The Short Title of this Act is “The Land Act Amendment Act, 1895,” and it shall be read with “The Land Act, 1892” (hereinafter called “the principal Act”).

In any case where land is thrown open for selection before survey under Part III. of the principal Act, the Minister may, upon the recommendation of the Board, dispense with the survey deposit.

For the purposes of sections fifty-eight to sixty-three of the principal Act the following provisions shall apply:—

The therein mentioned applications shall be deemed to be made at any Land Office in the district at the time when they are received at such office.

In the case of applications which have been decided by ballot, it shall be sufficient notice if the name of the successful applicant is called out in the room or place in which the ballot is held.

The provisions of section eighty-six of the principal Act as to registration of the therein mentioned leases, and transfers thereof, and dealings with or transmissions of land comprised therein, shall apply mutatis mutandis to licenses under Part III. of “The Land Act, 1885,” and also to occupation licenses and certificates of occupancy under the principal Act.

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in section one hundred and nineteen of “The Land Act, 1885,” lands held on deferred-payment license may be mortgaged under “The Government Advances to Settlers Act, 1894.”

Neither the existence of any deferred payment in respect of any such license, nor of any advance made to occupiers of any village-settlement lands under section one hundred and seventy of the principal Act, shall be construed to be an encumbrance, lien, or interest within the meaning of “The Government Advances to Settlers Act, 1894.”

All such deferred payments and advances may be paid out of moneys advanced on mortgages granted under the last-mentioned Act.

The Governor may make regulations under the principal Act for the purposes of facilitating the administration of “The Government Advances to Settlers Act, 1894,” in so far as it affects mortgages of Crown land held under any lease or license, or certificate of occupancy, or other form of tenure.

With respect to any encumbrance, lien, or interest duly registered against the estate or interest of any person in any land held by him under any lease, or license, or certificate of occupancy, the following provisions shall apply:—

Such encumbrance, lien, or interest shall not. in any way limit or affect the right of the Board to cancel such lease, license, or certificate for breach of conditions, and generally to exercise the powers conferred by the principal Act in like manner as if no such encumbrance, lien, or interest existed.

In any case where such holder acquires an estate of freehold in such land, the District Land Registrar, before issuing the certificate of title in respect thereof, shall make all entries necessary in order to record on such certificate every then existing encumbrance, lien, and interest, in the order of their registered priority; and such freehold estate shall be subject thereto in like manner as if they had been created in respect of such freehold estate.

Section one hundred and forty-four of the principal Act, in so far as concerns the condition as to improvements to be made on land by the selector, shall be read subject to the following modification, that is to say:—

The provisions of section one hundred and fifty-four of the principal Act are hereby modified as follows:—

In lieu of selling the land of a deceased licensee, as provided by that section, the Commissioner may in his discretion transfer it to the widow or children of the deceased, in shares proportioned to their respective interest in his estate;

Such transfer shall be effected in such manner and form, and subject to such provisions for the protection of the interests of children and otherwise, as the Governor by regulations prescribes;

Such transfer may be registered under “The Land Transfer Act, 1885”

The principal Act is hereby further amended as follows:—

As to section eighteen thereof: By the addition of the following proviso: “Provided that no right-of-way in any subdivision of land for a town shall be of less width than sixty-six feet.”

As to section one hundred and twenty-six thereof: By adding to the end of the section the words, “and after there has been deducted therefrom all sums credited to the selector under the provisions of section sixty-five of this Act.”

As to section one hundred and sixty thereof: By the repeal of the words “if such land be portion of any lands notified under this Part of this Act.”

For all the purposes of the principal Act, and also of “The Fencing Act, 1895,” any minor who holds any land by virtue of any lease, license, certificate of occupancy, or other form of tenure under the principal Act shall be deemed to be of the full age of twenty-one years.

Any lessee or licensee under the principal Act or any Act thereby repealed may, with the approval of the Board and consent of the Minister of Lands, subdivide his holding, and transfer any subdivision thereof to any person who makes the declaration required by the principal Act in the case of an original application.

For the purpose of giving effect to such transfer, the Board, on the production of a duly-approved survey of such subdivision, and on payment of the fees for the leases and the registration thereof, may cancel the original lease, and issue new leases for the residue of the term of the original lease, and subject to the same conditions.

Any village-settlement selector who has taken up less than the maximum prescribed area of village allotment or village-homestead allotment, as the case may be, may, if the Board recommends and the Minister of Lands approves, obtain without competition an additional area of similar land contiguous to his holding, but not exceeding, with such holding, the maximum prescribed area

Such additional area shall be held on the same tenure and terms as the original holding, and at a price to be fixed by the Board, being not less than the minimum price of similar land.

For the purpose of encouraging the establishment of industrial, rescue, and reformatory homes, it is hereby declared that, notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in the principal Act or “The Land for Settlements Act, 1894,” the following provisions shall apply:—

The Minister may make such regulations as he thinks necessary for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this section.

The provisions of section one hundred and sixty of the principal Act shall apply, and be deemed to have applied, to leases held under any special Act affecting leases of Crown lands, and in respect of any leases granted under Parts V. or VI. of the principal Act or of any prior Act, whether general or special, containing provisions of similar purport:

Provided that no area shall be leased in excess of the area authorised under Part III. of the principal Act.