RECORD OF THE SESSION.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2698, 31 December 1909, Page 6

RECORD OF THE SESSION.

' 11. LAND FOR SETTLEMENTS ADM I-

NISTRATION

Under this Act all settlement land and moneys now vested in the Crown or in future acquired shall become vested in the superintendent under the Advances Act. Moneys raised under the principal Act shall be credited in reduction of the public debt. For the purposes of repaying the moneys, debentures (to be guaranteed by the Government) shall be issued and charged upon the assets of the superintendent. Not more than a million may be raised in any one year. Under the Act the areas that may be allocated are limited as follow:—First-class land, 400 acres; second-class land, 1000 acres; third-class land, 2500 acres, or 2500 acres of two or more such classes. The maximum area which may be leased to the owner of land acquired is reduced to 400 acres of first-class land or 1000 acres of mixed glasses. In order to give greater facilities for establishing homes and home farms for workers, land may' be acquired by purchase or exchange, but not by way of compulsory taking, within any borough having a population of not less than 1000 inhabitants, according to the latest census returns, and within a radius of; 20 miles from - the boundary' of such' borough. The land so acquired may be set apart for the purposes of the Workers’ Dwellings Act, or it may be leased to workers on the renewable lease system. There is a provision to the effect that every person who is successful in any, land ballot, who makes any disposition’of his allotment or any part of it, whether by way of assignment or sub-lease, shall be disqualified for five years from taking part in any land ballot tinder the Act. DEATH DUTIES ACT.

This. Act’ imposes two descriptions of duty, viz., death duty in respect of the estates of deceased persons, and gift duty in respect of gifts made by a person in his lifetime. Death duty is itself of two kinds, estate duty and succession duty. Estate duty is imposed on the aggregate value of the whole estate of the deceased after deducting debts and liabilities. It will be assessed at a graduated rate, rising from 1 per cent, in the case of estates of £SOO and over to 7 per cent, in tlie case of estates of £20,000, and increasing thereafter by increases of one-third per cent. * for every additional £SOOO until a maximum of 15 per cent, is i-eacbed. The rate of estate duty does not depend in any manner upon the persons who are entitled to the property under the will or intestacy of the deceased; it depends solely upon the total value of the This rule, however, is subject to the exception that the, value of interest Required by a. widow of the deceased nbt exceeding £SOOO is to be deducted from the final balance of the estate. Succession duty is imposed not upon thef aggregate property of deceased, but lipoft each separate interest taken in/ that'\property by the several who succeed to the estate, whether as legatees, devisees, or otherwise. The rate of the duty depends upon the relationship between the successor and the .£deceased. A widow, child, o grandchild pays no succession duty U' less.the value of the succession- excee £20,000, in. which case succession d afrAfpei 3 cent' is payable; a-man Succeeds to his wi-Vs property 2 per cent.; other re-ttfiws not remote Than a cousin, pay o per more remote relatives, ana.stra blood, pay 10 per those cases; if sion exceeds £20,000, duty at double those rates on above £20,000. No succes pavable on any property for any charitable, educ> ous, or other public pv i Zealand — + hat is to say rii\able trust” witlm meaniirgr -of that ter tates under \,£500 an tate duty, they.pay the same fanner Thus, if the aC 'f estate worth £so' blood, it will pay per cent.; but if dow or childre estate nor si leaves an est' - widow and c’ will pay es but no succ such an «• to a stra’ estate d sion du - ’ impose perso’ cepti

f/ t . 4 . cases claims for comp&niaiion may be filed in and have the difect or. an award of the Supreme Court/ On tlie hearing of any claim for conipen.- ation * it;;, shall not be lawful for tlie claimant to'tadduce evidence in relation to any matter not disclosed in th/> claim, uut he may; with the leave of the Court, amenda : his claim in any /partied, r. Connect- i ing railways not/exceeuing one mile in length are not to reqime 'die authority of a special Act. Land taken for roads, may be used for a railway. Under the Act goods may now be carried on a railway befox'e its completion. Other provisions relate to the control and maintenance of boundary roads of streets. / ..L---UIfEWEIIi. CO O' Nl The Urewera District Native Reserve Act reserves the Urewera 1 district jirom the operations of the Native Lantf Act. A large -area of this district is to be purchased by the Crown. Provision is made /or granting licenses to cut timber in' the district.