THE LAND QUESTION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9178, 6 October 1888, Page 6

THE LAND QUESTION.

An address on the subject of Land Settlement and Land Ownership in New Zealand" was delivered by Mr. 0. M. Crombie. Deputy Property Tax Commissioner, yesterday evening, at the Catholic Institute, in aid of the Marist Brothers School fund. His Lordship Bishop Luck presided. There was a moderate attendance. Mr. Ckombik pointed out that he had not come that evening to preach land reform. He proceeded to refer to the number of holdings in the colony, quoting figures collected from the Doomsday Book of New Zealand, and he took occasion to remark upon the number of farms owned by women. He did not know whether the advocates of female suffrage would set this up as an argument in favour of their theory. With respeot to this question, he was of opinion that women were not anxious for the suffrage; if, however, they had the vote they would be inclined. to support a candidate holding pronounced views upon the land question. The only cure for "dummyism " was to compel owners to reside on their property. This rule had proved beneficial on the goldfieids, and if it had obtained in the large centres of population they would not see in the cities 60 many narrow lanes and places unfit for living. Under this system a man should take up only one piece of land, and if he ceased to reside upon it, it would be sold, with all improvements. If a man who was out of work had a piece of ground, he could spend a great deal of time usefully in tilling this land, and even were he in work he need not, as was at present the case under present conditions, idle his time at home. A man who had a section of his own need never be one of the unemployed. The policy of taking up too much land should be avoided—a man with 100 acres would achieve success when a man with 550 acres would lose a great deal of money. He knew some settlers in theHutt who were in a prosperous condition because they tilled small holdings, whilst if they were compelled to pay wages because of large sections, they would nave signally failed. They would rind that if any of the deferred payment settlers sold their land it would pass into the hands of large owners. If the country was to be really prosperous, it was necessary that a greater number of people should be settled upon the land. It was a common assertion that small farms did not pay ; but, against this, it should be borne in mind that the man who was working his own land did not follow the eight hour system, and when bad times came he was prepared to work on the strictest principles of economy. The large landowner, on the contrary, was paying wages, and was bound to go back. The manner in which the Waimea Plains at Nelson were laid out was a good "exemplication of his idea of land settlement. It was a sad thing that the tendency in this colony was to crowd into the towns. Although the farmers and their families had to endure some hardships, yet he imagined that life in the country was infinitely more happy than that in the towns under some circumstances. Mr. Crombie spoke of the wretched lives of the factory employes of London and the great centres of England, a..d pointed out that as protection increased the number of factories, the effect of such a policy was that it drew people from the country, and this was certainly to be avoided in this colony. He claimed that it would be an absolute curse to "this country to increase the population in the towns and decrease the population in the country. (Applause.) There Were very few countries so suitable for agricultural pursuits as was New Zealand. He had great hope of the future of New Zealand. The local bodies in the North had to contehd against the difficulty that the rates were small, and roads could not therefore be easily made, but his own opinion about the North was that it would eventually be what other districts claimed to be—the "garden of New Zealand." (Applause.) The North of New Zealand had plentiful resources ; the cost of living there was cheaper than elsewhere in the colony, and food was in abuudance, whilst the climate was genial. Mr. Crombie concluded an interesting address by a reference to the fact that New Zealand was far more productive than the Australian colonies. On the motion of Bishop Luck, seconded by Mr. J. B. Graham, a vote of thanks was accorded to Mr. Crombie, and the proceedings terminated with a vote of thanks to the right rev. chairman, moved by Mr. J. T. Campbell.