THE LAND PROBLEM.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLVI, Issue XLVI, 28 June 1911, Page 1

THE LAND PROBLEM.

THE OPPOSITION STANDPOINT. The attention devoted to Hie- subject of laud 'tenure by tlve Leader of the Opposition in bis address to a Duned'iu audience last week did not purport to be exhaustive,-but it was none the less effective! comme&tg the "Otago Daily Times." The views which Mr Massey entertains as to th,e kind of tenure that it is desirable —from the point of view of the community as well as that of the individual affectedI—sbould 1 —sbould bo put within the reach of every settler in Netvv Zealand are &o well known that there was no need for him to labour the question. Mr Massey drew an exaggerated picture, of tire unfortunate position of the- man who, however capable a farmer he may be, finds himself, because of the disabilities in the way of a-esources under which he has started, in tire position of be-in or prevented for all timo from acquiring his independence by pur_ chasing the freehold of the land he . occupies. New Zealand ha s not done so remarkably well in solving. tire land problem in her own 'way that she can afford to neglect the lessons provided by the experience by the experieinco of other countries. IN THE OLD CONTBT. In a recent number of the "Portnightly Be view" appears an article entitled! "An Agricultural Tragedy in Figures," by Sir Gilbert Parker, in -which tlve agrarian system Of the Old Country is subjected) to a very searching critical examination. The passionless statistics in which, the writer sets out the story of tish' agriculture are somewhat depressing. Thety show' among other things bow, during the past 30 years, - tillage and pasture have almost changed places in the agricultural scheme, tlie •decline in tire more important food crops having been, practically universal. The largo conversion o." arable land Tntb pasture •has.been accompanied naturally by an increases in the stock of the country, but Sir Gilbert Parker finds no consolation in this, since the diminution in tillage has not been accompanied) by a corresponding increase in live stock. Viewed statistically'in comparison with the results of foreign methods, the trend of Great Britain's agrarian system is looked upon by Mm as simply ruinous. From the point of view,of employment, be says, "it is. impossible to avoid the conclusion that agriculture is almost ceasing to be regarded a s a serious occupation in this coivntry." The tables hel produces relative to persons, employed in agriculture in« England and! Wales slvow that, while in 60 years the population was doubled, the' number of field-workers was .halved, xind that Groat Britain compares very unfavourably indeed with such countTi.es as France, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Italy, and the United States, with respect to the percentage in i agriculture constitute of either the total population or of the "occupied" population. The decline of England's agricultural population, that is to say in the exodus from the laud, is singled out as really tlie 1 cen_ rral situation of the agricultural traw gedy. As to tbe relation of the aural exodus to agricultural depression Sir Gilbert Parker judges it tobe probably at once a cause and an effect He adds: — " The exodus from the land 1 can-, not be said'to be an effect of depression except so far as this—that it was an eiffect of the policy of amalgamating small holdings, which was probably one of the. causes of the want of elasticity shown by British agriculture in meeting the new, conditions." ' THE AGRICULTURAL LABOURER However that may be, there is little doubt as to the obstacle the: exodus offers 'to agricultural regeneration. , . .- Again we find the agricultural question described a s a question of men, and again we find tlre/remedy' suggested one, which many a would- ' be land' reformer has proclaimed. The agricultural labourer must bo offered the prospect and means of, advnncement, and there must be; returiu'd to the country-ifolk • of Great Britain that stake in the land of which th-ey were deprived during last'century by unwise legislation and by a rapid in_ duistrial expansion resulting in the. creation -of largo estates. Bir Gilbert Parker seems 1 particularly worth quoting when he sums up the position thus:—"But if the countryman is to be kept upon the land or attracted ' back t 0 the land by the) offer of a career, it must be a full career, : a prospect with the fullest horizon. It is not enough to offer him the pros-, pect of renting a bit of land: Jio must liave before h'im the> ihope of becoming the owner of his land and of his home. He may not avail himself of Hie chance, but to debar him from the opportunity is to whittle down the gift until it> loses half its value. It is because 'the natural forces- and natural desires of ; tbe'' peasantry have been repressed that our fields are desolate: it is because they have full scope in other countries that their country-sides aTe Invest of industry. The desire of possession is of all forcets the (most potent, and for that reason it must be called to our aid. ; '.;