THE LAND BILL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXIX, Issue 3769, 29 August 1907, Page 3

THE LAND BILL.

Members have been showing considerable anxiety to learn whether the Government intends fighting any of the amendments made in the Land Bill by the Lands Committee, and a Times reporter interviewed the Hon. R. McNab, Minister of-Lands, in the hope of hearing something on this important subject. The impression he gained was that the amended Bill will go before the Heme with the support of the Ministry, the Government being quite satisfied with the shape into which it was moulded by the united wisdom of a committee representing every interest and also every part *f the colon v.

The Government will not endeavour to reinstate the tendering proposal. “ I feel myself that the sendering was tke better plan, laid Mr McNab. “but I realise that the feeling of the House is against it, though it was only proposed as a means of eliminating the evil effects- of the ballot. However, we have gone more into the preference question, going further in this direction than even the Lands for Settlements Act in eliminating the undesirable, so that in that way we have tried to meet the ‘ dummy ' evil.” The Minister briefly explained the preference plan. “You first divide the applicants into landless and otherwise. In dealing with the landless you teke out of them the married men with children, widowers with children, widows with children, and married women with children judicially separated from their husbands. We take out of this class again those who within the previous two years have twice competed unsuccessfully in land ballots, so the eliminating process is such that in order to get any person to ‘ dummy ’ for him, the speculator must select a married man with a family, who must live two years on the land before a transfer can be allowed. Not much possibility of going down the street and getting all your friends and acquaintances to come to the ballot and help you ?” The change in regard to the terms of compulsory purchase were due to the Government’s initiative. Mr McNab said the original proposals were somewhat awkward, inasmuch as after a certain limit was passed the scale of compensation was lowered. The Bill went through committee with the old plan in it, but leave was given on the last day of sitting to recommit, for the purpose erf altering it to the two scales of ten per cent, for the first. ,£50,000, and five per cent upon the residue if an estate if of greater capital value than £50,000. The addition of a number of other new clauses is due to the fact that although they were prepared when the Bill went before the House for the first time, they had only been finally revised at that time, and to have inserted them would have meant delay in circulating the interesting measure. The clause by which a is able to put on record the condition of his land and the improvements made was the result of a lengthy discussion in committee, as a result of which the Minister proposed it as a part of the Bill. , , “ There is no doubt,” declared the Minister, summing up the situation, “that the Act will be of enormous benefit in meeting the modern forms of ‘ dummyism. One point in regard to the committee which particularly struck me was the disinclination to extend facilities to people in towns who want land, but will not reside upon it. This was very marked. Although there is a clause in the Bill modifying residence conditions under certain circumstances, nothing would be operative until regulations were laid on the table of the House, after which they would be referred to a committee. The feeling of the Lands Committee was that while we had men who were prepared to go on the soil with their families, the other class who like to own and not to live on the land could receive consideration later. The man with a family who is going into the back country will receive a big start now under this Bill.”