The Land Commission.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 7807, 27 April 1905, Page 2

The Land Commission.

(Per Press Association.) OHRISTCHURCH, April |26. The Land Commission resumed its sittings this morning. Donald Patterson, engineer to tho Selwyn County Council, did not regard co-operative labour as satisfactory ; duy labour with skilled supervision was more economical than either contract or co-opcratlvo labour.

Henry Williams, Crown Lands Ranger, stated that residence and building conditions should be strictly enforced. The grouping, system Was not satisfactory. Francis Yates, ex-Presidebt of tho Progressive Liberal Council, claimed that no more Crown Land should be sold, and that the present sy&; torn should lx» adhered to. These leases should be for 03 years with re-valua(ion every 21 years-. He considered the present lcase-in-perpotui-ty worse thnn freehold; The State was entitled to some of the unearned increment. If the option is given of nccmiring freehold the) land should be put tip to auction and tenauta compensated for improvements.

William Lowrie, Directos of Lincoln Agricultural College, considcrerod it would be better for the individual and the State if tho matter of cropping was left entirely lo tho discretion of t_he tenant. Exhausted land could easily be restored and exhaustive cropping was only ono bad feature of bud farming, and others were not included in cropping conditions. The tenant ought to be subject toi no restrictions in the conduct of this business.

Mr E. 0. Stavcley, manager ol the Loan and Mercantile, said the tendency an- the country was toward subdivision rather than the aggregation of large private estates. He believed tlnat n freeholder made better use of his land than a leaseholder, and that the State would be wise to allow its tenants to acquire tho freehold of their holdings.

Charles Lewis, 11.11.it., and Chairman of the Board of Governors of Canterbury College, said that tho Board let its reserves on a fourteen years' louse, with cropping resTrictions and valuation for approved improvements. The State 5)99 years' lease possessed no reversionary Interest o$ value. Harry Atkiinson considered that no Crown ,'lnnds should he sold". In future leaseholds should al intervals revert to the State, and bo made subject to revaluation. No traffic in leasehold lands should bo j permitted.' A system of co-opera-tive settlement should lie inaugurated for working the land and other industries, and a fair rent Court should bo established,

The Commission leaves for Wellington on Wednesday night and proceeds direct to Auckland where 'evidence *ill be taken in districts north of Auckland,