The Land commission.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 783, 29 March 1905, Page 2

The Land commission.

(Per Press AaaoeUMaa.) DUNEDIN, March 38. The Land Commission took evidence to-day at great lcngt*. John Roberts, a runholider since 1899, said it scorned unfair in reference to the ratearoa run that it should bo cut up into smaller holding*, and lit at a lower rental. This Government now received £407, and he had been paying £1097, arid wait prepared to pay higher for a renewal. It remained to be neon whether settlers would succeed if there was a slump in both wool awl sheen. lie declined to take high country. Ho had tried surface sowing on free. hold at Gtadbrook'. The cost was very great, As to the price he was asking for land at GladtorooV. he produced a sample of wheat which gave (H)} bushels of firsts and 4| bushels of seconds. If Hold at 9s 3d thut came t 0 £l9 10h 3d per acre. If a man wanted land at £9 per acre, capable of growing crops like that, he wanted to rob the wan who owned It. He thought prove. sion ought to be mode for a runhold t who had carried on operations for thirty or forty years; there were men who had no other land to divide among their sons and daughters, and surely they had a right to l)e considered when the properties came to be dealt with. Asked as lo what he would do with httfh country, witsvesri said hn ?hought there was some low land that could bo re-purchased when it could be profitably worked. Generally ho advocated giving the op> Won of freehold.

A< H. Barclay, BdlSoltor, gavcovfdonce as to the unearned Increment in the city, quoting instance* in the city. White. ( ?) „,,„„. h*! be^ ort »-ln«% *» cl » «•; ** 1885 it wag sold for £85,500. The section on which the Grand Hotel stood had been Crown granted In fßsi for £B9 10*; i* jgso iT waa let for 21 years at £i7i ß „„. „„, num for two, years, «nd£i»6s tati the remainder of the term, the tonant having to expend £2OOO in buildings. . ■«.,.»■,

Robert Ferguson, compositor. nv« evidence on behalf of the ]>boti» Party, emphasising that no freehold should be parted with : it w<ut nerting with the birthright of the pec

John Lethbrldge, manager fop. Dalgcty and Company, who leaned Morvcn Hills, said they wished to surrender, but Mr Mulr wouM no " accept. The rental waa £2750, and there had botn a low of 40,0001 sheep in the carrying capacity in «v cent years. The average muster of men engaged in raMMting waa IST Alfred Dillon Bell thought suffice ent consideration wa* not being glv* an to the runhoMer. Ida Valley had been held by his father, ami himself for 50 yearn. During that lime they had Riven up without a murmur all the land required for set* tlemcnt until now the 78.000 acm left would only carry 18,000 aheap. / They were relegated to the worst o* the country. They had never con* plained. Irtit the time came when the runhoMer felt he must go, and it was for the Commission to consider whether, on the principle* ot public policy, men who had not been bad settlers should be so Iruited. He had worked hard all hiw life, sometimes 14 hours per day; had no school near at hand, and wet doprived of many comforts and conveniences, and he was now relegated to the worst of his land to mak« a living on. The Commission proceed (o VaU mcrston and Oaniaru totnorrow. '