LEASEHOLD v. FREEHOLD.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XCVI, Issue 14428, 19 July 1907, Page 8

LEASEHOLD v. FREEHOLD.

TO THH EDITOR. Sir, —Your correspondent, H. Knight, goes “eyes out”-for freehold, hut, if ho had a hotter knowledge of the earth hunger in the country districts, he would see that the thousands clamouring for land are those whose means will not allow them to go into the open, market, and the only hope of the landless is that the Government secure a few more of the vast sheep -walks in the Amuri- As a point to show why land is needed, I may state that a few* weeks back Mr G. Laurenson gave an address at Rotherham, and, during his speech, ho referred to the loss of population in the Amuri County. The figures are taken from the New Zealand Year Books of 1901 and 1906, leaving out the Government settlements or Lyndon and Highfield : Amuri County, year 1901, 1142; year 1906, 1406. The population of Lyndon, taken from the New Zealand Year Book, is 103, and Annan 204, and hy deducting the two settlements from the above return, of 1406 it leaves the Amuri with 1099, or 43 less than were in the county in 1901. And now for the cause ox the decrease, namely, that the workers get no benefit from the wave of prosperity that has so gloriously livened the whole colony, as the runholders lequne less hands, and their improvements are about finished, so that _in this small 1 township alone over thirty of the youths and maidens had to leave lor other parts to seek empMyment or find land to make homes. This district i« essentially a. small farmers one, and would compare favourably with any part of New Zealand, hut, alas, the cry is that the Land Purchase Board w short of funds, and syndicates small blame to them, come along and grab the plums. Surely it would be the better policy to have a thousand happy settlers than a few would-be millionaires. Capital is man s _ product; he made it. But the land « Gods product. He made it and gave it not to one class, but to the whole human race. Then the poorest as well as the richest, has a right to a share of what belongs to all T am. etc., LEASE WITHOUT OPTION.