Settlement on Farms

Dominion, Volume 26, Issue 104, 26 January 1933, Page 11

Settlement on Farms

Sir, —lu your issue of January 17 MrK E. Compton discusses my proposal on the above subject He charges me with saying that there are five to ten thousand farmers in New Zealand who, for various reasons, have failed to make good. I said nothing of the sort. What I said was that there were that number ot men brought up on farms and well accustomed to farm work who stood no chance ot acquiring land at to-day’s prohibitive prices. I still maintain that 80 or 90 per cent, of these men would make excellent farmers if given the chance. Mr. Compton further states that I propose to dispossess all those farmers who are turning large areas of good land to profitable use of the better hqlf of their laud. I did not say so. I said the largest landowners—not all large farmers—and although 1 did not say so I certainly meant more particularly those large lanaowners who are not putting their land to the best use, but are merely waiting for a rise in land values to extract a large increment from would-be settlers. Further, I did not say the better half, I said a fair half. It is not fair criticism, nor does it serve any useful purpose, to accuse me of sneering at those landowners who would demand interest on their unpaid balances. I merely suggest that some landowners might be willing to forgo their interest. x I might point out to Mr. Compton that there are a very large number of peopie living on their investments who would be only too pleased to dispose of them, at one-half or even one-quarter of the prices thev paid for them five or ten years ago. I take the stand that the freehold land system is at the root of our economic ills. There are other causes, but that is the main one. It is parting with the freehold which has deprived the State and the community of .the enormous increases in land values and land rents. If space permitted I think I could show that nothing but a gradual return to the leasehold system is going to do us any permanent good. At the moment the supreme need is land for settlement at reasonable prices and the letting of it on the least ■ hold tenure-I am, etc. eoocock Wellington. January 24.