THE LAND QUESTION

Evening Star, Issue 14229, 1 December 1909, Page 8

THE LAND QUESTION

[From Our Paiiliamkntary RKr-OB.TF.n.] WELLINGTON, December 1. ROCKS AHEAD. One of the features of the committee discussion on the Land Settlement Finance Bill was the stand taken bv Messrs Davey and Witty on tho subject of the limitation of area. The Bill provides that the area which may be acquired by combinations of persons desiring; to ttke advantage of the Act is to bo limited to fifty acres on the one hand, and 200 acres on the other. Incidentally, Leaseholders had a g;ood deal to say about the way in which the interests of the community are affected by tho State guaranteeing the monev requisite for the purchase «f the Free'hokl. It would open the door, they argued, to the. operations of syndicates, and to the bumping up of prices on the part of land speculators; in fact, it was admitted that pressure had been brought to bear by land-owners who wanted to dispose of their land under the. provisions of the Bill. Mr Witty, aided by Mr Davev, got into grips with the Prime Minister. They contended that the second reading had been carried against their wishes, but thoy had a right to trv to amend it, if possible. Mr Witty declared that the Prime .Minister had stated that he would amend the Bill so as to provide that the land should he of first class quality, and now he said he would ,!ot do anything of tho sort. Sir Joseph Ward replied that if any such amendment was made it would ' mean that the Bill would come into competition with the Land for Settlements Act, which was not the intention of the measure. Mr Witty urged that the smallest area that could bo taken up should be twenty-five, instead of fifty, acres, so as to make it operate in favor of the small man. Sir Joseph, however, refused to accede to the proposal. Mr Witty declared that he was r.ot going to give up his right of criticism of any Bill that was brought forward. In the interests of his constituents it was his duty to make tho Bill what ho thought it should be. The Bill was cumbersome and unworkable, and ~-ouid have to bo amended next year. He expressed the decided opinion that it was merely intended as a substitute for the Laud Tor Settlements Act. "No,'" said the Prime Minister. ''That's my opinion, anvhow," said }lr Witty. At one time the number of amendments put forward by the Opposition appeared Jikely to jeopardise tho progress of the Bill, and Mr Davey made this point tn Sir Joseph: "Wo voted against, the second reading, and therefore you w-.ii't accept our amendments. The Opposition voted for it, thinking to amend the measure in committee to suit their own ends. Are you going to save the Bill, with our reasonable amendments, or allow it to be killed by the uureasonahU> amendments of the Opposition ?'' Sir Joseph Ward got his Bill through, but the attitude of the Leaseholders is 'significant. There is much trouble ahead. FREEHOLD PROPERTY. A return presented to the House on the motion of Mr Witty shows that on March 31, 1900, there were 104 owners ol property of a capital value of -£.j0,000 or over, and that at the end of March the number had increased to 210. • THE LEASEHOLD PRINCIPLE. The Hon. Sec. of the Auckland branch of the N.Z. Labor party (Mr V Rossor) has sent the following'interesting communication to Mr G. W. Russell, M.P.:— I am directed by resolution to convey to you aud the seventeen members who voted for your amendment in favor of the principle of the Leasehold the hearty congratulations of the members of the above branch on the good tight that you made for what is evidently a disappearing principle of the Government—viz the leasehold. The action of the Government, who, when Mr M'Nab was Minister of Lands, declared that they had nailed their colors to the mast on the Land Question, is inexplicable to us, and the only explanation seems to be in those words ol the great Irish national poet: lo place and power all public spirit trends, la place and power all public spirit ends.