THE LAND BILL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXVIII, Issue 3718, 6 October 1906, Page 3

THE LAND BILL.

Sir Joseph Ward sent the following tebgram to all newspapers : - a The new Xiand Bill as it emerged - f rom th(j committee contains several very important amendments. Taking the Bill ms a whole, the position is as follows In regard to the setting aside of national endowments, the area set aside includes all Crown lands remaining unsold or nnselected under the deferred payment occupation, with right of purchase, lease-in-perpetuity, or perpetual lease systems at the time of the coming into operation of the Act. Lands for settlement lands, however, are not included. The only lands which will remain outside of the endowments will he lands for settlement lands, and lands hereafter to be pur chased from the natives. No alterations have been made in the former provisions dealing with the setting aside of the land for educational, hospital and charitable aid, and old age pension purposes. All payments in the way of royalties, license tees and other sums of money, which have been fixed by Act of Parliament to be paid local authorities, or public authorities, of any kind i.i connection with Crown lands, still require to be paid although the land becomes an endowment, and provision is also made for the Local Bodies Loans Act, 1901, to apply, so that money may be obtained lor reading and bridging the country and charged against the blocks that are being opened up. “ Thirds ” are paid to local bodies as in the case of former leases and lor the same length of time. All endowments save pastoral country lands, and all lands for settlement lands are to he disposed of under the renewal leases. The other Crown lands, such as purchased native lands, are to be disposed of under the optional system, but they will no longer be open for cash occupation with right of purchase and lease in perpetuity but merely on option between occupation with right of purchase and renewable lease. 1 lie provision regarding the renewable lease for fif> years, with renewal lor another Cif> years remain as before. 1 he machinery clauses dealing with the cod of the first term remain practically as befoic, as also do the provision to the surrender of lease-in-perpetuity, perpetual lease and deferred payment licenses. Practically any of the tenancies may he converted into renewable leases. ' The former provisions which allowed renewable lease holders to pay off from 50 to <j ) per cent is now extended to the lease-in-perpetuity. The lease in perpetuity holders of the colony will, whether under the Lands for Settlements Act or on ordinary Crown lands, now be able to pay off up to g 0 per cent of the capital value ana thereby reduce the rent to one-tenth. When •jthjs reduction takes place the lease-in-perpetuity holders will hold for 999 years free of all convonants and conditions of the lease, excepting the old condition of residence for the whole period of the leases. This practically creates the ggg years into freehold at the original value. The provisions of the Bill, which were devised to enable residents of towns to take up land without having lo reside thereon during the first few years, requite to be attended to by Parliament before they become law. Extensive additions have been made to the conditions providing for the limitation of private estates m land. A list of holders owning or being lessees of £50,000 worth of land is to be gazetted. The following exemptions are made :—Trustees, persons on corporations holding tor the public, local government, educational, charitable or religions purposes, the Public Trustee and the Official Assignee. Only land outside cities and boroughs is taken into consideration. This list, when fixed, remains for ten years, at (he end of which time, if the owner is still on the list, a portion ol his property is sold by the Minister sufficient to reduce the value of the balance to a sum of loss than £50,000. Any person on the list, who sells the excess portion of his property, can get his name taken off the list. Provisions are introduced to prevent evasions ol the law. Every person whose name is on the list when selling land has to make adeclaration that he is not retaining any beneficial interest in it, but he is allowed to retain a mortgage for twothirds of the purchase money. This mortgage, however, does not allow him to buy in under the Registrar ot the Supreme Court, if the Minister at the end of the ten yeass has to enter and sell. The s do has to bo by public auction and on the deferred payment

principle covering a period of 10 years. The property having been sold, the proceeds are to be paid by the Minister to the Public Trustee to the credit qt the owner. Where the excess is a lease the tenant’s interest alone is sold. , . Passing from the £50,000 provisions then follow provisions which prevent anyone accumulating large estates. The old area limit of 1000 acres is abolished and its place is taken by a limit of £15,000 unimproved value. Every person buying land or leasing land, or receiving land by way of a 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. The Bill exempts lessees or licenses of Crown lands, being pastoral land or small grazing runs, mortgages where the mortgage was executed before the coming into operation of the Act Mortgagees may purchase through the Registrar of the Supreme Court without making the above declaration, but in the case of mortgages made after the coming into operation of the Act, the mortgagee, if he purchases a property and registers his title, must dispose of it within two years. If he does not do so lhe registration of his title is cancelled. AH contracts for the purchase or lease of land made before the Act came into operation are exempted if approved oi by the Supreme Court. Small grazing runs and pastoral lauds arc to be disposed of as formerly. The provisions regarding the regulations remain un changed except that those relating to classification arc struck out. In the repeal clause provisions are added to protect the New Plymouth Harbour Board Endowment Act. The old schedule which set out the acreage limit is now struck out.