THE FREEHOLD.

King Country Chronicle, Volume III, Issue 178, 2 August 1909, Page 5

THE FREEHOLD.

To the Editor. Sir. —The late Minister of Roads and Bridges, Mr Hojrg, if he had the power would hound all freeholders out of the country, or send them to durance vile. Mr Hogg, if he had his way. would limit every settler to five acres, and on this five acres he gives us to understand a good living is to be made by growing leeks and onions. Tbat Mr Hogg is playing into the hands of the gigantic organisations that mean votes, viz.: the Trades and Labour Unions of the towns, is very evident. The present Land Bills simply a crouching down to the dictation of Trades and Labour Councils,and I challenge Mr Hogg to prove otherwise. lam prepared at any time to meet him on any platform, before any audience, general or special, departmental or otherwise, and prove what I say in reference to the Trades and Labour Coucils to be correct. Now, the sooner Mr Hogg and his party awaken to the fact that the pioneers of the backhtocks are not going to be ruled by' the Trades and Labour Councils of the towns, the better it will be for all parties. Is it sunposed for a moment that settlers will endure all kinds of hardships and go out into the backblocks and toil for tbe best part of their lives to bring their sections into the most profitable state of pro ductivnss, only to leave it again? From the inception of the colony it has been the right of all settlers to have the freehold, and it was that option that induced a great number of settlers to come to the colony. The Freehold movement is bound to triumph all along the line, for the leasehold system has no champions or defenders, excepting a tittle knot of the theorists of Mr Hogg's class, and it is the least popular of all among city workmen, when it comes to the question of their own personal tenure. Now, for the edification of Mr Hogg and his party, I would point out what the British Government are doing to. better the conditions of Ireland: It is advancing huge sums of money tobuy out tbe ! land owners, and to make advances to the tenants, to enable them to acquire the freehold of their holdings. There is just one point in connection with the matter deserving of notice, because it has a direct bearing on what ;we are doing here, and I think it affords a useful lesson to us. It is that no one at Home, so far as 1 can ; see has ever suggested tbat the land Iso acquired should be vested in the Government, and leased to the tenants. It is evideent that the people at Home do not consider it a desirable thing to substitute a public for a private landlord; and. so the poor Irish tenant is to be given tbe freehold. He is no longer to toil without hope, but is to have something to work for, to give him an interest in life. Now, I would ask Mr Hogg, who is right? The theorists whom he represents, or the Home Government backed by the | intelligence of the whole country? Mr Hogg and bis party should seriously | ask themselves: "If the fruits of their system a-t seen in Ireland, Russia and other benighted countries, are of such : a wholesome and desirable kind, tfcat we should seek to raise them tore?" If Mr Hogg had bis way we would be given a short lease with periodical revaluations, and all the other machinery for rack renting. New Zealand would be like Ireland—a country to i flee from.—l am, etc., FRANCIS COLIN STUART, Waikaka.