LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 16, 14 October 1907, Page 4

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

THE L.LP. AN INTERESTING ILLUSTRATION. gj r| —" Tlio rrcmior spoko against tlio amendment on the ground that it would result in a very bad bargain for tlio States, and ouo that neither pressure nor sentiment would induco thorn to agree to." This in reply to Mr. Massey's motion for the granting of the freehold at the original valuation. Now when the Premier of the colony talks such bnnkum as this, no wonder-thoro is a lot of misconception on-the part of the rank and file. Both he and they ignore the fact that the Stato has parted with its interests in the lands concerned for a thousand years, and that its reversionary interest at the present time is absolutely, valueless. A small experiment with a throepenny-bit will go a long way to elucidate this. Assuming that money at spor cent, compound interest doubles itself . in ■ fourteen years, a threepenny-bit put out now at compound interest would grow into (just go on doubling for sevonty-one times—the number of periods of fourteen years in the oternal lease) the rather interesting total of, roughly, fifteen trillion pounds (£lo,OpO.,OpO,000,000,000,000), a sum sufficient, I imagine to purchase, the freehold of the British Empire. Yet the Premier talks all this rhodomontade about neither pressure nor sentiment inducing his Government to part with interests-which he must admit have no appreciable value .whatever, nor will, they have for centuries to como. No, the Government interest was, and is, just tho other way. It is to their interestto get rid of tho l.i.p. tenant at almost any pi ice. They are losing on him'all the'time— probably I.per cent..,a. year, which, without complicating tho matter by interest', will sink the original valuo in'onc century; , arid sink ten times'its valuo beforo tno leases , are out. I don't think; there is ..any very, strong desire on the part of.the l.i.p. tenants.to.obtain the freehold, eveii at. the original .value. They are perfectly willing-to abide'by the terms of their original contract; -and they expect the Crown to dothe same. The one advant'ago which, tho freehold would give them would bo.to.make wieir properties more negotiable, and therefore'better securities for the money needed, to develop them x . That they are going to rush' in arid cxchange'thbir tenure for that of a renewable.sixty-six years' loase I hold to be exceedingly'unlikely. ..'Why should they? '" " But it may be" said Parliament will forco them to come in—Parliament created their temiro,. Parliament can end it. : That is in'decd true, and ,1s to some, degree a.menace.; But public morality must sink to a much lower plane before it pertaits tho Stato to confiscate, interests ■'which'it has domised by solemn covonant; When;.that.day:comes it will bo ~timo.. for the,. freeholder,., too, to tremble,' for.if the, leaseholder can be, coinpolled to purchase at present-day values, .so to equalise the -wrong, must'also tho-free-, holder bo ! coinpolled to! pay to the Stato-tub present-day valuo of his freehold.--.-But,.lot us hope that Parliament will not permit its covenants .to'be broken.' Tho one thing to" confer Unbounded prospority on this naturally gifted Dominion is tho'. strictly limited small frcbliold, tho'Gov- , ornment taking carp to havo plenty.- of land Crown or. Native, orßesumed land-— always on the market on long deferred payments,- so- that the poor man may have overy opportunity of getting on to it. • As long as it possesses the power of taxation, tho .Government is still the State-landlord, and'tho freeholder. is still tho titato tenant. Tho 'fewer, tho other trammels imposed the better ■forb;othl-i;am,etc., NEpAg _.

FIRES IN-WOOL .-AND HEMP SHIPS.

Sir,—After-, reading.. your ' notes , and the many theories as to the cause qf theso fires in the ship's hold, I would! suggest that every halo of wool, hemp, or tow, should,.as. soon as it leaves the owner's , press, ho pierced with a long bright steel needle) that will go through the contro of the bale, and loft there till after it is depressed on tho wharf, and tho filial test is made by an inspector before shipment. The needlos could then bo withdrawn and returned to owner; x I venturo to say that, should there be any moisture in tho bale, tho ,needlo would show it. The needles could , bo easily brightened agairi, and put away in a dry place for noxtisoason. — lam, Gtc.,: ' ■.•SUBSCRIBER.:, ■ OctoWio... ■ : ; - : :■•■.:'■•■ " " ■/■ ■ '•■■■ •

THE LOT OF THE SETTLER.

Sir,—ln Tiie Dominion of October 10,.Mr. Massoy is reported to have stated iii the dedate/ on , tho Land Bill 'that/every country iriombor must'know that on ordinary bush lands the settler did not bogin .to make a profit until after thirty-three "years. That statement was passed' unchallenged by the House and the Press. .Fancyj a. man working for thirty-threo years' (a~ generation) and ireceiving nothing for his labour! If such was :the case no one,would be desirous , of going upon any of the bush lands of either.island. Voltaire said that we ,wero all mad more or less. Mr. Masßey seems-to have the Freehold. Mr. Massoy: seems , to have on: the brain the.'., freehold-;'and-'.the, exaggerated hardships of the bush settler until it has; become : such a fixed idea that ho belioves'any statement is a positive fact'. 1 His' utterances from beginning to end of the session on this theme •are nauseating, and amongst the majority, of the olectors he is a serious injury. There is no class..'of. sottler in the world so well 1 off as tho, settlors are in Now Zealand. Men who havo been only four or five years farming oiv the Cheviot;- and ,1 had ;very little to start with, are now enjoying a world round trip. It, is only the other.day .that a l.i;pv sottler up Martmi : way { sold 'his right for,£26 per acre, and I can tell ■ Mr. Massey that in ' the . Ngapuoruru block in this district, a very hoavily timbered one, in less than two years, • settlers havo ~mado moro than ordinary farmers' profits on tho' sections they took up, and numbers , have: sold out sinco at a profit ranging from 500 to 1000 per cent. It is only too true what Mr. !Wilford : stated that thore is:no class'in tho .community so: well off as the man upon the 'land. ..Sir, there is to; ; much pandering both ■by members of the Houso and by the Press. Voii. yourself the other day stated "a : ■theoretical caso' in referenco to tho freehold, comparing the timber .in tho yard to' the manufactured article .Did the : Pages sinco 1829 do anything to increaso the value of the land, in London to , £15 l 000,0.00,".or did 'the party who bought the section in' Wellington for £5 from the New Zealand Land 'Company and never, saw or' laid .out ono penny on it increaso,tho unearned increment' of the same to £100;000? ;< lt is 'the saino with our school teachers and- railway servants. They vontilato supposititious grievances', and tho Press (it may bo in the hope of increased circulation), write articles in-tlio same exaggerated strain. When you find a v ministor of. the Gospel, the Rev.Mri Fraser, of Dunedin, stating! that a-casual; labourer on tho corporation in Auckland, receiving Bs.. per day was getting more than_ a teacher with constant employment, and higher pro- ; motion the older ho or sho "may become; 1 it ■ only shows to .what state of sycophancy wo are drifting.—l am , ,etc., .' . ,; : ,- i; : ~'..', ; ~-..,; ~.:.,. .;-', ■'. J-. A. DRURY. , Dannevirke, , October, 12.,.' .:..'. .. ■; , ; -