THE LAND BILL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 113, 28 September 1912, Page 6

THE LAND BILL.

THE GOVERNMENT'S PROPOSALS. IMPORTANT CHANGES. (1! / Telegraph.—Own Correspondent). Wellington, Thursday. The first instalment of the Government's land policy was introduced in the House to-night in the form of the Land Laws Amendment Bill. J,t was briefly explained by the Prime Minister, and referred to the Lands Committee. It provides that where any land is nubdivided for a town the plan must be approved by the Governor, which means the Government. The Government penalty for a breach of this provision'is fixed at ;CIOO. This provision is in substitution for section Hi of the Consolidated Act of 1008. LAND HOARD MEMBERS. The payment of members of land boards while on duty is to he raised from 10s to 15s per day. UNIFORM ARBITRATION SYSTEM. Where matters are referred to arbitration the provisions of the Arbitration Act will apply, and the referenee will | be to two arbitrators, one appointed by ; each party, wdio will pay their own costs. The cost of the appointment of the urnI pire will be paid equally by the parties. PREFERENCE AT THE BALLOTS. All landless applicants who have withI in the previous two years competed at least twice unsuccessfully at any other J land ballot, either under the Land Act I or the Land for Settlement Act, are to be given preference at subsequent bal- ) lots until they become successful. RENT REMISSION.

With regard to the remission of rent the Bill provides that where any Crown tenant is unable, through any natural disaster or other sufficient cause, to pay his rent, the Minister may, on the recommendation of the Board, and on being satisfied that it would be reasonable and equitable to afford relief, postpone the payment of not more than one year's rent to a date to be determined. In such a case the tenant will not be allowed to transfer his holding until he has paid the whole of his rent. The provision will apply to existing as well as future leases. ENDOWMENT LAND EXCHANGES.

The Bill also provides that the Governor (which is the Government) may, whenever he deems it expedient in the public interest to do so, exchange national endowment land for any other land of approximately equal value, and on any such exchange he may pay or receive by way of equality of exchange any sum not exceeding ten per cent, of the estimated value of the endowment land. LIMITATION EXCEPTIONS.

Power is also given to any person who already holds the prescribed maximum area to acquire an additional area up to five acres, where, it is for a purpose beneficial to the public. This, the Prime Minister explains, is to meet the requirements of dairy companies in regard to factory sites. The limitation of areas provisions in the Act of 1908 are not to apply to land set apart for roads or for dairy'and other factories, or land received by a local body by way of exchange, or for any public purpose. This provision will also apply to all interests acquired since November 28, 1907, the date of the passing of the Land Laws Amendment Act, 1907. PASTORAL RUNS.

Any pastoral runs may bo classified by the Board as small grazing runs, and the area of such runs is limited to a maximum of 15,000 acres. The rent will be fixed by the Board, and the land will be opened for lease on application. Proyision is also made for the setting aside of unoccupied pastoral land as grazing areas, and the Government is to be empowered to resume any area not exceeding 300 acrra of land comprised in a pastoral license for such purpose.

SMALL GRAZING RUNS. Another provision regarding pastoral runs is that the Board may, during the last two years of the lease, require the tenant to divide the run into three equal parts, and so work it that stock shall not be allowed to depasture in one of such parts in rotation between September 1 in each year and the last day of February in the following year. Further, the Minister may, on the recommendation of the Board, decide that on the expiry of the lease of a small grazing run it shall be disposed of by way of renewable lease, and given his choice of selection by allotment, besides receiving the value of his improvements as on the other allotments. If he does not accept a renewable lease he will be paid the full value of his improvements, and the value of any of the rights of renewal, the latter to be determined by arbitration.

,NE\V SUBDIVISION SCHEME. An important provision is one under which the Minister is empowered to agree with an owner of private land for subdivision for settlement purposes. Such an agreement must provide for the subdivision of the land by a surveyor appointed by the Minister and defining such roads, bridges and improvements as the surveyor considers necessary or expedient. When that is done the land is to be offered for sale or for lease with the right of purchase, the reserve price being agreed upon between the Minister and the owner. In the ease of sale a deposit not exceeding 10 per cent, must be paid, and the balance is to be payable by annual instalments, extending over a period of not less than ten nor more than twenty years, with interest at a rate not exceeding 5 per cent, oil the unpaid purchase money. In the case of a lease with right of purchase the term will be twenty-one years, the land to be purchasable at any time, and the rent is to be fixed on a basis not exceeding 5 per cent, of the capital value. The holder of such an allotment will not be allowed to purchase or lease any other allotment of the same land, and it will not be competent for him to sell or transfer his section until he has paid at least half the purchase money. Where such an agreement as outlined above is entered into between an owner and the Minister the Minister may advance the money required to subdivide the land, and it is tn be repaid in a time to be fixed, with interest at the rate of at least 4 per cent, per annum, the amount so-expended being a first charge on the land.

CAPITAL VALUE REDUCTION. Dealing with land for settlements, the Dill provides that the Minister may, on the recommendation of the Land Board, reduce the capital value of an allotment which has been unselected for more than a .year after it became available for selection. LAND FOR SETTLEMENT. Land hereafter acquired, or not selected at present, may, if the Minister so determines, be sold, the capital value being fixed by the Minister under the terms of the original Act. FREEHOLD FOR RENEWABLE LEASES. It is also provided that the holder of a renewable lease of settlement lands may, at any time during the currency of his lease, if he has complied with its conditions, acquire the freehold of his holding at a price equal to the nature of

the land at the time of purchase, less | the present value of the lessee'.-, interest] in the unexpired term of his lease, and j the value of his improvements. Vlic price is to he fixed hv valuation or arbitration. No tenant, however, will be entitled to acquire the freehold of his holding of settlement land if that requisition would bring the area of land held by him to more than 300(1 acres. Further. ■no person who holds any settlement land mav acquire any further area of settlement hind. Settlement land in a township not .-.elected within a your may be leased for grazing purposes, the lease to be determined at three months' notice.