LABOUR'S LAND POLICY.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 28, 2 February 1928, Page 16

LABOUR'S LAND POLICY.

NATIONALISATION.

THE ONLY WAY.

(From Our Own Correspondent.)

LONDON, December 6.

The British Labour party is not only convinced that nationalisation of the land seems the best policy, but they believe it to be a policy which should be adopted at once. According to Mr. George Dallas, who is chairman of the Labour Party's Agricultural Advisory Committee, there can be no permanent hope of prosperity for British agriculture if we are prepared to continue in the present system of private ownership of the land.

He declared that in the last forty years no less than 3,500,000 acres of land had gone out of cultivation because the farmers considered they were not worth draining. The present generation of landowners was unable to do it, and, therefore, some change in the system was essential. There was no alternative, however, other than that laid I down by the Labour party, and gradu- j ally the people connected with the industry were beginning to realise that there was only one thing for it, and that was the State coming in and taking control. The first step in the re-organisa-tion must be nationalisation. This would be done on constitutional lines, and they would be prepared to pay 20/ in the pound for either the industry or the land. The transaction would be a big one, necessitating the issue of land bonds or share certificates to the value of the land taken over, and out of the economic return from the land the farmer and landowner would be paid the interest they were entitled to. As a matter of fact many landowners would be infinitely better off than they are at the present time. Once the land had been taken over agricultural committees would be set up in every county consisting of three sections —one representing the community, another comprised of farmers elected by the National Farmers' Union, and the other would be elected by the trade union and agricultural workers. This would be duly constituted for administrating the land. It would be the party's business to give definite security of tenure to farmers, who would be given the benefit of the best advice it was possible to have. | Some people had great prejudice nationalisation, but it was a fact that the more a farmer knew about it e more he was in favour of it. Indeed, *-he present time there were land farmers working on State tenants of the -° ** landowners. than of P nvate standard"article Mr of a was a great ba'sis nf s »«id there of the grumble by BrUh TarJe" * To day a farmer was quite °" prices for the eorain/ J ' 0^ handicap. In the , b,g plan the speculation and th 8 would be cut out, Snd the h». ga . m . ble would be done with the producer/Sct.

A scheme of unemployment insurance for agricultural workers would also be introduced. Altogether it was one of the greatest schemes of reconstruction the Labour party or any other party had ever placed before the country, and if put into operation within the next few years it would completely transform the countryside, so that people would want to return there and get the happiness and pleasure which productive work afforded.