THE LAND QUESTION.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 10526, 6 August 1910, Page 4

THE LAND QUESTION.

SMALL FARMER. AND CITY , WORKER. . By Telegraph. (From Our Own Correspondent.) : Wellington, August 5. A brief reference to the land question was made by the Minister of Labor, | the lloil J A Millar, this evening in protest-: against '.-the waste of words on the land quest-ion during the financial, debate.- Many members, said the Minister, seemed to think that th ; e ; whole, question was one as to whether a few Crown tenants were to get the freehold. :It was significant that just prior to 'last election the present Government had passed a Land Bill containing no freehold proposal, yet the party had come back with a majority of 24. Mr Massey: Fifty-four freeholders. - The Hon. J. A. Millar: The men came back pledged to a. party , that had carried ! a. Bill that did not, contain the freehold. ,Sir "Millar, coiitinuing; said that'the Rinoiirit -.of mortgages : .ih the 'Dojninibn- whs eight" millions.Tlie freehold was not held by the man on the land, but by the man who had his name against it. Mr Massey : He is buying it off. Mr Miliar: The mortgages are increasing, and where a man is getting • the freehold' lie is borrowing money on it.; Ifi it : had Mot been for the leasehold -nbt half of the people would have been settled that were now on the land. You want, said Mr Millar, to deny the future generations the same opportunities as' the man has now who occupies the land. ~ . ' Mr Massey: No! no! Members: Yes! yes! Mr" Millar: And when yon have bought out all the options what are you going to do then ? , "Mr Millar went on to say that the Opposition were mistaken in .wying that the city members were against the small farmer, and he challenged them to show 'such a. vote. In the last fifteen years | no one »had. done 'more fo'r the sthall farmer thaii the city members, but they did not brag about it. They recognised that the small farmer was not the only man, and when they asked for some support- for the city workers where were the Opposition ? Mr Malcolm had been working dead against the worker in his advocacy of free trade. • Mr Malcolm: Ramsay Mac Donald advocates- free trade. Air Millar: If any member says yon can build up a young country on free trade I would like him to show me how it is to-be done.. Mr Malcolm : What about New South Wales?. Air Millar: If it was not for her mineral wealth she would be nowhere. ° She was nowhere, compared with Victoria in regard to her manufactories. When Australia got the opportunity under the Commonwealth she went in for a protective tariff, and the party now ill power is going in for higher pro- ■ tection still.