STRONG ATTACK.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 283, 28 November 1940, Page 9

STRONG ATTACK.

ACQUIRING LAND. MR. GOOSMAN HITS OUT. (By Telegraph.—Parliamentary Reporter.) W LLLINGTON, this day. A \ attack on the Small Farm* Amendment Bill was made in the House of Representatives yesterday by Mr. (joosnian (National, Waikato). He wanted to know what the men who weire now away 011 foreign service would think when they returned to find that their freedom and liberty bad been taken awa.v under the. provisions of the Bill." I think that everybody will agree that nothing but the best is good enough for our soldiers," ho said. Anything in the nature of compulsion was repulsive to the people. Ihe Ministe-r of I.ands, Mr. Langstone: What about conscription? Mr. (loosnian: I was just waiting for that. (Laughter.) ihe Government was not very partial to bringing in conscription, Mr. Goosman continued, but he was not allowed to proceed on those line.; as Mr. Speaker reminded him that conscription had nothing to do with the bill. -Mr. Coosinan explained that the Goveinnient was using conscription as an excuse for conscripting all effort. (io\eminent voices: You said "all in." Mr. .Speaker: Order, order. To Benefit- Soldiers. Mr. Goosman said that the Minister of Lands had said when introducing the bill that it was for the benefit of the soldiers but all the soldiers received under the legislation was preference. Mr. Langstone: You are an unbeliever. Mr. Goosman said that under the bill the Government could take any or all land. How much use had the Government made of the Lands for Settlement Act during the last five years he asked. The Minister of Lands: I do not think it has been used since it was introduced in 192.3.

Mr. Goosman said the Government should not have introduced the present bill when it was asking for unity throughout the country. The farmers were disturbed as they were of the viewthat there should he no compulsion without safeguards. Ha contended that the mortgage-hold was better than the leasehold. In a pamphlet issued by the Minister of Finance in reference to the national savings scheme., there were the words: "Lend to defend the right to be free." It was also stated in the pamphlet that home ownership was better than paying rent. If that were true, Why not have the freehold instead of any other form of tenure? He declared that land values had risen because there had been too much fictitious money issued by the Government and the people were looking for an avenue to invest it. Until the Government ceased its inflatory trends land values would keep on rising.