NEW LAND PROPOSALS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 237, 12 November 1909, Page 4

NEW LAND PROPOSALS.

FREEHOLD FOR CROWN TEXAXTS. STATE'S INTERESTS SAFEGUARDED. NATIONAL ENDOWMENTS UXAIiTERED. ACQUISITION 01' NATIVE LAND. STATE PURCHASE (IE .CJuO.OOO WORTH ANNUALLY.

11l introducing his Bucket proposals ill tin' House of Representatives mi Weduc.s. (lav night. Sir Joseph Ward stated: 'As I intimated earlier in the session, hgislation "ill he introduced with a view 10%. more satisfactory settlement of the land question in Xcw'Zcnhind. The land question differs essentially fvom the same question in the Motherland. There, wl.-rc the soil is al st entirely in private hands, and llie Stale holds prai-ti.-allv no land- avaii.ihle for di-po.ition, Hi, question U mainlv one of taxation, ■is illustrated bv the iliidget now hcfniv the Imperial Parliament. Here, whci" Ihe Crown is owner of immense area;., and still holds great tenets of country j yet unalienated, the question i- not one of taxation imt of i.'ttlenient, tenure, and liniitiition of area, and affects Crown lands only. Tl is di-iruhle to keep Uii.distinction in view in considering the land proposals I am about to outline. These will impose no tax or other obli ■jiilion upon the existing rights of pri- : vale landed property. They tal;e from no nnin any interest he now possesses, (>■■ burden any land now leased or ae ijiiired from the Crown. Every man who now owns a freehold is entitled to it, and under no conditions would I lie Stale be justified in Inking anv step to weak|,n his freehold tenure.' \n dealing with Ihe disposal nf its lands the Stale should ohserve two great principles--first. su'ilaloliiy for clns o settlement must he pro moled and encouraged by every reasonaMe means: and second, the State must, in justice to its present and future people a;, a whole, reserve to them some pail of ;liat value which public expenditure will create in tile land it is now parting with to private hands. There is room lor a wide ditTerenc,. of opinion as to (lie extent to which Slate operations und private efforts respectively create values in hind, but while there may he Ibis difference as to degree, there surely can ' be no such difference as to the fact that 1 in a young and sparsely-peopled country like this, where such enormous national 1 development work is being done mainly 1 at the expense of the people as a whole, some Increase! value will be steadily

added li.v I lit' Stale operations |o 111.' iands il is parling with, ami of Unit in-fi-c-iisi-rl vain,. Ihe people arc cntill.-d Lo i\l. least a shave. The Si ale's righ 1 . Ip tile increasing unimproved value roughly van* willi (lie decree to wlii-h that increase is due to 111,, activities and agencies I have indicated, and this principle T have endeavored | 0 liiaiulain HiiouL'hmil niv land proposals. 'l'lu-o--wii! deal chiellv Willi -(a) nalional en ilnwrnont and it- income: (h| land-: which have alrea.lv been h'a-ed for will . ve.ir>. wl.olhcr iiriL'iniillv Cmwn l:iii.l----"i land acquired unler I lie Lands lor Sotllcmcllt Ael; (e) lands which have alnadyheeu leased upon (lie renewable Irasehohl system, whether original! / Crown lands or lands acquired under tii ( . U.nds for Settlement -Act; (d) remain in;.' Crown lands lying outside of th.. National Endownienl area: (o) Euronoan'lands acquired in future under the Lands for Settlement Ael: (f) Xulive lands now and hereafter acquired hy the Crown for European nottlenient: (a! limitation of arenas ~,,gards lml li owner ■ shin and oceupation: (li) reliales of lent; (i) small grazing runs: fj) the proceeds of pale of ordinai-v Crown bun!-.

X ATTOX AI, E X l)( > \V.\i KXT and disposition of its inconie.—l de-ire to say that no part of the nine million ocros'constituling the Xalional Endowment will be disposed of on anv term:, except that of leasehold. The i'ir.v.v.l,from these lands will he devoted a- at ]>rc?ent. save that nne-liftli of the income will be -el apart for higher eduea. lion, and this .sum will he u-ed for tile purposes of universilv collides al Auckland, Wellinglnn. '('liri-lclimvli. and Dr.ncuin, and propo-al- will he submilled in Parlianionl eliowitii; i ■■(■ method in which I hi.- i- lo he done. I luay say. for in-Uuit".'. willi regard lo Auckland t'niversity. tluil. il i- inlende.i to ulilis,. tlie present liovcrnnionl ]lmi-e

L'l'ouii.ls as a si(i. for a new iiniver.-ii i college, and tin.. Auckland I'niver-il.i'--hare of inonevs coming; from endowment land will he devoted lo provid salable biiibliiiL's. I will a-k 111,, lions, lo make Hie liecrs-arv provi-ion lo en a'l ( . Hiii (o be put in hand next year. lAXIIS ALREADY LEASED l-'Ol! '.m< YEARS.

11 i- widely asserted llllU tlu'-c lessees ciinc-lly desire eo convert their tenure in.io freehold, and J deem il tin: duly of the Stale In permit this if it ca i lie done without any material sacrilk-e 'if its permanent inl'Tcsts. The chief advantages to the State of tile present tenure are that it secures the cxi,-lin_i condition as lo limitation of urea and occupation. The value of a reversirei postponed for O'J'.l years is not, very appreciable, even where the. State is re ver-iouer. In my opinion llie conditions as to limitation of aTca and occupation can he ellectivelv safeguarded even under a jjranl of' freehold, as I shall I I nor show, and. this, beine; so. (he on!„ question left i-, what the JioldeV

of one of those leases for !)!>!> years pay for a title in fee-simple? I therefor" propose to offer tile Icasc-in-pcrpcluity tenant, whether of land originally Crown lands or of lands acquired under lix Lands for Solllcmcul Act. Hi,. Hire,, ioilowinj} option-:- la) To retain the L •niiio as it stands; (I,) to purchase the. freehold within a period of two year* at a price equal lo lh ; . oriu'inal vnlim'ion, plus one-half of the dill'crence licfwoen Unit and llie value of the unimproved value at i'lie date (if oxrjvisiuK the option; (c) to pnrcllu-e the free Imlil at the original valualion, subject lo live recurring charges in favor of 11k Crown- Hie first equivalent to one leiilh of (he increases ill the unimproved va'nc l»d«ceii ll.e dale of til,, lease and I llie expiration of llie firs! period of Inirfy lliree year-, and each thereafter equivalent to one lentil of the incrcasin unimproved values between the e\ "''•if ion "f each Mice liiifraud each in,, mediately preccdlne one „f Ihirlv-lhrce war-, the land |„ become an absolutely -i"linr-cd freehold at (he end of Hi';, y<ar» from (he dale of llie ha-e. The piiichasc-inoney for Mi,, fiv.di.dd nc.iv .„■ in-lalnienl of 25 pcFcdil. and liv pur n-Hil. of the halanee will, inlcrc'l al'l :•-,■ cenl. on the instalment, sislem pre vr.iMntr under tile Advances to Selller.-A:-ts over a period of thirl v-l luce veaiVith the ri;;ht t„ p.,,- „ir •„, „.]„',),, ,„. in part at any time. The*,, <-lian"c= will er-afe no personal liability on the part of the owner, but will he'a char"c ")•'■" I'"' I'l'id only, and be pavable '•i'l'cv iii cash or af the owner's opli.oi by -in-!-linen t over each siiececdin" period of Ihirlv-lhrce years, with iu ln-esl added at -I percent.

HK.XKWAIiLK LEASES OF OUUIX . AI!Y CIiOW.V LANDS. •

purchase of lands now held under lease-in-perpetuity.

RENEWABLE LEASES OF LAXD FOR SETTLE.MEXT LANDS.

Next, a-s regards the renewable luiises ui land for settlement lands. These teniinU have huh- the right l<> perpetual lease with let-lining Valuation ev.-ry thirty-three years, the term being halt onlj "(if the iei-in of renewable lease of I ovi'iin-.ivv Crown lands. It will lie ve- j membercd. furl her, that these lands ac- | q.i.red under the Lands for Settlement ' Art were in must cases inure or loss highly improved and ready for settlement, and much more fully furnished . tiian ordinary Crown lands with means , of communication and all other facili- | ties of civilisation. In connection with : these lauds, therefore, the Slate ha.; non, liv means of n veciivriug valuation , upon which each new rent is to he linked even- thirlv-fhrcc vears, secured to it practically 'ill,, whoie of the increase in [ unimproved value: My -purpose, therefore, in this eii-e was lo find -omc euui I valent ill a form of freehold Icnuiv | nhich would fnirlv secure to 111,. Slate | a reasonable -loirc of the unimproved ! va'ue. In I hc.se hind- I propose lonian!. ; !ii> freehold at the oriaiiinl vahr jus;, i a, in 111,. case of onlinarv Crown lands, hut with douhle the reeiirriiiL' eharu" ; that is i„ -ay. Iwo liflhs in-lead of liflli of Ihe increil-e in unimproved value.

EUUOIT.AX LANDS ACQUIRED IN FUTURE under Laud for Settlement Acts— Thes,. will be open for lease as at present, lint the fee-simple of land leased may be aeipiired upon the recurring charge system already explained. IiFM.UNINC. CROWS' LANDS OUTSIDE OF ENDOWMENT AREA. As Tcjards nrdinarv Crown lands not falling within the endowment, the pre -cut, optional system will continue. FUTURE ACQUISITION AND EUROPEAN SETTLEMENT OF NATIVE LANDS.

The legislation I propose lo inlioduec v,ill empower lite StuLe to acquire com- j pulsorily, if necessary, from th 0 Nat in' owners arras of Native la nil equivalent , to tlie value of £500,00(1 per annum, j an.l in order that the most convincing ' earnest should lie jiivcn to Parliament and Hi,, people of New Zealand that . llicsc forward movements will lie taken, ' I propose to ask Parliament to auieni' the Lands for .Settlement Act by inciensing the present amounts authorised for the purchase of lands to .11,000,000 per annum, (J.i 00.000 of which is lo aci|iiiri. Native lands each year to the value of the half a million. The lands when -so acquired will .be paid for out of the Lands for Sol (dement Account. Tliov will lie clns.-ilied into two classes, according to the degree of their improvements and their reinoleness from : eitlein.'iil. of the extent of labor in clearing, drainine, or otherwise bringing thim into .iiilivMtii.il. The class of ini].ilived lands will be held and dealt with in Hi. »i way'an European lauds—rc"i".\al ira-,l' wilh power to purchase, the fee simple upon (he rerun-in;' charge sy..|i'iii. The class •'unimproved lauds" will b,, di-noecd „f by the Stale under 11..' optional M-.-tem now applicable lo culinary Crown lands, but the proceeds from either lease or sale will be p.ii I i'.'.lo the Villus for Settlement Accouir. To,, present law as to Native Townships under existing conditions requires i'l'iendinjr, and the new Land Bill will provide for the purchase bv the Governi.ient of (he Native Townships, preserving the allotments set aside, in sucli um-n-diips for the .Maoris and now occupied by (lieni. and these will be (lisp"«ed of under a freehold Iniure on con. dilimis which I will submit in t'Jir. Land Ilill.

LIMITATION OF AURAS. The evil of aggregation still prevails, and drastic measures must be emploved to check it. Moreover, the law still* sillows 100 bug,, an area of Crown lands in be taken up by one person, and the piopos,.,i b'giplatiuii will therefore provide a limii of 4011 acres in respect of lirst class land. An ellcctivc provision will also be made against evasion by providing tl«it tluwc limitations sha 1 apply to an area to he occupied, and not merely to he owned. lIEP.ATF.S OF ISKNT.

The system of retailing 10 per cent. of Hi,, rent 'payable bv Crown tenants on prompt payiiiem wiil be used f,,,- the pwpnsc or lielping and encouraging seiih'i-s who iinderuilic the burden ,md r'siiiiiisibililies of rearing a family of children, it i~ recognised that it is one of the first duties of the Mate io en courage in every possible way this prineip'.il duly of 'citizenship, and 1 therefor,, propose that Ihe rebut,, on prumi't payment shall only be made in cases wll-rc n filler ), ils f,„„- ,„• more cllildi'Hi under the ng,. of sixteen vears. A Idle the demand for land on the pari of our adult people is so great, many of whom are carrying th,. responsibilities of wife and family, (he age at which applicants may become selectors of ,„• acfpiire land under our land laws should be raised. At present the age must be ""' 'e-s tl seventeen, and T prop,,.-." to provide that m> selector hereafter -hill he under the age of Iwentv-one vears.

SMALL nilAZtXi; IICNS. Prnvinon will be made for abolishin" Lie present right to perpetual renewal, of Miiall grazing runs, and in future ca;cs it is proposed that the right will be limited to one r enewal only upon revaluation at the end of the lii-st term. IT-'iiCLKDS Of SALE <>|,' ORDINARY

CROWX LANDS. Tn all cases where ; , -freehold is grant'■J ol existing unalienated Crown lan-.1-nnder nnder any of these land proposals, the l.de will be impressed with a reference !o limitations as to the area allowed to he owned or occupied. 1 am convinced ilial proceed* of th,. sale of such portion of the Xational estate as remains outside our Xational Endowment should ha devoted exclusively to the development of this country by means of public works. Therefore ] propose to provide that all surplus money received in respect of (he sal,, of the fee-simpl,. of Crown lands, whether now under lease or not, other than .Settlement Lands, shall be oaid into th o Public Account to the credit of -a separate account to be willed the Xational Development, Account, and that these moneys shall be applied only in lh ( . development of I'nis com,try b y roads, bridges, telegraphs, tceplmnes, railways, subject in each ea.-e to appropriation bv Parliament. I he proceeds of the leases and sales of Silllenieiit Lands -will, „f course -is kilherlo, |, e p , li( | ; llto th( , Um]s > . or Sctll-lnclll Aecoimt.