THE NEW LAND BILL.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8252, 5 October 1906, Page 5

THE NEW LAND BILL.

(Per Government Momo.)

The new Land 8i11,..as it emyrges from the Committee, contains several very important amendments. Taking the Bill as a whole the position is as follows: in regard to the setting aside of national endowments the area set aside includes all Crown lands remaining unsold or unseleuted under the deferred payment occupation with right of purchase, leasa-in-perpetuity or perpetual leasu systems at the time of the coming into operation of the Act. Land for settlements lands, however, aie not included. The only lands which will remain outside of the endowmentwill te the lands for sattlomeus lands and lands hereafter to be purt chased from the natives. No alterations have been made in the former provisions dealing with the sotting aside of the land for educational, hospital and charitable aid and old age pensions payments, in, the »ay of royalties, license fees and other sums of money which have been ; fixed by Act of Parliament to be paid to local authorities or public authorities of any kind. In connection with Crown Jease provision is also made for the Local Bodies Loans Act, 1901, to apply to that. Money may be obtained for roading and bridging the country, to be oharged against the blocks that are being opened up. Thirds are paid to local bodies as in the case of former leases, and for the sarau length of time. All endowments save pastoral ocuntry lands, and all lands for settlement lands, are to be di« posed of under the renewable leases. The other Crown lands, such as purchased native lands, are to be disposed of under the optional system, but they will no longer be open for cash occupation with right of purchase and leasv-in-perpetuity, but merely on optiou between occupation with right of pumhase and re- ( newable lease. The provisions reI garding the renewable lease being for 66 years with renewal for another 66 years remains aa before. The machinery clauses dealing with the end of the first term remain practically as before, as also do the provisions relating to surrender of lease-iu-perpotuity, perpetual lease and def ered payment licenses. Prao tically any of the tenancies may be converted into renewable leases, fhe former provisions which allowed : renewable lease-holders to pay off | from 50 per oent. is now exteidod to the lease-iu-perpetuity. Thelease-iu-perpotuity holders of the colony will, whether under tho Land for Settlements Act or on ordinary Crown lands, now ba able to pay off up to 90 per cent, of the capital value, and thereby reduce the rent to one-tenth. When this reduction takes place the lease-ln-perpetuity holder will hold for 99 years, free of all covenauta and conditions of the lease, excepting the old conditions of residence for the whole period of the lease. This practically creates the 999 years' freehold at the original value. The provisions of the Bill, which were devised to enable residents of towns to take up land wthout having to reside thereon during the first few years, require to be attended to by Parliament before they, become law. Extensive additions have been made to the condtions providing for the limitation of private estates in land. A list Qf holders owning or being leasees of £50,000 worth of land is to be Gazetted. The following exceptions are made:—Trustees, persons or corporations holding for public, looal, Government, educational, charitable or leligious purposes, the Publio Trustee and the Official Assignee. Only land outside cities and boroughs is taken into consideration. Tnis list, when fixed, remains for ten years, at the end of which tiire, if the owner is still on the list, a potion of his property is sold by ton Miuister, sufficient to reduce the value of the balance to a sum of less than £50,000. Any person on tbo list who sells the excess portion out of his property cau get his name taken off the list. Provisions are introduced to prevent evasions of the law. l'Jvory person whose name is on the list selling land has to make a daolniation that he is not retaining any henefioial interest in it, but he it- allowed to retain a mortgage for two-thirds of the purchase money. This mortgage, however, doew not allow him to buy in under tho Registrar of tne Supreme Court. If the Minister at tha end of the ten years has to enter and sell, the sale has to be by public auction, and on the deferred payment principle covering a poriod of ton ycmrs. The property having boen sold the proceeds! are to dg paid by tho Minister to the Publio Trustee to the credit of tho owner. - Where the excess is a lease the tenants' interest alone is sold. Passing from the £OO,OOO provisions there follow provisions which prevent anyone accumulating large estates. Tbe old nrea limit of 1,000 acres is abolished and its place is taken by a vnlue limit of £15,000 on improved value. Every poison buying land or leasing land or receiving laud bv way of a gift must make a declaration that with the land ha buys, leases or receives as a gift be does not possess more than £15,000 worth. Jt does not, however, relate to bequests. They can be accepted. Tbe Bill exempts lessees or licensees uf Crown lauds being pastoral lunrt or small grazing rune. Where the mortgageo wns executed before the coming info operation of the Aot, mortgagees mt»y purchase through the Registrar of the Supreme Court without making the above value declaration, but in tho case of mortgages made after tho ( coming into operation of the Act, the mortgagee, if lie purchases a property and registers his title, must dispose of it withiu two years, if he does not do so the registration of his title ia cancelled. All contracts for the purchase or leaeo of land made be fore the Act came into operatiou are exempted if approvd of by the Supreme Court. Small grazing runß and pautoral lands are to be disposed of as furmorly. Tbo provisions regarding the. regulations remain unchanged except that those relating to classification are struck out in tho repeal clause. Previsions are added to protect tho New Plymouth Harbour Board Endowment Act. The old schedule whioh set out the acreage limits is now atruok out.