THE LAND BILL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXIX, Issue 3776, 15 October 1907, Page 3

THE LAND BILL.

♦- FI,AX LEASES. In the House last night the Land Bill was further discussed in committee. Clause 40 of the Bill provides— • . . The Board may, with the approval of the Minister, lease by auction, for growing, cutting or removing flax, any area not exceeding 2000 acres, for a term not exceeding fourteen years, at such upset yearly rental as may be determined b} 7 the Board. The Minister of Lands explained that within the next few years the State would be expending between ,£60,000 and ,£70,000 on the Piako swamp before the Government’s scheme in regard to the drainage of that property was finished. Experiments conducted there in the growing of flax had been phenomenally successful, and the flax was doing remarkably well. He had no hesitation in saying, if his anticipations were realised as a result of the draining of the Piako swamp, that the centre of flax production would shift from Manawatu to Auckland. As the Government proposed to spend a large sum of money, it was deemed advisable to introduce legislation in regard to the disposal of leases. He believed that they would be able to farm these flax areas just as any other farms, and make it a permanent industry. With reference tg the revenue to take the place of the royalties, he desired to point out, in reply to members’ questions, that this clause only dealt with leases granted of the lands, where there were no royalties, but rates paid. He suggested that no alteration be made in the system pr.-p:s:d in view of the fact that the State was embarking on this big enterprise, which, if successful, might be applied to other parts of the country, and it would be well to first of all see where the} 7 stood financially. He was fully confident of the result. In regard to Piako, he believed it would be found in connection with the cultivation of flax that the road question would be reduced to a minimum. The roads would run down at right angles to the river, and in nearly all cases to the mills. The flax would be taken down tram-lines to small jetties and thence by boat to the mills ; boats could navigate the Piako river for something like thirty miles and the fibre could be taken right from the door of the mills to the Auckland wharf, conditions which did not exist anywhere else in New Zealand, Mr Poland moved to increase the term of lease from 14 to 21 years. —Lost by 46 votes to 20.

Subsection 2 of this clause provides that on the expiration of a lease a new lease may be granted to the former lessee, to which Mr Massey moved to add the words, “of the whole or part of such area.”—Lost by 45 votes to 19.

Mr Massey moved that, instead of the Board determining the rental of a new lease, it be fixed by arbitration. —Lost by 48 to 18.