The Gisborne Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. THURSDAY, MAY 15, 1913.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXXV, Issue 3832, 15 May 1913, Page 4

The Gisborne Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. THURSDAY, MAY 15, 1913.

Whafc lias become* known as “the groat- land grab A Great Land Crab, in West Australia” is forming a very important topic in connection with tho pending elections in Australia. It lias, of course, always been tho position that Labor has ever been ready in the Commonwealth, as well as in other countries, to decry huge speculations in land. But in West Australia, at any rate, tho Labor faction will, it would seem, have to content themselves with remaining very quiet ©n this particular subject for a long timo to come. As is wellknown, the Federal Government is engaged upon tho construction of a very great and important work in the matter of tho Trans-Continental railway. In connection with tho project, it now appears, however, that the Labor speculator got in '‘some very fine work” as regards the selection oft enormous blocks along the route between the Sopth Australian border and Kalgoorlie. Many journals in tho Commonwealth have, it is interesting to note, taken up the matter with the result that, inter alia, maps and plans have been published showing

A Great Land Crab.

exactly how the huge tract of land in question is now held. It appears, for instance, that quite a number of prominent Labor politicians aro included among the lessees of the lands. The areas selected which may be mentioned aro: Mr Scaddan (Labor Premier) 324,500; Mr J. J. McDonald, M.L.A., (Labor) 105,700 acres: Mr J. ,J. Gardiner, M.L.A. (Labor) 250,000 acres; Mr P. H. Do Largic, the 19-year-old son of Senator Do Largie, Labor Whip in the Senate, 123,560 acres. According to the map Mr McDonald and Mr Gardiner arc associated .with partners. Large tracts of land along the routo have, it would seem, also been secured by gentlemen whO'"Sro interested in the Powellising Company which hold contracts from th Commonwealth Government in connection with the building of the railway. The rent for the land it turns out is 3s per 1000 acres. In the Kimberley division, however, the rent is 53 per 1000 acres. What is now being asked in this regard is why in view of the fact that the proposed shipping facilities at the town of Euela will mako the leases in that vicinity- as valuable as those at Kimberley, the Scaddon Ministry did not before opening the land to selection even move for a revision of the old rents. With reference to the interesting disclosure, it is quoted that Mr Scaddan in a policy speech in August, 1911, expressed his intention of overhauling the Lands Department so that he could prove that under the Labor regimo the assertion that “people possessing influence were those who had the best chanco of consideration” would be baseless. Now according to the date recorded in the' Lands Department, it was only twelve months after this declaration that the Labor faction secured their vast blocks of land near Euela. When the map was published in West Australia, it seems Mr Scaddan assumed an attitude of outraged innocence. Since then, however, he Jims made a number of interesting statements about the whole matter. Associated with him in the “deal” were, he says, four colleagues in the persons of the Hon. Thos. Walker (Minister for Justice and Education) ; Hon. P. Collier (Mir./sfer for Mines and Railways); Hon. W. D. Johnson (Minister for Works), and the Hon. J. M. Drew (Colonial Secretary). His explanation of the whole matter, it appears, was. “that the land was available for selection by anybody else but apparently others ‘did not get off rise mark quickly enough!’ ” Naturally Mr Scaddan and Iris colleagues are being trenchantly criticised over the whole matter. One leading journal, for instance, says: “Mr Scaddan forgets that he was in a better position than anybody tdso to know just when ‘to get off the mark.’ Ho forgets, too, that he and his Ministerial colleagues occupy positions of trustees of the public estate and that it- is distinctly wrong by all the rules of law and morality for trustees to traffic in trust property for their own advantage. The most pitiable part oil the whole affair is that Mr Scaddan seems to rejoice in the fact that he was able ‘to get off the mark’ before anybody else.” Assuredly never were principles more shamelessly abandoned.