FARMERS AND POLITICS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXXI, Issue 15494, 21 December 1910, Page 11

FARMERS AND POLITICS.

TO THE EDITOR. ' .; Sir, —In your issue of the 17th instant there appeared a letter written by Mr C. H. Ensor, termed, a reply to some questions that I asked him regarding the scheme of land settlement inaugurated by his political party, but as you and your numerous readers will observe, he never answered nor even touched, on my questions at all; and my questions were: first, does Mr Ensor know of anv largo landowners that would dense their- land, would they lease it on tho same terms as the Government does, arid will they lix their rents on- the Government, valuation, including graduated land tax? But instead of answering those plain questions, he starts off to ridicule the Eoyernment for what he calls the barrier of taxation. Moll, in mv opinion the graduated land tax. is not half what.it should be. It is disheartening, and 1 might say humiliating, to approach one of our large lamtowners to try and buy a portion of his land. There is a large area of land held bv a few station owners, between Rotherham and Kaikoura, that is capable of carrying a large population it cut up into small holdings', and if the Govern omen t took it over at flip. present Government valuation there could he as much added as would go a .long way towards building a railway between those two, places, and then it .would be cheap,. There is a tract of country in Hawke s Bay that if cut up into small holdings would almost maintain the entire population of New Zealand at-t.he present time. Not long ago I was speaking to one of our North Canterbury largo landowners. 1 referred to tho graduated land tax. Ho said, it was a bit heavy, but that, he did pot intend to part w ith any of his land at present, as it was bound to increase in' value' as the population of New Zealand increased, and when the railway went through. Now, those men are keeping the land practically- ial.o ■ waiting for an unearned increment through the taxpayer in general building railways through their land. I know of one station-owner who objected to the Government valuation being too high. He was valued at £4 per-acre/ and hot long ago he offered it to the Government for close settlement, as being ii cheap and suitable place,, .at £l3 per acre. It is the small farmer, that owns under 300 acres, that in - my opinion is paying too heavy a tax. hie is taxed on his own industry or penalised for making his land productive, as he is taxed 30 per cent more-than the large landowner. I once more, repeat my offer to Mr Eusq.r that if he knows of a large land owner or owners that are willing to lease their land on the same terms as the Government, does, I will find the tenants and pay them five per cent on the present Government valuation, including land tax, that is, providing the land offered .is capable of being cut up for close: settlement. I am afraid Mr Ensor’s

party is supplying him wRR blank tridges, and' that when their political; war- starts there will be nothingAtcA. protect him, and that he will find nim-Ci self surrounded by only ndise and; smoko.—l am, etc., .y l '-**

M. J. CORRIGAN