CROWN TENANTS AND THE FREEHOLD.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 12850, 8 July 1907, Page 4

CROWN TENANTS AND THE FREEHOLD.

THE "ORIGINAL VALUE" PROPOSAL.

MR MASSEY'S POSITION EX-

PLAINED

(srKCIAL TO "THE TRESS.") WELLINGTON, July 7. During the debate on the Addrese-in-Reply, the statement has been made by several members on the Government side of the House that tho Leader jf the Opposition lias not been consistent in regard to his attitude ac to the granting of the option of the freehold to Crown tenants. Mr Massey, in reply, on the opening night of the de bate, to some remarks on the subject, said that in each case ho was willing that the capital value of the holding should be apportioned as between tho interest of tho State on the one hand and the interest of the ecttler on tho other, and that tho option of the freehold should be granted accordingly The result, ho said, Would be exactly what ho had always advocated.

Mr F. W. Lang, in his speech on Friday night, referred to the matter and said that it was not true that (as had been repeatedly stated) Mr Maeeoy had modified his proposal To show tho incorrectness of the assertion, hn quoted a statement made by Mr Massey in hie recent speech at Putnniahoe, and also read extracts from two speeches delivered by the Loader of the Opposition in the House two years ago. In tho recent Putamahoe speech Mr Maroey, as reported in the "New Zealand Herald," said that "bo wv» willing that the whole question should bo referred to competent actuaries, who would divide the capital value into tho interest between the State on the on«* hand, and the settlens upon tho other, and if, in giving the optiom of purchase, the settler was required to mal<e any payment to the State, then let tht> payment be made. Ho did not wisli to rob tho State of a single farthing.'' Mr Lang then quoted from " Hansard ' the following extract from a speech made by Mr Massey on Oct-obnr 3rd, IUOS, in reply to a speech by the late Premier. " There was another statement of tho right hon. gentleman that he (Mr Mossey) proposed to give to th<Crown tenants in connection with the freehold proposals ono million of the State's money. Hβ desired to make v, challenge to the Right Hon. the Premier. There were , in the employ of the State at the present time some thoroughly competent actuaries-—onw particularly of the ablest actuaries m the colony—and ho would challenge the Right Hon. tho Premier to eubmit to the actuary tho freehold proposals which he (Mr Maasey) had formulated for the actuary's report, and if tho report of the actuary, or either of them, ehowed that there was ' th" slightest lose to the Crown or State >n those proposals which he had made for giving to the tenants the freehold, ht , would withdraw from the position which he had taken up." In another eneech later in the eamo day, Mr 'Mfipeoy said:—"l eaid' this afternoon (and I hold the ' Hansard' proof t>P what I said in my hand at thta and I am sure other hon. members will boar mc out in this), that if the Right Hon. the Premier would refer my proposals to the actuaries of tho Government, and the actuaries showed that by my proposals there would be a locs to the State, I would withdraw from the position 1 have taken up. That is a fair position, but I am confident there would be no loss; on the contrary, there would bo a giin." That, said Mr Lang, was the attitude which the Leader of the Opposition had taken up. There had been a howl from the other side that if the Crown tenante got the right to acquire the freehold at the original value, plus interest and compound interest, there would be a lose to the Stato. Iho Leader of the Opposition had always taken up the position, that there would be no lose to the State, and he wa/t willing to refer the matter to competent authorities, to say whether that was so or not. Ho did not think that anyone should misrenresflnt what tln> Leader of the Opposition had eaid.' They said it would bo robbery of the State to allow tho Crown tenante ;o acquire the freehold. Where, Mr Lang asked, would the robbei-y come in ? He contended that it would be an excellent bargain for the Government, as although the &..ate was now getting nominally 4 and 5 per cent, from the tenante, there were certain expenses connected with the matter, and tho probability was that the Government did not get more than 3} per cent, nett for their money. If they allowed the tenants to acquire tho freohold the purchase money cVnild be usacl in . buying more land, and putting more settlers on the soil, and Bare going on the London money mnrkot.