OUR LETTER BOX.

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume XXXIV, Issue 4937, 13 August 1906, Page 2

OUR LETTER BOX.

(We arc not responsible for opinions expressed by correspondents.) -.

GOUSE NKISANCE AND TIIADESJ

and LAiat n co m c ils

(To the Editor)

V Sir,— Following up my letter dated 'ith. :?JQ3.k-» so * ttr as 1 recollect the following are the leadlug provisions oi thu ...Homestead Act, but I write subject to correction, or adopting mercantilu phruseology E. and O.E. "Forty acres free to the husband, forty to the "wife, and to evefj' child

a,bove 18 years, of age, twenty acres to each child under eighteen, but in

order to secure small proprietors, no

holding to exceed 250 acres, the absolute freehold urider the Land Trans-

fen Act to ,be;feraiiiett free of chfrgo aticr qonlinuous tft-idence .:fo£A/.spjjci-j fi^l of y^ajfcs, ancfrthe expeuiron'of a si>oiji<H*<Famount of pcrmament improvp.monts in porportion to

,(ho area of the holding. " * It is therefore, '■ evident from the above that a grand opportunity is thus offered to an industrious* working man to acquire his littlo freehold I without even payment of rent, V»th-

out capital, save his owtv : bono* ami jniiscle directed by intelligence and

supported by mUustrw Your . worthy contemporary, the Waihi Daily Telegraph, a so-called liberal paper,, in Jta issue dated March 36 last, under the heading:, of .the "New Zealand i'atKmr Party," tfublished the 8 principal "planks" which have" ><*n »>rackt-ted as the official pWtfdrm of th*- Trades and Labour Councils. T will not trespass on your spafcolie ivprodlci!%the entire of this politicly ruhlyish, but .nay give some idda of ths^absuird extent to which class legislation inlay be foj-fegd}? when I quote the •'WeliTngtoaT^tnits, which include extensive amendments of the CbnciHati'on and ArVitVation Act, the establishment" of State clothing and boot factories, flour* and woolly mills, bakeries, ironworks, and iron shipbuilding pirds. "- The: introduction of legislation to restrict the importation of-' labour nmler contract, etc. Rut ih«'st.' absurd proposals do not refer lo my present purpose. J I will, therefore, give Plank 2 of the adopted platform, \vhich,rea4s as follows : "The Government should be urged to prohibit any further sale of Crowi> lands. a#d secure the revaluation of all Crown lands held on lease" The intentiom of this "liberal" legislation is that theVworklng- man with other members of the community, shall be prohibited from obtaining tho chance of acquiring the freehold, his nose must be set on the grinding stone to provide an annual rent to be paid to the State— the worst ot all landlords— and be deprived of his birthright as; * freehoteerr -white ;shouldvhe happen J.o btf a Stat-e Wnt.^c or his children are tp_ be. harassed T>y periodical revaluations Khould he bo in possession of a Crown lease in perpetuity, having the guarr a«Tee of tho State a^tnst the power of such revaluations which these honourable and liberal politicians dosire cie is U truiy"lil>eral" policy ,,.this opposition to the Freehold Tenure, may have been the cause that the resolutions passed by the County Council in favour of tho Homestead Act, havo been so long ignored, though promised "to receivcrthe careful; consideration'of Government," but reading lwtwecn the lines in the reserved tone of Sir J 9- Ward's speech upon his arrival m Auckland. I " f«ol sanguine that the trend of his policy will savour less rpf claas legislation than what we havo of iate years experienced, and that he will make an endeavour to legislate for the »»enefit^ all classes of our community. intr°foro >ye must, only hope that renewed application to Government to re-in-iSduco the provisions of the Homestead Act may now meet with more Biiccess than in the past. I am satisfied that the constitutional party in X.Z. to , I have tho honour to belong will support the proposal as tending to promote tho settlement of the country, that it will bo o F >posed by the ""^^iSfp ed members of the Trades and Labour Councils lam equally satisfied, but before these lines can reach your printing press we will b« able to form a tolerable estimate ot Sir J. G. Ward's* political program by the reconstruction of the Government ami T sincerely trust and expect, that one useless and most incapable minister may be relegated to the enjoyment of private, life, and bo relieved of his official duties. sTEWART August 6, 1.906.