THE MINISTER OF LANDS AT GORE.

Cromwell Argus, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 2046, 24 June 1907, Page 4

THE MINISTER OF LANDS AT GORE.

In his speech at Gore, the Hon. R. McNab, Minister of Lands, in speaking on land matters, ?poke as follows cn the Graduated Ta' :—ln what direction, lie would ask, had the Government changed front by its recent declaration, made by himself at Stratford, that it was intended to adopt the graduated tax, which was a more effective way than compelling people to come in and cut down their estates to 50,000 acres.— (Applause.) Once the graduated Tax was put on the Statute Book to effect that purpose there would be no drawing hack, arid it was a thing that w’ould operate until the end of time, provided the Statute were not repealed. He believed that some of the men whom Mr Massty expected to support him in the bouse on this great question would be found doing otherwise. Indeed some of them had been the prime movers to get the Government to adopt the graduated tax as against the cutting down of estates.

Seme of them had said they wore willing to go up to Is in the pound over a £50,000 limit. If so, it would bo a nice family party that would join Mr Massey, and when that gentleman found they were prepared to go to tha extent of Is in the pound over i 50,000 it would not be advisable for anyone to be near the keyhole —(Applause and laughter.) When the ta ing measure came down he thought it would be admitted that t was fairly effective in the direction of giving a mild form of inducement to those who held areas of from 50,000 to 275,000 acres in the colony to let others get a piece of land on the freehold system without requiring the Government to step in and buy it, and give it back to them only on the leasehold system. He would like to consider, in the next place, some of the misrepresentations regarding the Government. Never since he recollected in politics had the proposals of a Government met with such a chorus of misrepresentation from one of the great political parties as had the proposals in regard to the land legislation, and this misrepresentation had been accompanied by statements, chiefly dealing with land m tiers, that were worth referring to in order to show the extent to which men were prepared to go politically to injure their opponents.