MR NEWMAN’S BILL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 1038, 2 September 1911, Page 4

MR NEWMAN’S BILL.

(Christchurch Press.) Mr E. Newman’s Bill providing for an alteration in the constitution of Land Boards deserved a better fate than being killed by an amendment introduced iuto it by the Lauds Committee at the instigation of the member for Christchurch South. At present Land Boards are composed of three Government nominees and one elected representative of the tenants. Mr Newman sought to give the tenants better representation by enabling them to elect two members, the nominated members being reduced to two. On Mr Ell’s motion the .Lands Committee decided that the proportions should be four Government and two elected members, and as this would mean increasing the size of the

Boards, involving further expenditure, the measure went beyond the limits of legislation which may be proposed by a private member. Mr Newman’s contention that the single representative of the tenants could not, in view of the size of the areas governed by Laud Boards, exercise adequate supervision over the interests which he had to safeguard was thoroughly sound, and it was not invalidated by Mr Buddo’s assertion that only one-third of the tenants take the trouble to vote for their representative. They would probably take much more interest in the matter if their man was not so greatly outnumbered. The interests of the State would be quite safe in the hands of two Government members and the Commissioner, and though much of the work done by Land Boards is of a formal and routine nature, there is plenty of scope for the exercise of individual judgment by persons knowing the conditions of the tenants. The latter have now another grievance against the party of which, in this matter, Mr Ell was the agent.