L.—4a.

1880. NEW ZEALAND.

WASTE LANDS COMMITTEE (REPORT ON PETITIONS OF DEFERRED-PAYMENT SETTLERS IN OTAGO, TOGETHER WITH MINUTES OF EVIDENCE).

ORDER OF REFERENCE. Extract from the Journals of the House of Representatives. ■Wednesday, the 2nd day of June, 1880. Ordered, " That a Select Committee be appointed to consider all Bilk and Petitions that may be introduced into this House affecting the wastelands of tlie Crown, and to report generally on the principles and provisions which they contain, with power to confer or sit together with any similar Committee which may be appointed by the Legislative Council, and to agree to a joint or separate report; to have power to send for persons, papers, and records. Such Committee to consist of ten members; three to be a quorum. The Committee to consist of Mr. Acton Adams, Mr. Bunny, Mr. Driver, Mr. Fulton, Mr. W. J. Hurst, Mr. Ireland, Mr. Macandrew, Mr. Ormond, Mr. Thomson, and the Mover."— (Son. Mr. Molleston.)

REPOUT (Bbottght tjp 30tii June, 1880, and Oedeeed to be Peinted). Nos. 40, 43, 61, 94, and 95. —Petitions of James Popham and Others ; Alexandee Btaes and Others; John Semple and Others; Thomas Geeen and Others; and F. W. Reichelt and Others. Petitioners pray that measures may be taken to alleviate the distress of deferred-payment settlers. I am directed to report that, while the Committee fully recognizes the hardship of the position of the petitioners, it is of opinion that compliance with their request would be open to the most grave objection, as setting up a dangerous precedent, the possible application of which might lead to general repudiation. The Committee is, therefore, of opinion that the law should take its course, and that the land might be dealt with in some such way as that indicated in the evidence of the Surveyor-General. 30th June, 1880.

MINUTES OF EVIDENCE. Feiday, 25th June, 1880. Mr. McKeeeow, Surveyor-General, in attendance, and examined. 1. The Chairman.~\ "We have before us, Mr. McKerrow, some petitions from various persons referring to land taken up under the deferred-payment system in Otago. Have you seen the petitions ? —No; but I am perfectly well aware of their nature. 2. The Committee have thought you might be able to give them information on the matter. As. far as the Committee see, under" The Land Act, 1877," section 155, these lauds, where conditions are not carried out, can be put up by the Waste Lands Boards and sold by auction ? —'Yes ; where the land is of special value. 3. The Committee would like to hear your views on the subject; would you be kind enough to give them ? —Well, at the present moment, there are very close on 200 persons who, under the Acts of 1872, 1874s 1875, and 1877, are defaulters under the deferred-payment sections. The arrears of rent up to the Ist July, 1880, are, in round numbers, £9,200. They are paying at the rate of from 2s. 6d. per acre of annual rent, up to £1. Under the present great depression in the prices of agricultural produce, it is simply impossible for the higher-rated selectors to pay their obligations from the produce of their farms. The majority of these persons are people with no reserve of capital, and it is simply impossible that they can fulfil their undertakings. The question now resolves itself into what is to be done. The Government could declare them defaulters under the Land Acts, and as threefourths, or 150, of them took up their selections prior to the Ist January, 1878, they could legally be turned out without any valuation for improvements, or the right of re-selection. The remaining onefourth, or 50 selectors, whose licenses date from the Ist January, 1880, are, in case of forfeiture, entitled to such proportion of their improvements, not exceeding. 75 per cent., as the Land Board shall determine. The effect of declaration of forfeiture would be that the present occupiers would have to clear out, none of them being eligible as re-selectors, and a new body of deferred-payment selectors would come in. This only requires to be stated to be at once seen to be impracticable. In other words, we could not turn these people out. Another proposal would be to amend the present land laws, allow