CORRESPONDENCE.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XIX, Issue 3291, 2 December 1892, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE.

SPECULATION IN LAND.

To the Editor of the Star. Sib,—As I am one of those who were very much pleased by tbe professed intention of tie present Government to pat a stop to speculation in land as much as possible, and to keep tbe land whioh is unsold for the- people, by encouraging Bettlers to take np land on perpetual lease, I am surprised that they seem to have made no effort to prevent speculators from buying town lands. If they were for tbe future to only lease town lands on reasonable terms, it would be to the immense advantage of the majority of the people of New Zealand. People who wanted to start businesses, or live in towns so as to be able to work at their trades, would not be obliged to buy sections at fab-tons prices from those who had only bought * en », make a profit, wbioh they decidedly have not earned, though they may be justified in the present state of oar law in adding field to field, and say that tbe other people are not obliged to buy unless they like. Our present Gov ernment are supposed to be socialistic and democratic, but, if thsy realjy are, they show great talent in disguising their true prmoiples, if we only judge by their deeds co far. The Land Bill which they pasted last session seems to me to be a parody on their avowed intention to nationalise tbe land as much as possible. Fancy givin_ a man a lease of 999 acres at 4 per cent., on the present value of the land, without revaluation. They are actually making ™ gift to him and his sucoesrow, of the unearned increment of the land, as much as if they had sold tbe freehold. The only difference is they make it possible for more people to get tbe unearned increment than under tbe old system. I am very glad to see that you are making public the way the Government are al owing a speculator to forestal them, in selling land for a township at Manga.re. It is as you say unfair to the buyers of land who gave larger prices because it was near a town— l am, &0., Bextlkb. Stratford, 28th November. D ™ lM<