LEASE OR FREEHOLD?

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 475, 3 October 1928, Page 16

LEASE OR FREEHOLD?

ANCIENT CONTROVERSY GIVEN A RUN REFORM’S “PUT-AND-TAKE” (THE SUN’S Parliamentary Reporter) WELLINGTON, Tuesday. The ancient freehold v. leasehold controversy was given a brief airing in the House of Representatives last evening on the appearance of the Auckland University Amendment Bill, but the debate was nipped in the bud by the chairman's ruling that the subject at issue would not permit discussion of abstract principles. The purpose of the Bill briefly is to permit the sale of a rurl endowment belonging to the Auckland University, but wider questions than this were quickly introduced. Mr. W. S. Glenn recommended that all education endowments on pastoral land should be sold, as tens of thousands of acres, particularly those which were on 21 years lease, were approaching the stage at which they would quickly deteriorate. Tenants naturally did not worry about the condition of land when their terms had nearly expired. The result of this deterioration was that income from these endowments waS becoming less and less. Therefore, whenever land could be sold and the money reinvested that should be done. The revenue would then be doubled.

Sir Joseph Ward claimed that the old Liberal Government, by its land policy, had done more than its successors in placing men upon the land. Mr. D. Jones said that Sir Joseph Ward was carefully avoiding facts and figures. Between 1912 and 1922 the Refrom Government placed new settlers on 6,000,000 acres of land. That was in 10 years. Could Sir Joseph Ward’s old party produce as - equally good a record, even in its 18 years of office. Mr. F. F. Hockly, Chairman of Committee, said that he could not allow the debate to take the form of a general discussion on land policy. Mr. T. M. Wilford said that he would like to have replied to Mr. Jones by describing Reform’s policy as one of

“put-and-take,” mostly “take,” but the chairman would not allow him. (Laughter.) He thought that most educational endowments would have been better sold years ago, and the proceeds reinvested in city real estate.