CORRESPONDENCE.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume VII, Issue 1309, 17 May 1886, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE.

(We do not hold ourselves responsible for ' the opinions expressed by our correspondents. To ensure publication, however, it will be necessary for writers to avoid personalities.

To the Editor of the Star.

Sir, I see by one of your late issues that Mr. Lucena has purchased Mr. Bamford's farm. Tour remarks regretting that on this coast where the U\nd is so rich there should be a tendency to the aggregation of small farms into large estates demand serious consideration. Mr.. Bamford's is, I believe, the sixth separate holding purchased by Mr. Lucena. Those residing at a distance may regard this individual case as only injurious to tbe township of Hawera. But the question of monied men throughout the colony depopulating the country districts by convening a number of smaller holdings into a few large estates is one of those serious questions likely to prove injurious not only to every city and town, but to the colony at large. One of the principal causes of the present wretchedly helpless state of Great Britain may be traced to the fact that formerly a few became possessed of the lands that should have been divided amongst tbe many. By that few it has been handed down by the law of entail to their few descendants, to be by these wealthy few locked up as game preserves, or let to good producers at too heavy rents to enable the tenants to grow food cheaply for the people. The locking np of large portions of the land as game preserves by the wealthy few drove numbers of the increasing food producers (who would otherwise have earned a livelihood as farmers and farm laborers) into tbe cities to earn a living at the factories. The factories and the colonies for many years afforded an outlet for surplus population. Formerly, when America and the colonies were growing, they were chiefly dependant on Britain for manufactured articles, consequently the British factories flourished, and gave full employment to the people. But as America and the colonies increased they started factories, and gradually became no longer dependant ou Great Britain. In America and the colonies the land was cheap, and tins enabled the people to grow cheap food not only for themselves, but they were also enabled to send it into Britain cheaper than tbe British farmer could produce it. British soil was quite as productive as the colonial, but the rents demanded by the, few who held the land were too high to grow cheap food. Between high rates aud cheap food many more of the farming classes became crushed, and were driven into the cities to seek employment, only adding to the numbers already in those cities out of work and uuable to earn money to buy the food sent to them. A great deal of the existing misery might have been averted hud the Government taken steps to break up the large estates; but, unfortunately, a large portion of those who govern are the holders of large estates. There is nothing to hope from those holders of large estates ; they will continue to grasp what they possess until a revolution and a true representative Government hurls them from office and succeeds to those who have hitherto bo unwisely governed Great Britain. As the monopoly of the lands of Britain by a few has driven the increasing agricultural population into its cities to find employment, so wili the extinction of small farms and creation of large estates in New Zealand depopulate tbe country districts and colony at large. We have nothing to hope from our Government as at present constituted, as many of the Lower House and a majority of the Upper House are holders of large estates. The Upper House over which the people have no control, although a strong power as a governing body, are an increasingly useless expense not required in the Government of the colony. They are an increasing expense, as every new Ministry ti at comes into office, if weak in the Upper House, pitchforks a few of their friends into it without having tbe courtesy to ask their constituents if they are willing to pay the extra £300 a year each of these useless lords costs the colony. Ma-jor Atkinson told his constituents at one of his recent meetings that the people of New Zealand governed themselves, But while that Upper House exists, over which tbe people have no control, we do not govern ourselves ; and while that House of large estate-holders exists, we can never check tbe formation of large estates, and consequent depopulation of the colony. The formation of large estates can easily be checked by passing an Act heavily taxing all properties over a certain value — and that value, according to different qualities of land, is already known. On the most valuable portions of this coast, one thousand acres are sufficient for any one settler, and that would be worth ten thousand pounds. There are poor and mountainous parts of New Zealand, where the land may be only worth 10a per acre. Twenty thousand acres of this ought to suffice one settler, and this would be also ten thousand pounds' worth of land. If an Act were- passed imposing a tax of £1 per acre on all land held by any single individual over £10,000 worth of land, it would prevent the formation of large estates and would break up existing ones. In the collection of tbe property tax, those holdings under £500 worth of land were exempt. If those holding over £500 worth of land were taxed, there is no hardship in making those who hold . over £10,000 worth of land pay an extra tax. Some foolishly argue against limiting purchase of large estates by stating it would keep large capitalists from coming to the country, but large capitalists when they invest extensively in the monopoly of land do not benefit, but injure, a country by assisting to depopulate it. The colony is therefore better without them. The above would be a simple means of preventing the formation of large estates, and breaking up existing ones. .But,, as I before observed, tbe people have nothing to hope from our Government as at present constituted While so many of the Lower House are holders of large estates, or the Upper House is in existence, no Ministry, however willing to do so, could pass such a bill through Parliament; they would loae their supporters, and be burled from office, which in their own estimation would be a more serious calamity than tbe ruin of the country. The electors of the colony can only effect this by being careful not to return owners of large estates to the Lower House, and taking steps to abolish tbe Upper House, as tbe only means of getting a bill passed to prevent the gradual depopulation and consequent ruin of the country by the acquisition and formation of large estates. — I am, &c., Vebitas.