CROWN LAND LEASES

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 84, 18 July 1910, Page 5

CROWN LAND LEASES

COMPENSATION FOR IMPROVEMENTS. A WEAK SPOT. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Dunedin, Last Night At a meeting of the Land Board yesterday a petition was received from a number of runholders, stock and station agents and others interested in Crown lands held under lease for pastoral pur-, poses, under part li of the Land Act, ISJOB. Petitioners complained that, with the exception of rabbit-proof fencing, a lessee had no right to compensation for improvement, either against the Crown or the Land Board. The compensation payable for improvements other than the rabbit-proof fencing, was the amount ' of the valuation thereof, based on the value to the incoming tenant, but the weak point was that this right arose only in the event of the whole or a portion of a run being again let for pastoral purposes. Frequently a ran was cut up into small grazing runs, and in such cases compensation depended wholly on the will of the Board, subject to the 1 - *• Governor's approval. Petitioners asked ; that the law be amended so as to en- s title outgoing pastoral tenants to valuation for improvements in all cases.

After consideration the Board decided '' that lessees of pastoral runs should have a guarantee as to the valuation for improvements in all cases, and suggested that the Act be amended 'accordingly ', It was also of opinion that improvements should be valued by arbitration, and be paid for by the Crown' and charged to the incoming tenant by way of increased rent