THE LAND BILL.

Digger (Invercargill RSA), Issue 33, 29 October 1920, Page 4

THE LAND BILL.

SOME OF ITS PROVISIONS. The Land Laws Amendment Bill, int*o. duced in the House of Representatives Last week, proposes to amend the law relating to exchanges of national endowraent land for other land. The Land Act, 1912, provided that national endow7ment land might be exclianged for other land of approximately equal value, the cash payment by way of equality of exchange not to exceed 25 p,er cent. of the value of the endowment land. Section 17 of the Bill proposes to omit the reference to "approximately , equal value" and to permit the payment of "any sum by way of equality of exchange." The Land Laws Amendment Act of 1915 made provision for the remission of rent ( in the case of disabled soldiers up to six month,s after djscharge from the 1 forces. The Bill proposes to extend the provision in the cases of lessees or licensees "who may be wholly or partially disabled by reason of their military gervice."

The clause of the Bill dealing with the order of preference at ballots under ihe Land Act was misunderstood when the Bill was introduced on Friday night. 'The four classes of applicants named— (1) landless applicants with dependent children, (2) landless applicants who have been twice unsuccessful at ballots, (3) applicantg who served overseas v/ith the Expeditionary Force, and (4) applicants who served overseas with other forces and were bona fide residents of New Zealand before tlie war — are to have preference equally over all other classes of applicants. It appears that the four groups are to meet on equal terms at the b-allot. The Bill makes lengthy provision for investigationg with reference to land al-

leged to have been acquired in contravention of law. The provision is to cover the acquisition, whether before or after the eommencement of the Act, of any estate, right, title, or interest in Crown land, native land, or private land. "Wrongful acquisition" ineans acquisition is such manner or by such methods "as to contravene any provision of any statute relating to Crown land, native Land, or private land, and incindes the making or procuring or being party to making any f alse declaration." The Government may appomt comrnissioners to make any investigations that are considered to be required. These commissioners will have the powers of a conimission of inquiry. No person is to be excused from giving evidence df privilege or on the ground that he might incriminate himself, but a witness who answers fully and faithfully is to be entitled to a certificate of indemnlly from tbe commissioners.