LAND FOR THE PEOPLE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 178, 23 April 1908, Page 11

LAND FOR THE PEOPLE.

• NEW PROPOSALS IN VICTORIA. STRIKING MINISTERIAL SPEECH. An important speech was-recently deliver- ' ed'.at Caniborwell ,by the Victorian Minister for/Agriculture (Mr. Swinburne). ... opened, iwith •• some: referencas< to 'immigration, and then- passed on to ;&nd-settlement. He dealt w'ith the sys-toiiism-force in Germany and Franco, where thfi' incidenco of each in its earliest stages had..been to confirm' tho .peasantry in its possession of the land, and also that of England,; which, had an opposite effect. Victoria seemed -to* be treading ill' the footsteps of In Victoria closer settlement had been fostered : in the past, and in dealing with what- had been accomplished in -this direction bv the State Government, ho: said that a million and a quarter of money had been spent m tlireo year;;,'and 160,000 acrcs had ijbeon ,- operated lipon; whilst tho New Zealand . Government, I '/after oporating' .villi three . -and.' a halfmillions of monoy and 65GjQ0p.; acres of land,' found itself, after ten years.'.practically''.at the. end, of its tether. . Tho.. question of financo.was;inseparably associated,' With ithci land question, and in this connection! so far as the States wore ,con- ! cerned,o.the -federation ,was. : a factor that : had. to, be reckoned with. Most of the States. required a'million, of: money / extra, and in : yic.toria>;thby were, faced w ; ith the absolute ..- riWbssity,'' of ' proceeding' 'with water' :'cpnceryati.O'n'and.'water .works,' railway- construction , andymairitpriancej-and. improvement of rolling : and'.the improvement. of .schools, asylums/;/et'c.':/: With all these demands on ,tho , ;jublic/fiinds, to go in for the buying-of land ih/.additipii would; be to hopelessly involve, the'ipowtidn' and /tho,. State's ■ finances. - : Tho State could not afford to buy privato owners out-|, : . compulsorypurchase was locked '.upon as", a", necessity- under, a.' closer settlement;;scheme," it'-; waiJ-iiot; a cure, of the.di/Eculty. ■ New. Zealand had endeavoured■ Vio ; Eolve : ;,the:..difficiilty with a graduated land tax-;; arid-compulsory: purchase schemes; but ha'd, reached a dead 'end.- -Money could not be'.'.borrowed, and'W the Dominion- had' to pass.' asßill in orderrto: secure land for the people, 'and sought', to. make - owners' of es- ■ .ta'tes. sellrwithinJ4o : years ;:when: over £50,000 worth'of: land washold, and to limit holdings:! to y-£15,000 worth of land. By that means it' was hoped to liave a largo num-of-i private .estates thrown open within 10: years; On account of tho financial; situahowever, any kind of purchase 'scheme . wasib'ound*-to fail, and a position arose, as was' the;: case in Victoria to-day, with the . Act. practically' suspended. . . . i:;After'-long and. serious consideration it appjsafed.tp'him that there wore three courses open -to -. tho' State— '. . / -; : .1. .Compulsory selling. ,j2.'.'Heavy probate duties on rural estates. Graduated land tax. ■ , ■■ ■',pnder.:.a'.;'sehemo..ofscOmpulsory selling an ... ..bo cbmpolled 'to sell his /land at. avfair/walue, in conjunction with the . Government... Under the.;present system the. - / the' land/and arranged for "its . an: expenGo'that involved it.in . &^|loajS;liability. : -- Under, tho other scheme . tlio-jowiier ; wonM; siibdivido '-tho'; property > arid//: settle/ it,-- 'and ■ the . Government would simpjy.^giiiiranteo-'-the?tenants'/-, bonds./ The .Avould ireceivo : a fair price over : a ..- - tentf; of -years; -andi-tho full proceeds. This . ;.-ja'B^t;^diglit'. ! yiiinatipn in' ;the procedure sp-;far--as/ihe owner ..was concerned, but; it i'OuldV the,' difference , so Vfar as . .the)/State:.' and - successful. isettlement 1 V wpro concerned.'v Therewasnothing -confiscatory '. ; . comparing . the scheme ,' 'with others :tiai'had.:bpen'.:suggested, such''as--heavy pro-. bate; ; ;duties.'and a 'graduated' land tax,, Mr. . Swinburnejfsaid-'both :of these, would, con-' fiscateja good deal,of the value of the land. . Compulsory .selling; • conjunction .' , w;Sth-.;the,-'Governm'crit';'-would bi'ftucli more pKiecSblolinv tho ■'iinterests -of The'l'splittirig-up^/of.-/largetpstatqs ' was' "a national necessity, and national lifo and pro- . gross'depended upon -it. In Victoria,' of 5G V.niilHpir;tees' of, land, is3s rmillion : acres-. wore'/ , *Miehatcd :;or ; leased, and of .. this latter - area' 1000 jpeoplo;-occupied and -controlled 10| million acres,, and 195 people, each having over .'IO,OOO Macros, hold l 6£ million acres. The '-: landlord . system of. En&land. was practically -jflteuHfied' in'the. State.. If tho State,could n'ot%buy;.'land,- was tho ' splitting-up on a ■. JargO/'vScalo to stop ?. : His , reply' was that ' they-; dare !not. halt;': The;-interests, of: tho State ."demanded, not tenant farmers, but gtnalßf^cehplders/not men: with ; 'miles . of ; frthtligp/t 0 tlie ,railways, but homes-in -. of,'each: other. People owning large compelled ,to acknowledge: that a n^tipn^.fof-, freehtSlders -would bs -a bulwark aM/a.;strengtl,, arid tho! best' security pos- , .siblp /against revolutionary ideas;- - -Th'e 'idea . ofydbmp.elling landowners: to-sell might sound , reyolutioriairy, hut /there wbuld be dangers ' of/greatei--' revolution. if tl-.o' land .aggregated . . lnto:^the,'. possession, of a few.^' s- that : forced dtself on- him ■ was absplut-ely necessary, for the Sfate-tb'go on with the work of peopling its ; landsi'/Tpr-the success of the railway, construc- " . ti6n//policy alone -there: was an absolute . necessity; for tho largo estates along railway i linos to bo split up ur.dcr ,Closer Settlement' , was ,the 'more, preferable/— . tpji; sell s under fair .and secure a fair:;value;'or to invite heavy probate duties, or ~a i graduated land tax? The Government could, open up 'a.million ' iri tho Malloc or - the Jp.ine-ridge' country, . but' the provision of water,' railways, .and other facilities to had to be' and/here 'arose.-the.original.difficulty of enormous, experisn.>i/, Moriey, would have-to bq borrowed tor; that', j -'Was the Government compelled -people, in' tho back-blocks while , ,6500 people controlled-two-thirds of tho. occupied lands of the State, and lands, too, mostly . within/affair distance of ! railways? Was the Government; compelled to drive settlers back to undorgo tho hardships; arid privations of developing, the Malice, to' do pioneer > work in th.e'.TOst; silent forests, and to break their hearty amongst, tho giant trees,, while 1000 : people: owned 10i million acres? Was. the Government to be compelled to maintain high ireights/.on tho railways and stand by whTlc . business ./was stagnating ? ; Commerce was standing.; still while 195 peoplo enjoyed million'acres in comparative ease and com- 1 fort; '" •• '■ .e ; -. r .Government,, said Mr; -Swinburne, wohld,,,.submit a scheme-to Parliament in the, coming session to ' deal-'.with, the land question, and would - ggok to ■ throw ■ open tho.. lands of tho State, or-go down in the this Step would be taken he was ; certain, and in , the application of a . /.fairer;and more favourable schemo he saw 'the' opening 'for a fuller realisation of the great/future of Victoria.