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The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR P.M. Resurrexi. SATURDAY, JULY 15, 1882.

By the " Land Act, 1877, Amendment Act, 1882 " Bill, it is propoied to introduce into the land laws of the Colony ft system .of leaning Grown Land" in perpetnity, and

the object of the'measure as stated in the memoranda prefaced to the bill, but not in tljjtfreamble of the bill, ia " to insure tbe acflHl settlement of the land." All, of coarse, will agree that the object is good, and it will also be universally admitted thai a proper system of leasing Crown Lands in perpetuity will be of vast benefit to the country. It is quite practicable, and the advantage to persons of small means especially is very great, for it leaves the occupier's capital free to work upon, instead of having it sunk in purchasing the freehold, while a lease in perpetuity is to I all intents and purpose as good as a free' hold. In considering this subject, it is well to keep distinctly before one's mind, those essential matters of principle, which ought to form the basis of such a system. The following are of essential importance in New Zealand :—l. The administration must be by local land boards elected by the people. Centralism, which is eating into the vitals of New Zealand in every direction, must be excluded, so that the system may not be used or abuaed for political ends. Subject to the provisions of the Act, these boards should have the absolute control within their respective districts, as to the classification of lands according to quality, and as to what land should be dealt with, and when and how. 2. The Act should declare the leases to be perpetual without periodical renewing. It should fix a standard of value for land according to class, and a standard per centage on value as rent, and it should also define the areas of land which may be held under lease. Parliament should periodically, say every 21 years, fix certain definite capital value per acre according to class or quality, first second, third or more, to be applicable all over the colony; also the percentage thereon which shall be for the next twenty one years payable as rent. There should also be a statutory form of lease containing reasonable improvement covenants and covenants for residence. 3. Boards should dispose of the land in the simplest manner possible. There should be no competition. Let a block of land be advertised for a fixed time, say a month or six weeks at, the capital value, and percentage as rent be stated in the advertisement and invite applications at those rents on a day and at an hour fixed. Let all the applicants or their agents attend at the office of the board to see the applications opened and examined, and if there happen to be two or more applications for the same lot, let every such lot be balloted for at once. The lessees should pay a half year or year's rent at the time and execute leases. 4. To prevent the accumulation of large areas of such land in the hands of any one person or body, tbe Act should declare and the leases should contain a corresponding covenant that the lease shall be ipto facto, absolutely forfeited without compensation if the lessee shall hold or occupy directly or indirectly for his own benefit at any one time within any land district more than the statutory area. The boundaries of the land districts should correspond with the boundaries ot the land registry district under the Land Transfer Act so that all dealings with land in any district may be easily ascertained. Any person whomsoever should be entitled to take action under the act and covenant to have a forfeiture declared. The original lessee, his assignees and sub-lessee, should each be bound by covenant to give notice to the board of every transfer or sub-lease of the whole or any part of the area in a lease within a fixed time prior to the execution of the transfer of sublease. The Act should also declare that every dealing with the land should be registered within a fixed time under pain of nullity. 5. Provision should be made for the case of the Crown re«entering for default in payment of rent or breach of covenant. In such cases, which probably would be very few indeed, an actual valuation of the property might be made, and on a re-letting the purchaser might be made to pay the difference between the standard and the improved value, the Crown accounting to the de< faulting tenants for such portion of the difference as may be reasonable. These appear to be the cardinal matters to be attended to in the framing of such a system, and it must be admitted by every unprejudiced person—by every person who has only the good of the Colony and its inhabitants in view—that a system of leasing on lines) like those above deduced, would enormously hasten the settlement of the country, and aid in its development and progress. There is perpetuity of tenure, and also perfect freedom of dealing with the land A stringent covenant for residence should be for safety inserted, but such would probably be found of not much importance from tbe simple consideration that actual residence would be almost a necessary result of such a system. The speculative element would be practically eliminated when Crown land could be had on the terms mentioned. Only the improving cultivator or occupier would profit; besides the areas would not be large enough to tempt large speculators. But the system should no be confined to Crown lands. All reserves for educational purposes, native reserves, and all native lands should come within its scope. These things want to be borne in mind before we examine the character of Mr Rolleston's land

legislation.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/THS18820715.2.10

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Thames Star, Volume XIII, Issue 4224, 15 July 1882, Page 2

Word count
Tapeke kupu
985

The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR P.M. Resurrexi. SATURDAY, JULY 15, 1882. Thames Star, Volume XIII, Issue 4224, 15 July 1882, Page 2

The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR P.M. Resurrexi. SATURDAY, JULY 15, 1882. Thames Star, Volume XIII, Issue 4224, 15 July 1882, Page 2

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