C—4b

LAND COMMISSION.—NUMBER AND OCCUPATION OF WITNESSES AND OTHER DETAILS. Summary of Opinions of Witnesses on the various Heads of Reference. Occupation of witnesses — Farmers, 711. Road Engineers, County Clerks, &c, 14. Members of local bodies, M.H.R.s, _c, 38. Commission agents, merchants, &c, 17. Storekeepers, tradesmen, &c, 68. Gum-diggers, miners, &c, 17. Village settlers, market-gardeners, &c, 22. Civil servants, 41. Solicitors, surveyors, osc, 20. (1). The constitution of Laud Boards: Favour nominative system as at present, 205. Greater discretionary powers should be given Boards, 48. Nominative as at present, but County Councils should act as advisory Boards, 1. Favour partly elective system, 53. Land Boards should be abolished, o. Auckland District too large, 2. Administration of lands should be placed in hands of local bodies, 6. Number of members of Land Boards should be increased, 27. Court of Appeal against decisions of Land Boards should be set up, 5. Favour elective system, 75. Elective system impracticable, 3. Crown tenants should be represented on Land Boards, 36. Members of Land Boards should be practical men, 3. Boards have too much power in regard to forfeiture, &c, 3. Members of Board should be nominated by local bodies, 1. Present system unsatisfactory, 3. Canterbury Land District too large, 4. Miners should be represented on Land Boards, 1. (2.) The tenures upon which lands may be obtained and occupied, and whether in the interests of the colony any alteration of the law is desirable: Favour option of purchase as desirable sentiment and in interests of settlement, 223. Favour option of purchase for financial reasons and security of tenure, 264. Advocate deferred-payment system, 79. Advocate occupatioii-with-right-of-purchase tenure, 48. Option of freehold at original valuation, 19. Cash purchasers should make same improvements as oecupation-witk-right-of-purchase tenants, 1. Object to revaluation, 104. Favour periodic revaluation, 47. Favour leasehold generally, 37. Favour lease-in-perpetuity tenure, 147. Lease-in-perpetuity lease too long, 7. Option should be given for ordinary Crown lands, but not for lauds under Land for Settlements Act, 8. Small-grazing-run leases unsatisfactory, 3. Pastoral tenants should be given longer leases, 23. Tenants should be allowed to pay off portion of capital value, 19. (3.) Whether Crown tenants labour under restrictions inimical to their well-being, and unnecessary in the interests of the State: Restrictions should be abolished, 9. Cropping regulations unnecessary, 24. Restrictions, &c, satisfactory, 26. Cropping restrictions should be relaxed, 61. Cropping restrictions should be relaxed in discretion of Land Boards, 10. Runholders should be allowed to cultivate for winter feed, 19. Pastoral tenants should receive compensation for improvements, surface-sowing, <fee, 25. Miners should compensate farmers for loss of land, &c, 5. (4.) Whether the residential conditions now existing are too exacting, and require relaxing, and, if so, in what direction: Should be modified where no roads, schools, &c, 82. Advocate improvements in lieu of residence, 13. Residence should also apply to freehold, 9. Conditions should be strictly enforced, 32. Residence on occupation-with-right-of-purchase holdings should be for shorter period, 8. Residence conditions satisfactory, 11. Residence by substitute should be sufficient, 3. Married man and his wife should be considered as one in regard to residential conditions, 1.

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