SOCIALISATION OF LAND

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22443, 2 July 1938, Page 16

SOCIALISATION OF LAND

DANGER TO FARMERS SEEN

MR COBBE DISCUSSES LABOUR INTENTIONS

“STRUGGLE BETWEEN STATE

CONTROL AND FREEDOM”

[From Our Parliamentary Reporter.]

WELLINGTON, July 1

“Every farmer in New Zealand, whether he owns a quarter of an acre or a thousand acres, is in danger of having his property socialised, and he will be in much greater danger if Labour is returned to office,” said the Hon. J. G. Cobbe (National, Oroua), when speaking in the Address-in-Reply debate in the House of Representatives to-day.

Mr Cobbe said that there was a feeling of insecurity from one end of the country to the other, and it was due to the growth of Socialism within the bounds of the Dominion. The coming struggle was between freedom and State control. He. believed that an overwhelming majority of the people was in favour of freedom. They liked to go about their daily work with none daring to hinder them. An attempt, however, was being made to bring them all under State domination. The Labour Government, said Mr Cobbe, was using taxation to bring about Socialism. Did not the Socialist test-book state; “The rich must be eliminated. This can be done gradually by taxation.” The Minister for Finance (the Hon. W. Nash), addressing the Easter Labour conference, was reported to have said: “This conference is the parliament of the Labour Party. Any resolution carried by this conference must be the policy of the party." What did that phrase mean?, continued Mr Cobbe. It certainly seemed to bear out the contention that the Government was dictated to by the trade unions. There had been an enormous increase in taxation, until today New Zealand was the highest taxed country within the British Empire. There was a prospect of even higher taxation, because Socialism in operation was a pretty expensive luxury. The Hon. F. Langstone (Minister for Lands): You’re an authority. Ministers Quoted Mr Cobbe: The Minister is rather anxious to interrupt me. Let me quote some of his statements, “The failure of land settlement in the past has been the granting of titles. Every man who works on the land wants a title. What does he want it for? Past history has shown that he wants it to gamble with, to get away with plunder. While I am Minister there is going to be no new opportunity of doing that. State farms are now m course of establishment.” And then we have the Prime Minister’s comment: “It is ridiculous to say we are- going to socialise the land. It is all bunkum.”. The Prime Minister said over the air that I was simple. I know I am simple, but the whole of the people of Feilding and the surrounding district are not simple. Mr Cobbe said that the people would not give up their land without a fight. The desire to own property was inherent in human beings. . Supposing New Zealand had been settled or governed in the first place by Socialists, what would its condition have been to-day? ~ Mr Langstone: A big question. Effect on Investment Mr Cobbe: Yes, a big question, but I think there can be only one answer to it. We have heard Labour members affirming that the Government should go still further along the road’ to Socialism. „ Mr J. A. Lee (Government, Grey Lynn): Hear, hear. Mr Cobbe said that the Socialist text-book favoured doing away with the right of inheritance. Surely it was time the Government paused and considered what it was doing. Its actions were causing great uneasiness both in New Zealand and abroad. What capitalist would invest his money in any new industry in the Dominion to-day? It was no wonder people were buying Australian shares as fast as they could. , The Hon. P. Fraser (Minister for Health): What about the Vacuum Oil Company? „ , Mr Cobbe: The member for Palmerston North, sneaking at Palmerston North, said: “Mr Savage told me this afternoon to tell this meeting that the Government is pledged to go on raising the standard of living of the people and distributing more equitably the income of the people. Wool brought in £15.000,000 last year. What good would it be to the people of New Zealand if it remained in the hands of a few’” That’s a nice statement, coming as it does from the Prime Minister of this country, added Mr Cobbe.