Rather Awkward.

Feilding Star, Volume I, Issue 288, 11 June 1907, Page 2

Rather Awkward.

In the course of his pre-sessional speech at Dunedin the other evening, Mr Millar, the Minister for Labor, found fault with Mr Massoy, the Loader of the Opposition, for suggesting that if the Government gave the freehold to Crown tenants the money could be used to purchase other land. "It looks nice — very nice," said the Minister, "but I don't know where the principle is in it." The amusing part about the Ministor's comments is that what Mr Massey is credited with advocating is what the present Minister for Lands put forward as his policy at the last general election, and it is rather awkward that the Minister whose sj)oci:il province is the administration of tbo Lauds, and whose experience as » landowner has been fairly extonsivo, should have the proposals he put forth before lie succeeded to Ministerial office ridiculed by the very Minister who knows nothing about land except what he lias gained by sailing ships over it where the water wax doej) enough. It seems a pity that the laud policy of a country like New Zealand should lip dictated by those who have not the slightest idea of practical land settlement, and who would be the very last to undergo the trials and privations inseparable from bush settlement. Every argument used against granting the freehold is simply in ' favour of some method of restricting thn aggregation of land in large areas, and if that consummation is what is desired to be attained, tlion the wrong road is being tiikeu. It seems a pity to us that Mr M< i Nab was not allowed by his colleagues to embody his own ideas of land settlement in a measure to be placed beforo ParHjfcnent, instead of being compelled to swallow a hybrid measure which is neither 'fish, fowl, nor good red herring."