COMPOSITION OF LAND BOARDS

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10404, 26 August 1911, Page 4

COMPOSITION OF LAND BOARDS

Mr E. Newman, member, for Maiiaawtu, has tmoivailingly endeavoured to convince the Governmenit that It3i© coimpositioini of Land Boards "Sis not what it should he. The chief fiumo/bion of these Boards, it must be reimemibered', is to administer the various Land Acts, and to dieiai with Crowin tenants. Under the. Govemimient nominee system, mien, are £requently appointed to these Boards wh!o have about a® mucih knowledge of land laertrtJiemient, and of the, disabilities <of Grown tenants, bjs they ihaivie of the mam in, the, moon. In these cd!rcu.mistaincesi is ia not' surprising tihat most egregious blunders are oaaasionally made.. A year or* two back the Government recognised that Crown, tenants were entitled fro representation on the Boardls, and gave them the privilege) of selecting on<e iroemiber. Most pieoplte will agree thlat this is ,quite an inadequate rep-: resientatiion. There 'should ibe at least! two representatives of the tenants) on itbie Baard to .secure .anything like fair play for those holding leases froimi the Crown. There is very little complaint ctoncierning the loompoiaiition of the Wellington Board, though it ? was mot alwayis as robust as at pnesiant. The isystem' of .placing the admimiistration of the various Acts in the hiandlsi of men whose chief claim to the position, is their fidelity to' the Liberal cause is, however, /emphatically wrong.