Land in Sight.

Manawatu Herald, Volume III, 28 April 1891, Page 2

Land in Sight.

The above is the name of a small . , work published by Mr W, B. Percival, M.H.R. It purports to give a resume of the land acts, land settlement conditions, and the new land regulations. It will be no doubt of of use in letting people know what might have been had the old system been adhered to, but the hew regulations stop a lot of settlement. The new regulations concerning the establishment of Village Homestead Special Settlement Associations, sets out, that the Association shall not consist of less than twelve ; the land can only be held on perpetual lease for 80 years, and afterwards for subsequent terms of 21 years. The capital value of the land is in no case to be less than £1 an acre, and no allotment shall exceed fifty acres. The conditions of the Farm Homestead Special settlements, also provide that the land can only be obtained on perpetual lease, and no married woman shall be eligible as a selector. No allotment is to exceed 320 acres. No person who has an interest in any land of more than one acre in extent shall be eligible as a selector. Transfer of holdings can only be effected with the consent of the Commissioner of Crown Lands. If the Government please they can set out for sale land on deferred payment, but they actually refuse to encourage any special settlements. The title appears appropriate, the land is in sight, but unobtainable under conditions by which the settler could convert it into a freehold. Mr Percival has appended some very valuable statistics at the end of this small volume, which further tends to show how mistaken any Minister is, who by any means stops the development of the country. In 1881 the valuo of agricultural exports, which include^ :; wool, Jrieat, butter, cheese and grain totalled to £8,942,459, and in 1890 had risen to £6,603,844. Surely it little matters to the State who the owner of the land is, if they obtain the products, but to the tillers it is of much consequence, though it may only be a sentiment, as to whether the land is their property or not. We believe that leasehold is better than freehold, but for all that would rather a settler had a freehold, if he desired it, and on the terras most convenient to himself, rather than that he should not go upon the soil. We do trust that there is not a long period tdS wait, when the reversion to tl^^id conditions will be permitted. The volume is to be obtained very cheap, the price being fixed at sixpence. It is printed and published by E. Norton Taylor, of Christchurch, and is a very creditable piece of

3 woru.