THE LAND CRAZE. TO THE EDITOR.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11396, 13 April 1899, Page 8

THE LAND CRAZE. TO THE EDITOR.

Slßj—The-prevailing craze tor the occupation of- laixt—at least in this part of the colony—seoms to me to be worthy of some specialnotice. It may be that anything that can be. said or .written on the subject may have little or no effect in moderating the inexplicable struggle in tho' preseni- condi - tion and future prospects of agriculture.in New Zealand'; but- it forms a favourable opportunity for considering the land question underl the developing, care and nurture of the State; Like many other branches of industry, farming iland „has come within the allembracing supposed duties qf Government. It is not without serious misgivings and fears of coming disaster, on the part of those best able ( ,to judge from ..experience, that.this onward step to Socialism is noted. To make the policy,, of purchasing largo estates of land with borrowed money svnd dividing them up into.: various 'sized .areas for occupation by State tenant's sueeessfiil,' or even safe, is.no easy task. The rigid exercise of prudence, forethought, impartiality, knowledge, and wide, experience will be required. Who is sufficient.-for!; this hazardous work? Who can or will maintain that any single one, far less all of these essential requisites, can be found in our present Executive? It is noted for • its . susceptibility "to influences in direct antagonism to qualities such as havo been named; and, more, it is known that such influences are not their due effect oh a-'Ministry whose existence in power depends on popularity. I, stay not to prove or illustrate any assertion so manifestly apparent in recent actions—actions that can only be the result, of incompetence, ignorance, or worse',. In one-ease within the writers..personal knowledge an estate-owner is about to be presented with a huge sum of money as the outcome- of the purchase of the worst part of his property, at a figure far beyond its intrinsie'or economic;value. And this by no

means isolated fact relieves me of any necessity to. substantiate so grave a charge, £.nd goes far to prove' .•' tho latent dangers of national loss which underlie a policy belauded by,-superficial, and sentimental .observers, who speak and write as the oracles of preternatural wisdom. With your leave I shall give voice to my thoughts 'and opinions. To give myself greater. freedom and latitude of expression my identity shall be concealed. I have, however; over, since Queen Victoria was crowned in 1837; been-intimately-engaged in and connected with agriculture in some way or another, and. my .ardent sympathies are entirely with the tillers of the soil. I therefore venture to think myself capable.--.of throwing some streaks of light on a' subject so all-important and interesting as the land problem. AY for'the land "booms" in the colonies, every one is more or less familiar, and) not a few liave experienced the gains and losses and accompanying vicissitudes connected with, land, speculation. But such periods'of undue excitement are not confined to colonial communities; they have ever and -again tieen 'seen in Great Britain and ekewhere, and everywhere and at all times they liave been followed by serious reaction, marked by gloomy depression and widespread disaster. In the European 20 years' War agriculture and all its cognate branches " boomed " to a degree well nigh meomprebensibfe'to .liose'who now live in peaceful

times and cheap production. Grain, wool, and :i every other rural'product were at extreme prices, and farmers and graziers were securely, rich,- arid were masterfully independent of landlords, and even their factors. BuUwhen Napoleon waa captured and his ambition was effectually curbed by confinement in the narrow limits pt St. Helena, thero _ftme the iri_vitabl._ and farmers, like all others classes, had to endure the trying ordeal-of a.depression lasting : for several years. The father of the writer had just begun .the tenancy of a large farm m the south of Sootland'on the top of the boom, and, ore three years had gone he was down in Iho'depth's. Asa boy I frequently heard his lament, that " Napoleon, died too soon for him." -However, despite his trials,- he overcame his difficulties and did fairly well. In 1834- when his lease'had expired, agriculture was at its lowest ebb as a money-making employment.,. Somo-of the finest farms in Sfcotlaii_ could not'find tenants.' It was not till 1859 on to 186. that another boom came on, artd a rtish for farms set in from all quarters. Not only did legitimate farmers engage, in the Btruggle, -but men of all kinds of occupation who had made money entered into ruinous ,compcJ.itioi), The result was, as might nave been expected, from bad untoward seasons, poor crops, and competition froni al.road','the absolute ruin of-thousands of men, many of whom, with a wreck of their fortunei-had to start afresh in Manitoba, Australia, and elsewhere, We all know what oame «f the. " boom" engendered by tho "free selection" policy which marred the -success of Voge,l's great masterstroke— the 'puttie works scheme. Land was dealt with as a marketable commodity, like a- bag of g-aitr, and'pass'ed from its original owner, the State, through many hands at booming m-ices, until 'some poor unfortunates hatl to "carry the baby" and pacify its piteous eric, as best thoy could. That is one feature of the " wretched past," so pathetically referred to by the Hon. J. M'Kenzie, and ono that I-have never failed to anathematise as ! the source of much misery and loss to New Zealand. However mucfi we deprecated the absence of statesmanship at that time in this 1 direction, no one could be surpms-d at the

existence of tho boom. It was naturally inevitable, for there- wero the possibilities -ot. easily-made profits during the mama tlicn prevailing. Few of the speculators had the slightest intention'of using the land in any other way than as an article of merchandise to bo made the most of. Many reaped the reward of speculative promptitude, while many more became the unwilling victims ot a delusive idea that land had an illimitable value. Wo can comprehend and excuse in some dogree the wild extravagances of those, days, and be amused at the not infrequent humorous incidents ocurring in the hurryscurry to secure land at all hazardß. An instance of consummate folly was onco pointed out to me in Canterbury, where a man had selected from the map a block of 2000 aeree at £2 per acre, believing it to be good land, which, when it camo to be examined, was found lo consist of two great hills of worthless shale on the banks of the Rakaia I But who can comprehend or explain the mania under which an unwonted number.of people at present, are rushing on to the land under - conditions of occupancy of such stringency that no loophole of escape can be seen from the galling burden of being tenantß in perpetuity of an impersonal landlord? I try in vain from history, personal experience, and analogy to find somo kind of justification for the insanity inherent in the movement, and can find, none. It is a "boom" wholly

unique in its nature, .but it will in the long run be found akin to all unreasonable schemes

that are based on sentiment, and goaded on to practical action by the vapid yet glowing rhapsodies of writers whoso sole knowledge of farming' is evolved from their imagination. It is all very well in the peroration of

a banquet speech, or to turn an eloquent period in a leader, to depict tho' charms' of smiling homesteads and happy homes, and to foreshadow the time when the " desert shall blossom as the rose," and such like poetical nonsense. It is quite another matter, however, to realise, experience, and describe the weary toil, the almost despairing struggle, which many of the poorer settlers on their small patches of land shall haVe. These they must endure in their -efforts to pay the rent inexorably demanded by a landlord, heartleas and conscienceless—and live.

I will return to the subject.—l am, etc., A Voice in the Wildebness.