LAND SETTLEMENT

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXI, 7 August 1928, Page 7

LAND SETTLEMENT

VARIOUS DECADES REVIEWED

(To the Editor)

Sir.—To write a. comprehensive roc l tal of land settlement, tho ambition of the pioneers, the causo and effect of the various tenures on our national and social economics, would require a. loan of the "Evening Mail's" columns for ;l. mouth. This is too much to ask. What can be published as a letter in a, paper is only a, mere outline of this "vital subject." It is beyond doubt that the chief incentive which prompted the pioneers to leave their Homeland and migrate through 12,000 miles of unstable watg's to the uttermost, parts of the earth w!ft, to them, the tempting prospect of acquiring land of their very own under the freehold tenure. Who amongst us of tho first generation born, on the land in, New Zealand can forget how earnest our parents were in warning us to hold fast to the freehold tenure, impressing it upon us that it is the onlv tenure under which you and your children's children can possibly'enjoy a full measure of freedom. They told us that while they honoured and respected their former landlords "The British Aristocracy", tneir lactors in. Scotland, their agents in lingland, Wales and Ireland, had placed a heel of iron on their necks, _ bad ground the faces of the poor, nad dictated to them how they should vote on all political questions, what church they were to attend, and so restricting heir liberties that they ivcd in daily drcad of offending their landlords fat, tor or agent. With, us of Hie Inst .generation born on the land who have Sent a long life on the land, and have eScrienccdlioth the freehold and Grown [ease tenure, it is still a controversial ScrXther the country wonld . have been better placed to-day if "f°Wn land had been alienated from the Crown ■ s aSt the-granting of the freehold. §anf fl »k t&t if >o Government had retained the land the farmersi youlq 5 better situated to-day, land aider a ease from the y 1 would have lost. New Zealand. FLUCTUATING FORTUNES

' Tn trace the fluctuating fortunes of land was sold during mm y«" B ,2 shillings »p w»rK%S gtfiffSCT -fir's , thousand years had instilled it into laud in tho Wellington province, Taianuki id all along the East Coast of ho North Island and also m the Wailato were disposed of /to settlers at a pound per down. At that time the bush cost one pound per aero to..foil. Brassing and boundary fencing cost apf, ox mutely 30s per acre, a total cost of £3 10s pei-acre for grazing farms which For many years'after they were grassed would winter two to -two and a ,hM sheep per acre or one head of young S 3 per acre.. Wherever thei/origuml owners of these farms have sat tight and thov or their descendants kept possession, of them, these farmers are on a good wicket to-day and many of thorn, have amassed considerable wealth. It is true that during the 'eighties and earlier, sheep after tho very restricted local market was satisfied, were of little value excepting for their wool, but better times were near at hand. Thirty to forty years ago can be rocKoned as the decade during which the rapid development of tho freezing industry took place. Although tho freezing and shipping of meat to the Home market had been installed somo years previous to forty years ago, the industry was then in the experimental stage. -Between thirty and forty years ago the freezing and shipping of both mutton and beef made a big advance and made big strides. The shipping also of dairy produce in cool chambers grew by leaps and- bounds. The promotion of the freezing industry during this decade created a steady market throughout the country for both meat and dairy produce, although prices were still low, freezing wethers 12s to 15s per hoad and butterfat 6d per lb. These prices would be scorned to-day. They were very welcome to the farmer of that time, who considered that with the change for the better in, market and prices, ho could see the end of his financial troubles. DEMAND FOR LAND The price of land advanced considerably and there was a growing and.keon demand for land- Still, all transactions in land during this decade were made on a sound business basis and freehold land was considered to be the soundest investment for mouey. I doubt if at any time before or since in the history of the farming industry in New Zealand, the fanners have been working on. a sounder foundation than they were during the decade of from thirty to forty years ago. Land. was selling at somewhere near its real value. The mortgagees' interest could bo met without much-worry, tho people, men and women, were content to stay ; at home and work at improving their properties. This was also the decade When the Government resumed possession of a. number of large estates and sub-divided. them for closer settlement. All of these fai-ms were let to tenants on a sound valuation basis. Experienced farmers who acquired thestf'farms found that they had good bargains and did really well on them under the leasehold tenure.

With the advent of the land-gamb-ling era, many of the Crown tenants sold their equity in their leasehold farms. Then came the clamour and demand for the freehold which was unfortunately granted by the Government of that day. The real cause of the demand of the freehold was that it gave greater facilities for gambling in land than the leasehold tenure. I have seen farms belonging to divided estates sold and resold, forced up to the fictitious value of £IOO per acre, plus the original Government valuation which was the true value of the land apart from some buildings and fencing.

The decade of between twenty and thirty years ago was the era when land gambling on a large.scale in New Zealand began. Gambling of any description is vicious, but gambling wholesale iri land is an absolute crime. Why human vampires should have been permitted to gamble with such. a. sacred commodity as land is beyond comprebension. To trafhe. in land as if it was ordinary merchandise- is immoral to tho last dogree. It, strikes at, and undermines, the national moral© and economic stability of the rjeonle. Tho land is "the life 6f the people." No mail should be permitted to. gamble with what'is ''tho foundation of all life." Wc can trace many of the economic and iczial troubles which we art:- an i gainst- today back to the land

. gambling ova of between twonty to '■ thirty yours ago—ovon to a greater extent than t'ho aftermath of the "world's war." CHANGING HANDS This was the timo when land was continually changing hands, bought and sold, bought and sold by of callous unscrupulous gamblers, who had no* intentjon 'of farming the land themscl- ( vos, but battened on. tho cupidity of the people. The example and machinations of tho gamblers became infectious among the fanning community, the majority of whom in the North Island were keen to soil their farms at the fictitious prices created by hind gamblers. No one bought a. farm intending to make a pormaucut Jiomo on it. Thoir intention was to puss it on to someone else, and got someone olse's money without giving an equivalent for it—" The aim of all gamblers." ' This false- sentiment soon permeated (he whole .community—town and country alike. I* was the beginning of the unrest and /he craving for excitement and gambling which has such a firm hold of tb« 'people to-day. Then came "tho world war, the conscripting of all of our young men, the spending of huge sums of burrowed money, -the terrific strain on all'of our resources and nerves. The end of the war saw the people overstrained and! ready for the reaction which took place in the record land and commercial boom and the consequent crash and prostration of tho financial resources of tho country. Then arose the new era of social and economic meintality in which we live today and tho call for readjustment to enable us to coniform to its demands. First tlici-o is' the urgent necessity for the readjustment of land values. At the present pi-ices asked, and in some instances foolishly agreed to', £4O po £BO per acre. >, No man at 1 this prko plus tho extra heavy costs to meet Ojo demands of tho new era of tho presejnt day, lias a hope, of being successful on land. Here are some reasons why layid values should bo readjusted—Heavy interest payments on overvalued land; tlie extravagant standard of living; 'the ever increasing demand for sport eind gambling; tho craving for excitement inducing people to rush round the country in motor cars at a high cost for travelling; heavy overhead costs in the production of all primary products; the incidence of heavy taxation; the enormous strain on the people's resources caused by the high prico of motor cars and the extravagant use of them; high \ freights and other charges in marketing our primary produce; the decline of interest in work and the increase of in*terest in sport, gambling and other pas-, times. "LAND VALUES MUST FALL" These are some of the reasons why the price of agricultural land must substantially fall before we can hope to see a contented rural population in New Zealand. The farmers in the Old Country ba'tyj realised that the land cannot stand the strain put upon it to satisfy the demands of present day conditions. While sellers are asking £4O to £BO per acre for dairy farms in the North Island, the freehold of the best farms in the Homeland are going begging at from £lO to £2O per acre. , One of the main issues at stake in the present U.S.A.. presidential election is the readjustment of the farmings industry. The U.S.A. farmers are demanding a substantial reduction in the price of land. Wo cannot have progress and stability while the prico of lawd stands at fictitious values. We are Jiving in an. era which is unnatural, artificial and unstable. Everything, animate and inanimate, is over commercialised from our sublimely beautiful Christian religion down to the commonest article of every-day use. If any wish to learn tho extent of the commercialism.' in Christianity read Harold Bell Wright's latest hook "God and the Groccryman." The cause and effect as depicted ,by him is undeniable. At tho present j time we are living in a house founded on sand.

At tho coming election the Party possessed of;.the courage and pra/ctical vision to enable it to formulate a really liberal land settlement policy to stabilise our national, economic and social' foundations will be the party deserving support, irrespective of political colour-.—l am, etc. R. PAITIE. Richmond, 30th July. i