CORRESPONDENCE.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 120, 17 November 1909, Page 10

CORRESPONDENCE.

0 LAND QUESTION : A SUGGESTION TO THE CDITOII. Sir, — Since the problem 'of land tenure is "very much to the fore just now — and must continue ho until something like an equitable and permanent settlement is arrived at by the Government — I I beg to suggest a possible solution, as I follows : It this solution, in the opinicni of competent judges, poss»eshes any merit whatever, I make bold at the outset to claim for it, at any rate, this merit, viz., that it is au intelligent endeavour to discover the "via media" between the views of doctrinaire leaseholders on the one hand and those of unreasonable freeholders on the other. Here, then, in brief is the skeleton of my suggestion. (1) The abolition of the leasehold as commonly understood at present. •(2) All Crown lands that may be opened for settlement by the Government in future, and also any estates that may be purchased by ' the Government ior this purpose to be sold outright to bona fide intending settlers only — e.g jitual residence, and a certain ratio of improvements to be made within a given time, to bo binding conditions of land purcha-e. Sales of land to be made for dish, or on a deferred payment system extending over a series .of different periods of ■ time,' graduated to" suit the' \alue and nature of the section in question, .and equitable to buyer and seller, viz., Government and settler. (3) In the event of a settler wishing to sell his property, such sale to be effected through a Government land ex-, change, # established for this purpose. The proposed functions of the Government in eland sales to be :—: — (a) To decide the bona fides or • otherwise of the intending purchaser. This would be necessary to secure the interests ol the country generally, and those of present and prospective settlers in particular, and would prevent vast areas of land being "collared" by land syndicates and other bodies who might seek to employ "dummies" to gain their ends. (b) To appropriate 15 per cent, of the purchase money. The effect of this would be to discourage land changing haitds too frequently, and would tend to make our rural population "settlers" more literally, and not • — ? gru-nltural (c) To purchase such lands offered for sale as might be expedient in the country s interest, and re-sell the same to approved purchasers. Such lands to include homesteads now settled, and also large and unwieldy stations and . estates suitable for close settlement, lhe Government, as at present, to be vested with compulsory powers of purchase in the case of stations and estates. (d) Branches of the Government land exchange to be established in the chief centres of the Dominion. (4) No person to be permitted to hold more than 1000 acres of pastoral land and not more than 500 acres of agricultural land. ° (5) Imposition of a graduated land lax on all unimproved lands to the extent of 40 per cent on "unearned increment. (6) The Government to take over no lands that are occupied, except : (a) In the case of death of owner and no legal will -being left to determine his successor. But homesteads might be further subdivided 'among tnc children of deceased owner with approval of Government. (1>) In the case of non-fulfilment of terms of purchase by prospective owner. Here such moneys would be refunded by Government as mteht be oqmtab y determined by a local Special Valuation Board, consisting of (a) the stipendiary magistrate ior district as clyurman, (b) Uovern:nc:it~ \alucr, Jind- (c) a private value- appointed by the owner in question 7. Appointment of a Readjustment Board, to bring all existing Government leasehold tenures (and also freehold tsn-uri-s where necesaryt into conformity wiUj these proposals. ' - This, then, in substance, i.--. the attempted 'S-ia media/-' and it need only be added that the fact that whether the whole or part of it invites ciitici.«=m at the hands of various sections of (he community, that fact, as such, in no wise necessarily invalidates the practicability and claims of these proposals. That which may not be critic-wed or opposed does not exist in a world like this. The two sections of the community ' most' likely to raise the strongest objections to the above proposals are the land agents and the big station holders. 'But, alter all, if it can be shown that lhe bulk of these • proposals are directly beneficial to the great mass of the people, then r submit that, other thmes being equal, this, at best, inconsiderable minority of the community (and-hold-ing prejudiced views at that) must sec that their duly is to fall quietly into line for the good of the nation as a whole. Should they unwisely decide to do otherwise, then the "man in the stret-t" will know ju&t exactly how to estimate the character ol such opposition. In conclusion, • some superfine critics may urge that to call the above proposals the granting of the freehold is to juggle with words. My reply to this is— short, and .sufficient : The kind of freehold 1 have indicated above— or something on virtually the same lines— is the only kind oi" freehold that is possible in this young democratic nation at this time of day— a nation which need "oread nought" when once it is intelligently populated with ten million real live human beings of pure British blood. — I am, etc., BRITON.