purchase the fee simple of their holdings." The division was m under: For the clause as , it stands, Messrs Anderson, Duncan, 1 Guthrie, Lang, Lawry, and Ward; against the clause, Messrs Ell, Forbes, Hogg and Witty. Mr Witty then moved that the clause should not apply to settlement land, but bis amendment ! was rejected by a similar vote and the clause was retained. Mr Witty then proposed that the purchase price of the : holdings should be the present, instead of the original value, but only Messrs \ Ell, Forbes, Hogg, and himself, sup- , ported the amendment, and the clause was retained. Clause 11, which proi vide* that the Crown shall receive pro- : portico of increase in the value of land | purchased, was retained, after the rejection of an amendment, which was supported by Messrs pi, Forbes, Hogg, and Witty, to the effect that the unimproved value of the land at the date of the tease should be ascertain'*) by valuation. A number of amendments were moved to misuse 12, including one by Mr Witty, that the purchase price, for cash, should be based on the price the land would fetch in the open market, and others on similar lines, but the clause as it stands was retained by six votes four the voting being, as under:—For the clause, Messrs *Anderso», Duncan, Guthrie, Lang, Lawry and Ward; for the amendment, Messrs Ell. Forbes, Hogg, and Witty. Clause 3 was also retained, after the rejection by a similar vote, of & number of amendments