The Star. WEDNESDAY, JULY 11, 1917. LAND TENURE AND SETTLEMENT.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXII, Issue LXXII, 11 July 1917, Page 4

The Star.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 11, 1917. LAND TENURE AND SETTLEMENT.

Delivered every evening by 6 o'clock in Hawera, Manaia, Jformanby, Okaiawa, Eltham, Mangatoki, Katanga, Awatuna, Opunake, Otakeho, Manutalj Alton, Hurleyville, Patea, Waverley.

Just now there is something more pressing to think about than land tenures —at least, that is the belief of most' public men; but when the urgency of the pest-war economical conditions begins to obtrude itself Parliament will, once more have to devote itself to the study of land settlement questions. Production will have to be greatly increased if we are to comfortably meet our war debts and liabilities. But though the land question is not in immediate issue, it would seem from the tenor of a meeting held in Dunedin lately under the auspices of the Chamber of Commerce that the people in Otago are being forced to the conclusion that they have been .backing the wrong horse, Dunedin, if not Otago at large, has been the stronghold of the leasehold principle as an article of political and social faith. Down through the last threo or four decades there come echoes and re-echoes of controversies in which big runs, land monopoly and dummying, and so on were familiar phrases. These controversies largely influenced party politics and divided and angered men, and led to most interesting party developments. In the main the leasehold party in Otago were successful, and it is claimed that without doubt a greater proportion of the land is held under lease in Otago than in any other part of New Zealand. In the towns and cities the leasehold principle has worked not badly for the tenants, and extremely well for local bodies and great educational and religious trusts. Whether it has done so for any body in respect of agricultural and pastoral lands, particularly the latter, is being seriously questioned. At the meeting referred to an address was given by Mr W. D. Hunt, chairman of the Wright, Stephenson Company, and he had facts and figures to put before lis hearers which were somewhat dis■coneertin.2, and, at any rate, would seem to call for a satisfactory reply if the leasehold system, as at present applied to pastoral lands, is not to be •seriously discredited. In an address, of which we cannot given even an outline, for it filled several columns of the Otago Daily Times, he claimed that wherever country land was held on freehold title there was progressive development of productive value; that ■where the land was held under a, gen- . orally satisfactory lease there was at -any rate no retrogression; but that where the tenure was short, uncertain, "with inadequate protection for tenants' on improvements and maintenance, the results were most disappointing and depressing. He said "that in respect of lands totalling an .area of 2,138,425 acres held on freehold tenure, or capable of conversion into freehold, not only were the farms prodiicing more than ever before, but they had increased an selling value enormously. Of five million acres let on inconvertible lease, a fraction was let on renewable terms, and here the results Avere not quite so unsatisfactory; but 4,956,839 acres were for the most part let on an unsatisfactory lease, and in respect of these lands there had been an alarming deterioration of values. On these points Mr Hunt eaid: "While all the lands with frceliold rights, not only in Otago, but in" the whole of New Zealand, had steadily improved in producing capacity and in monetary value since the country was first occupied, the pastoral Ttms owned by the State and leased oy it to tenants had steadily deteriorated in production and \alue until to-

day the 3,575,520 acres of pastoral runs in Otago, amounting to half our ; total occupied area, were only bringing in an annual rental of £25,417, . which was equivalent to 5 per cent, interest on a capital value of 2s lOd per acre. He thought that fact was, sufficient evidence that something was wrong. Many years ago, when wool was at less than half of to-day's Value, and surplus stock, instead of having a good export market, had to be boiled down, this country was bringing in a much higher rental than it was to-day. One naturally asked why the country had been allowed to deteriorate in that manner, and the answer was because it was held on a tenure that gave no adequate protection to the improvements of the occupier. The occupier not only received no protection for his improvements, but he was penalised if he made any." This is a very strong indictment of the results of the leasehold system as it has been applied in Otago after years of agitation by land reformers. The ideal was perfectly good; it was the ideal of small settlement, the replacement of sheep by men; but the mistake was that the men who worked for it dici not take due account of natural conations. Mr Hunt said that in Otago they had gone on agitating for the leasehold, and they had got it. lne Government, in reply to agitation, "had given them leasehold, continuous leasehold, and short term leasehold which was bad leasehold until their lands had been destroyed, and until, after starting years ago with the finest grazing lands in the Dominion, they had now depreciated them until 6S per cent, of the lands of the province were bringing m o per cent, interest on the magnificent sum of 4s 4d per acre capital value, ihe people of the North Island, on the other hand, had agitated continuously for freehold and freehold rights. Every freehold agitation had originated in the North Island, and the North Island people had hammered 'away continuously for freehold >and freehold rights, and for leaseholds that protected their improvements, and the result was that they nad got from the various Governments what they had asked for, until to-day 91* per cent, of their lands were freeholds and good leaseholds, and only 8* per cent, bad etnures." Mr Hunt's figures may be accepted as reliable, and speak loudly for a change in the interest not only of Otago, but of all New Zealand.