FINANCING NATIVE LEASES.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VII, Issue 593, 13 August 1913, Page 2

FINANCING NATIVE LEASES.

During the discussion on the State Advance-] Bill on Friday evening, the question of a disability under which the lessees of native lands, under the Act of 1909, labour was brought before the House by Mr V. Reed, and other members, Mr Reed pointed out that the lessees of native lands, whose leases were granted under the Maori Lsnd Settlement Act of 190-3, had been able to obtain loans from the State Advances Board, on the security of improvement. Since the Act of 1905 had been repealed by the consolidating Act of 1900, however, the leases had been granted under the latter Act, but in these cases the lessees had been unable to obtain advances. The only difference, he understood, was that the Crown Law officers held that in the cases of leases under the Act of 1905, the lessees were entitled to their improvements as soon as they wete made, but that the lessees under the Hot of 1909 were not entitled to them until the termination of the leases. This state of things was a hindrance to settlement. At least half a dozen of these lessees in his district would be ruined if they did not get financial assistance. Encouraged by the fact that those who had leases under the Act of 190-3, had been granted loans, they had anticipated that they would be granted s'tuilar advances on leases held under -he last Act. They had expended all choir money in making improvements, but they had not the means to continue these improvements to a reproduction state.

Mr C. K. Wilson and Mr J. G. Coates endorsed Mr Reed's remarks, and said that there were similar cases of hardship in their electorate. The Minister for Finance said that he had referred the matter to the Crown Law officers, and they had reported that the lease under the Act of 1909 did not offer a good a security as those granted under the Act of 1907.

The Hon. A. T. Ngats said that he did not hold the same opinion as the Crown Law officers. He held that the leases under the 1909 Act were better than those issued under tho 1905 Act. Mr Allen said that he vould make inquiries into the matter, and if the statements were correct he would make provision for removing the injustice. The Hon. W. Berries said that he was prepared to make provision in bis Bill this year to make the leases better than those granted under the 1909 Act, but he could not agree to cancel existing covenants without the consent of both parties. He could not understand why the Crown Law officers "gave the opinion they had given.