A POLITICAL BARGAIN.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIV, Issue 180, 30 July 1913, Page 8

A POLITICAL BARGAIN.

SETTLERS WANT THEIR SHARE. (By Telegraph. — Parliamentary Reporter./ WELLINGTON, Tuesday. A petition, suggesting a political bargain, in which the Reform Government is interested, was read in the House of Representatives this afternoon, amid many exclamations of shocked astonishment from the Opposition benches. It came from the thriving timber-milling centre of Ohakune, on the North Island Main Trunk railway line, and was presented by Mr. R. W. Smith:

" The petiton of we, the undersigned village settlers in the borough of Ohakune. humbly sheweth: — First, that many of your petitioners voted for the Reform party on the promise that if the Reform party was returned to power steps would be taken to give us the freehold of our selections: secondly, that the late election was fought on the question of freehold versus leasehold. We therefore humbly pray that legislation shall, if necessary, be introduced without delay to give us the freehold of our holdings: thirdly, we respectfully be<* to point out that the system of leasehold is a great bar to our financing our holdings by raising either public or private loans, and consequently very materially hinders the progress of our town and neighbourhood."

The Prime Minister was interested enough in his obligations to'promptly get the petition from the taolo.