THE LAND QUESTION.

Auckland Star, Volume XLI, Issue 164, 13 July 1910, Page 5

THE LAND QUESTION.

IMPORTANT,POLICY SPEECH. ... THE' ____EHOLD^-ON*,*WHAT ..TERMS? -,; ■ '■■' (By Telegraph.—Paillamentary Reporter.) ' WELLlNGrTO^.this.daj. 'The Hon. Dr. Findlay' this afternoon made an important policy speech ; oh .he land question. He said the.Land Bill of last year was as fair and reasonable a solution of 'the'difficulties' "involved as could be desired. They all approved of the limitation of area and the bursting up. of.large, estates.'. In politics:today the Viand . question resolved -itself into _ struggle" between leaseholder'and freeholder. Two questions .arose: (1) Should freehold be grantedr.to. existing Crown ;. tenants;?■„ (2)": : .- Should** it be granted ag an option to/future Crown tenants? -Who.: were demanding tha freehold? Was it the men already on the land—men who.under Crown leases bad prospered better : *_ian -,- the '■."- great bulk of people?-It was not tbe landless man seeking a piece of land to settle on. Was there a dearth of applicants- for a lease without the option? Certainly not. The cry for v the freehold was mainly raised for political purposes •by politicians and by a section of Crown tenants. The cry for the freehold was political, and was not warranted under tlie' pre-sent-conditions of settlement. In .the Dominion to-day the' pressing want was land—not .enures—to get people on the soil. Not to alter or amend our land system, but to get more people on farms. Not to give the freehold to those there already, but to find means of settlement rather than. delay in squabbling about forms of settlement. The hunger in New Zealand'was land hunger-nnot freehold hunger. It was substantially "cer•tain that in six years there would "be no more Crown lands (excluding ns, tive lands) for European' settlement, and, .as he had shown recently at Whangarei, the areas of native land had.been over-estimated.