SETTLING THE LAND.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLI, Issue 9632, 5 October 1911, Page 5

SETTLING THE LAND.

MORE FORWARD POLICY URGED.

IBy Telegbaph.l

(By Oob Pabliamentaby Repohteb l ,} WELLINGTON, Oct. 4.Some reasonable suggestions to*' wards a solution of the problems oE . land settlement were made in the ■, House of Representatives this after- . noon. Replying to a question by the , member for Pahiatua (Mr Ross), tho 1 Minister for Lands promised that careful consideration would bo given to his suggestion that suitable districts near towns and railways should be proclaimed as close settlement areas and that the holding of large blocks of undeveloped land in those areas should be effectively discouraged. Mr Ross urged that the suggestion should _ receive the most careful consideration. In his opinion any person who held 1000 acres of first class land adjacent to a railway or a town was a greater menace to. the progress of the country than the man who held 50,000 acres in an outlying district. The Government should exert itself by special taxation and other means to secure for closer settlement such accessible lands. (Hear, hear.) Mr G. W. Forbes (Hurunui) urged that a more progressive policy of closer settlement should be adopted. He considered it was unreasonable for the Government -to expect members to act as land agents for it.' They were continually asked to bring suitable estates under the notice of the Government only to be told that the prices were too , high. He thought that the Land Purchase Board should travel about and select land for purchase at favourable opportunities. The Leader of the Opposition (Mr W. F. Massey) said that the attitude of the Opposition in regard to tho settlement of the land was clearly defined. It contended that land that was not being properly used and was not reproductive, whether native land, Crown land, or privately owned land, should be made useful to the country. The defect in the present land legislation, which must receive the attention of the next Parliament, was that there was a great deal too much rating of land that is already improved and not nearly enough taxation imposed on land that was not improved. Several speakers declared that tho Opposition had obstructed the settlement of land, but Mr Massey drew their attention to the fact that the Party had encouraged and assisted tho Government and had sanctioned an expenditure of £500,000 per annum for the prosecution of the policy. It had repeatedly found fault because the Government had not spent the money authorised for the purpose, as was the case last year. Mr W. H. Herries (Tauranga) said that the Opposition was convinced that the small freehold system, was the best means of land settlement. The weapon toward that result was the graduated land tax. Hon. D, Buddo denied that extra taxation was imposed as the land was improved. He admitted that increased improvements involved a heavier liability for local rates. Tho Minister argued that estates adjacent to railWays and towns were so highly valued that settlers placed on them would'be unduly burdened