OUR HERITAGE.

Evening Star, Issue 20010, 30 October 1928, Page 13

OUR HERITAGE.

TO THE EDITOE. Sir.—Since the Reform Party got into power it has granted to the tenants holding the longer leases of Crown lands the right to the freehold at the valuation at the beginning of the leases, plus 1 per cent. Tn the meanlime these lands have doubled, and sometimes trebled, in value, so that this great increase in value has been presented to the leaseholders. The public, the owner of these lands, for whom the Government arc the trustees, have thus lost, in tho aggregate, millions of pounds. For example, in the case of leasehold Grown land of an unimproved value of £2 an aero thirty years ago, such land should now bo worth from £4 to £G an acre unimproved value, and often much more. The leaseholder had no right, legal or moral, to that land at tho expiry of his leaso: but tho Reform Party lias granted him the right to the freehold at. £2 an acre, plus 1 per cent.— i.e.. £2 Os ud—thus making him a present of from £2 to £4 an acre, which is tho property, not of the members of tho Reform Party granting it, but of the whole of the people of New Zealand. It has parted with the people’s heritage for a mess of pottage—votes for the Reform Party. If a trustee for privately-owned lands •'■mo to sell trust lands for half or less than half their value, the courts would soon show him how dishonestly ho had acted: hut the Government can do and has done this very thing by Act_ of Parliament. In some few cases, owing to persistent agitation and publicity, tho Reform Partv has been forced to subdivide Crown lands for closer settlement; but. oven in the face of such direct, evidence of land hunger it has often refused to cut tiio land up, the Glendhu run being a case in point. Tn this case one man gave evidence to the effect that it. is better to Jin ye one prosperous than three struggling settlers on the land. Did not practically every successful farmer who has retired begin as a struggling settlor? 1 notice that the Hon. Downie Stewart, in answer (o a question, took credit for the cutting up of some few runs. What, he did nob say was that this course was forced on Viis party as the result of persistent agitation. He makes a virtue out of necessity. We mav he told that tho Land Board did these things, hub the reply is that the Land Board is the tool of the Government, and must carry out its policy. _ When laud is held in large areas it employs little labour, hut when subdivided it Incomes tho home of numerous families, and double the produce is taken off it. This takes men off tho labour market, cures unemployment, and brings prosperity to the towns. The Minister of Lands has deplored the drift to the_ towns. His partv is responsible for it. How can the natural increase in the population of tho country make a livelihood unless the land is subdivided? I know of a case of a man with eight sons trying to place them in this city, because he secs no hop© of getting them on the laud, their accustomed work. _ As the population of New' Zealand increases closer settlement is inevitable. What a. costly business it will be for the'New Zealanders of the future to buy back from private owners Crown lands which am now being parted with so lightly, and with so little thought for the future!—l am, etc.,Landless. October 29.