'BACKBONE' BE BLOWED!

NZ Truth, Issue 94, 6 April 1907, Page 4

'BACKBONE' BE BLOWED!

That supine, sloppy sheet, the Christchurch "Press," which, although never able to impress, has been known to suppress when occasion required, became quite cross with tbe Minister of Lands the other day- McNab 's descent on the southern town of Temuka to explain the principles of bis proposed Land Bill caused the miniature maelstrom m ink to become quite excited. In the course of his address Scotch Robert let himself go, and administered a well-deserv-ed and well-*directed jaub at both the landowners and those freehold farmers, who, having years agone obtained land on easy terms, now vehemently oppose thc apportioning of any more . square acres of dirt on similar easy terms to their fellows. McNab pluckily pomm-alled, m his speech, those "poor" persons, who had snavelled a good thing themselves;, and yet now hold up their hands m holy horror at the mere thought of any other poor persons —really poor this tame— being enabled, per medium of the Land Bill, to get a livelihood out of the soil. Of course, such rigorous rating as these Temuka utterances of McNah's, at the. lowly landowner and the freehold farmer, could not be passed twichalleiiged, and that pimply penny print, the "Press," wailed nearly an entire column on behalf of the "Backbone." With tears m its eyes, the pulseless "Press" appealed for mercy on behalf of that miserably wretched creature, burdened with more than £50,000 worth of improved land, who, if tlie Land Bill is passed, will bp face to face with the awful ordeal of having to sell the balance above the figure named to some son of a gun (savoring of socialism mayhaps) who aspires to own a few odd acres to eke out an, existence. Choking with robs, the "Pimple" m»de a heart-rending query as to what is to become of its freehold farming friend who, holding less than a trifling 5,000 acres at present, may not, under the inquitous Land Bill proposed, increase his holding above that mere flea-bite. Bordering on hysterics, "Pimple" wo?fully depicts the case of "Backbone's" son and heir, who will, if the Land Bill is passed, be prohibited from receiving, under the old man's will, more than a miserable trifle, the £15,000 worth of dirt, unimproved value, aforesaid. It confidently piophiaies that any such unfortunate son and heir may be expected to hump his bluey (presumably without waiting for the old man's demise and the £15,000) and light out for a better land, where "he may enjoy unfettered scope and give full fling to his ambjition." Finally the "Pimple,," mopping its eyes impotently, appeals pathetically to McNab not to make any more misleading statements anent its bosom pal the "Backbone," assuring him that that much maligned individual is a person to be pittied instead cf condemned. No doubt such articles as the one quoted from serve a purpose, if it is only that of moving thc poor land-owners and farmers to consider themselves latter-day martyrs. Fortunately for the common weal of the people, New Zealand has progressed beyond commiserating with the down-trodden landlord who, m the near future, is to be restricted from grabbing more than £15,000 worth of land, and is to be forced to dispose of any balance above £50,000 which he may have snavelled m the past. Such impudent appeals for the land-grabber, whose little game of grab is to be restricted, fall oh barren soil. The "Press" says that whilst the mining speculator, or the merchant, or the lawyer has no bounds placed on his enterprise or his reward, the farmer is to be restricted by it'he cursed Land Bill, and appeals to Heaven to know if "this is fair to to those who are really, after all. the Backbone of the country?" Whatever scope there may be left for Moneybags m other channels of commercialism the Government has made a dead set at one type of him, which is well for the community m general and- the workers m particular. As for any "Backbone " who wants more than £1.5,000 worth of land, the man who would pump out crocodile tears m sympathy for him would weep if the devil vacated Tophet.