THE OAMARU MAIL MONDAY, JUNE 7, 1920. MORE MASSEY MUDDLE.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XLIV, Issue 14707, 7 June 1920, Page 4

THE OAMARU MAIL MONDAY, JUNE 7, 1920. MORE MASSEY MUDDLE.

Here is an original and perfectlv true story, with - nioral: An English public schoolboy met an old fellbw-stn-.dent in the streets, of Melbourne with •a pie-can on his arm aiid crying "Hot pies!" He went up to him, and said: ".Jim, I am sorrv to see that you l;ave come to this." The reply came; '•'Hang your sympathy; buy a pie. Wo were reminded of this story while reading the account of the proceedings when the deputation from tIieN.Z.R. Soldiers' Association waited on Mr Massey and Mr Guthrie m Wellington a few days aeo. After ' represeiitations had been made to the Ministers that the treatment of returned tuberculous soldiers was not satisfactory and official explanations had been made to prove that air had been done that was possible to deal with these unfortunates, Mr Massey said that, if possible, suggestions made bv the . soldiers' representatives would be carried' what room was there for carrying out suggestions of the soldiers' representatives? Ministers pathetically avowed their sympathy . yvith the soldiers' very proper representations,, but helplessly wallowed iii explanations , why thev could jiot • eive prnctionV effect to it. It is the; same with Ministerial promises of land for soldiers. At every ballot, for .» half dozen sections there are hundreds of applications, and yet Mr Massey announced in his customary florid stvle that the demand for sections for soldiers would be in .one .act. He was"going to achieve hi? object i by purchasing estates. Npw he d.i«- | covers, when too late, what others* with [ less pretension foretold would be the effect of his land-ourehasing methods, and the is paralysed' bv tho Frankenstein j monster of his own creation. He 'now declares that ' he must cease purchasing any more land becai'so [he has created a land boom Hj the purchases he has made. He would ' not take the advice of those opposed to i his purchasing system and resume properties at prices based on expert, valuation for purposes of taxation. He preferred to ask landed proprietors, what +hev wanted for their estates. After the fashion*, of humans. . thev asked mm than they were "prepared to accent, the Government offered less to save its face, and the "bargain" was struck. Could folly go further? And now the whole of the": lands of the country ben »\ inflated values on which those who sell 'will *reao fortunes "at the. ■expense.: of those who buy and tho=e: who . do . notv «ell. but who nr« to mako awill be ontraeeonslv;. iVTrv Ministerial excu°°s will pi s«ti=fv either th" soldiers :■ or the ropt of the people. They -will'want a full

and satisfactory explanation of the. reasons for the adoption of the worst possible method of land purchase, instead, of the pursuance of a system which iwould have been fair to all, for which the Legislature provided, and which i would have provided homes for the sol'diers—as many as were required—and avoided the disastrous inflation of land values, which has driven Mr Massey to desperation and which threatens to cause mischief to all concerned.