LAND LAWS.

Taranaki Daily News, 22 October 1920, Page 5

LAND LAWS.

IMPORTANT CHANCES. PREFERENCE AT THE BALLOT.. ACQUIRING: NATIONAL ENDOW* MENTS. *y Telegraph.—Ptesi Association"Wellington, Last Night. In the House of Representatives tonight, the Hon. D. H. Guthrie moved the Becond reading of the Land Laws Amendment Bill. In doing so Mr. Guthrie said that the point of greatest importance in, the Bill was the question of granting the freehold to certain classes of tenants to whom it had been deprived in the past. The Bill was, in his opinion, a great advance on existing legislation, as would be evident as he explained the measure clause by clause. I In future town and suburban Crown lands sold would be disposed of for either cash or on deferred payment. In the past these sales had been for cash. An important scale of preference at land ballots was set out in clause 4 as follows: (1) Landless applicants with one or more children; (2) landless applicants who twice within two years had been unsuccessful at ballots; (3) applicants who served beyond the seas in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force; (4) applicants who served in the war, though not in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force, if prior to the war they were bona fide residents of New Zealand. Clause 11 dealt with national endowments, and in this connection he was bringing down in committee an amendment which to some extent would modify the Bill. It was the policy of the country that nine million acres be set apart from time to time as national endowment. That limit had now been passed, for we had 9,019,000 acres under that head. Out of this surplus of 19,000 acres he proposed to take 10,000 acres and settle them under the homestead system.

[ He proposed, when in committee, to make an amendment which would give the right of the freehold to holders of national endowment land. Under the Acts of 1902 and 1908, freehold granted under the homestead system was at present-day values, but he wished to make it clear that it was not proposed to take from, a national endowment anything that belonged to it. The money derived from the acquirement of these freeholds was to be invested by the Minister of Finance and the Minister of 'Lands in other lands increasing in value, as, for instance, suburban lands.

Clause 23 revived the right of acquiring the freehold on the part of holders of lea6e-in-perpetuity sections under the Land Laws Amendment Act, 1913, and this right would remain open for five years. This concession was now given because during the war it had not been possible for many settlers to take advantage of the privilege owing to the tightness of the money market. In the meantime, the privilege formerly existing had lapsed, and he thought it only fair that it should be revived as proposed.

After describing a number of machinery clauses, he said he had dealt fully with all the contentious points in the Bill, and he trusted that while they might have differences of opinion on various aspects of the measure, members would unite in an endeavour to make the law a marked advancement on the present legislation. So far as Hie question of freehold, versus leasehold was concerned, he hoped there would be no lengthy debate, but that members would come to a speedy division and let the matter be decided one way or the other.

Mr. W. T. Jennings (Waitomo) maintained that land aggregation and dummyism were going on in spite of the efforts of the Government to stop it. Generally, however, he supported the Bill. *

Several members denounced the Bill as an attempt to destroy national endowments.

! Mr. G. Mitchell (Wellington South) j contended that the Bill did not do justice to returned soldiers, who were a long way from being satisfied now. He also thought the settlement privilege* should be open to South African veterans. He also objected to interference with national endowments. The Minister, in reply, thanked the House for the spirit in which the Bill had been received. The Bill was then read a second time. The House went into committee, and the short title was passed and progress reported.