THE LAND CAMPAIGN.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13856, 20 March 1907, Page 5

THE LAND CAMPAIGN.

SPEECH BY; JIB JAMES BODDIE. FARMERS' UNION "MEETING AT WAIKOUAITI. PROPOSALS OP THE GOVERNMENT CONDEMNED. (Fnoji Our Special Coihiespoxdext.l WAIKOUAITf, March 19. Sir .Tames lioddie, a former president of the Tarauaki branch of the Farmers' Union, awl a prominent, farmer, who lias boon 6o]octcd by the Advisory Committee of the colonial council to' he'd a series of meetings throughout Otago for consideration-, of the land question, commenced: a fortnight's cainpatfrn at tlio public hall here this evening. slr lioddio was met at tho railway elation, on hie arrival by tho fir-t express from the north, bv 51 r Sootfc (provincial president for Otago)'and representatives of the farming interests in tho district. Thero was a fair attendance at ll:o meeting to-night, which was presided over by tho mayor (Mr Fell). After explaining the causes leading up to hie tour through Otago on.a mission to educate tlio public in mattors uppci-taiuitrr to tbo land question, Mr Boctdie plunged at onoo into the main subject of his address. Ho referred -i-t the outset to Sir John M'Kenzio's bill of 1892, which gave the optional system. An honest and strenuous effort was made by the Government of that time to assist men who could not boast of capital on to • tho land. Of thoso settlers the great bulkhud drifted away, and their small sections had, in most cases been added to other sections, and had Ikcoiiio fair-eized holding. Coming to more recent times, there had been both in and out of tho House an agitation by individuals to prevont tho selling of Crown land, tlio "national estate," as it was called, or the parting with it on any other terms than tho leasehold. That might liavo gono on much further but for the action of the Farmers' Union. If tho Fanners' Union had not always beon so successful in getting things that they wanted done as they could ha.ve wished, they had been successful in blocking many disagreeable matters. THE FREEHOLD. A year or two ago a strong appeal was made on behalf of Crown tenants to have tlio right to acquiro tlio freehold. At tho c!«=o of the conference, of 1905 Mr Seddon informed a deputation appointed by the oolonial council of the union that the position with regard to tlio holding of tlio lands of the colony was so complicated and so many phases of tlio question had to bo considered that it would be absurd to suppose anything could be done until the lioyal Commibiion had made a full investigation. Tho result of tho Lands Commission was simply to leavo matters as I hey were before. Tlio only good tiling done was to place on record a mass of evidence winch in days to como would-be of considerable importance. MB M'XAB"S BILL. Xo eooner had the. Ward Ministry taken office, following upon tlio death* of Mr SocMou, than tho Land Bill now beforo tlio country wa« introduced l by Mr M'Nab. Mr lia-tl on several occasions given i reason-. He had told them that inembevs comprising Sir Joseph Ward's Ministry might, very easily have eat eontontcrly down, havo depended on the prestige- of their [last actions, and gone on swimmingly. But they considered it imperative that the important question of lond eett'lement should bo dealt with. If it were, only a question of tho freehold, ho (old them it would he simple, but what had to bo considered was the position not only of the man who was on tho land, kit tho man who was not on tho land. In this connection it was interesting to note, tho opinion of u competent Knglish observer, llr Ramsay Mocdonnld, a prominent Socialist, who-had recently travelled through New Zealand. Mr Macdomdd, writing upon his return Home in the London Standard, referred to past and present phases of the land question in the following words:—"At one time it was a struggle between the men who wanted the land and tho men who'had tlio land, but l-ho problem to-day was this: That the multitudes in the cities who did not want to go on the land, but who wanted lo derive bonefile from the land, were antagonistic to the men who occupied tho land."—(Applause.) KEY-STONK OP THK POSITION, That gave the key-stone of the posilion to-day. The -struggle was not going to be between tho present ocoupiers of (he-land and Ilia bona fide men who wanted to get on the land, but between tho-cv wbo had got there and men in the oities with a large theoretical knowledge of land colonisation, but no ' practical experience. Assuming that the question with the Government was: "How are- tho landless going i<) l:« supplied with land?" ho would say that there was no doubt of the .'•ineei'ity of tho Government, ami the Minister of Lands in thoir efforts lo provide land for the landless, but ho was unwilling to believe that a man with the training and experience of Mr M'Xab could honestly 1» deceived with the present cry for land.—(Applause.) THE BALLOT-BOXES. They had teen told that tho reason for drastic cflorte being made was that in every ballot for land there were 10, 20, and in some cases 50, applicants for one section. That, on tho face of it, would look as if things were in a. very unsatisfactory stale. But he claimed ninc-tenilis of these applicants were brought to tho ballot-box, not from any real desire to occupy the lands (hoy applied for. but for lnovo speculation.—(Applause.) If applicants could be properly analysed, it would bo found that in nine cases of out ten file idea α-nd belief that if they should happen to be lucky they could make a few hundred pounds out of tho sections before it was necessary to buckle lo and do tho real work of farming-, had a good deal to do with the matter. LAND FOR THE LANDLESS. . It was admitted that it was desirable to find land for the landless, but the nature of the tenure was of tho first importance. The bill proposed that there should be no more freeholds granted, but that tho remaining lands of Iho colony should simply be leased for 66 years, with a right of renewal for another 66 years. Passing on to the- different forms of tenure, Mr I'oddio remarked that whilst many people honestly thought that to give tho Crown ienant iho right to acquire at the original value would bo an immoral action—in other words, that they would bo giving something which belonged to the State.— he thought that if Jho facts wore intimately known the idea, would bo dono away with. The man who had the right of purchase was all right. That was the bast tenure next to the old deferred-pay-ment system, that had ever ben put upon ths Statute Boo!; , .—(Applause.) LEASE IN PERPETUITY. Passing to the lease in perpetuity, one would think that tenants getting thess easy terms would not grumble, not would they had thero been no unsettling tendencies at wo-. - k to damage the title of their properties..—(" Hear, hear." . For years past

there had been a persistent effort: on tlio part of many members of (ho House, and agitators outside, to get a system of revaluation introduced: in other worila,' to break the bargain winch the State made with particular individuals. If New Zealand wa.s going; to have a piVro democracy, and a. right to bft proud of its Administration, it would have to'rcrupulously uphold its obligations as a SWto; whether wiih individuals or with corporate todies.-.-Upplauso.) Whereas the man with the right, of purchase could liorrow on the right. , as well as for the freehold, in the lease in perpetuity ho had hud to pa-y to a. much greater extent. That was on'o reason, from the. tenant's point of view, of desiring the freehold. Another reason was that the lease in perpetuity wus a.bad bargain for the Stale. The m \U\ chaf-ud was only 4 jier cent. ]f this were paid within the month there was a. rebate which brought; it. down to 3i per cent. Reckoning the cost of management <iE the Crown' estates, it would be found that the State was getting only 3 per cent, on the money expended on those lands. It was certain that, (ho State could not borrow at 3 per cent. Tho Slate conlil not go on piling up millions to acquire estates for settlers Another method must ho adopted. Tlib best melhod was (o give, (he Crown tenants (he right to acquire, tlio freehold, and io earmark tho. money for Ilio Lands for Settlement Act. THE SIXTY YEARS , LEASE.' Matters would not bo improved by the 66 years' lease. In face of the fact that tho wholo of Ihn available lands of Ilio Crown consist of dense bush, taking in many eases a man's lifetime Io reclaim ami make productive, how was tho poor man Io undertake ilie almost unsunnount-' able difficulties of breaking in the virgin bush and making a homo for himself and family? Whilst 66 yn;lrs meant a. largo space in an individual's lifetime, it was small encouragement- to a man. who was patiently building up a home year after year unless he could feel absolutely sure that ho was building for those of his family who would come nftei' him.— (Applause.) REMARKABLE FEATURES OF THE BILL. Three outstanding features made tho bill remarkable. TJie first woe that (here was to be jio other parting of tlio lnnd than with o. renewable lease of 66 years. Second, that tho present leaseholders .might, .'he offered on opportunity of exchanging-Illcir present leases for these renewable "leases, though it was not likely that any man jn lib senses would do anything of thn sort. Hi; saw from iho newspapers that. settlers at Pomahaka were petitioning the Government in connection with their hind. The pieuliar part of the. statement, was that they were looking forward, praying for extension of lime to settle, anent overdue rent, and also asking the board to delay forfeiture ami confiscation until Mr "M'Nab's Lund Bill became, law, when it wiis thought that relief would be given to the settlers. All lio could say was that if tho I'omaliaka settlers were waiting for relief from the Land Bill, then God help them.— (Applause.) CONFISCATION. Mr, lioddio characterised as confiscation certain attempts to interfere with present leases. With regard to the lease in perpetuity, anything over 4 per cent, on tlte original value belonged to tlio tenant. He men. tioneil that there were instances where there was a difference of £8 in £10 in Ihn State's interest and tho present lnarlcetabTc value, and asked wlmt sane man would chance surrendering his lease in perpetuity for a renewable lease of 66 years, or the other option that liis improvements .shall be valued and then put up to public competition. It would simply mean that if the tenant wished to retain for'his family tho home he. had made he would have to paya second time for every sixpence lie had expended there. Tho homo belonged' to the man during tho term c-f his lease—namely; 1000 years bar one.-(Applauso.) LARGE HOLDINGS. ' Touching on the proposals for tlio reduction of (he present Urge holdings, tho speaker said tho question they had to consider was how far this course .was going to assist the settlement of people upon the land— people who TO'O without other capital than grit and bone and sinew, and the will' to do the work. They must be careful to act justly both by tho rich man and the poor man. Lands bad increased enormously in value, so that the poor man with no capital but his natural gifts and tastes had riot the chance that was open to earlier settlors. There w»s a danger of injustice, inasmuch as largo lioldcrs not only had to sell within a given time—ho admitted it was a reasonnblo time,—but to a limited market. What mado the proposals inoperative as far.as the jioor man was concerned was that ho was not allowed to mortgage for anything more than a two-thirds value. Thero was no nso blinking the fact that out of 10 members of the present Cabinet five wero .declared leaseholders, and' sorao were single taxers and of socialistic tendencies. ; .They were entitled to their opinions, but their opinions were based on o. theoretical knowlcdgo where a practical knowledgo was necessary.—(Applause.) He could not agree will; the view thnt tlio land would go further with leasehold than with frpohold.— (Laughter and "Hear, hear.") In conclusion, lie urged the growth of a sturdy yeomanry, and pointed out what tho Farmers' Union was doing to promote this desideratum. RESOLUTIONS. It was unanimously resolved, on tho motion of Ttlr MaoGregor—"That this meeting is of opinion that anv proposals submitted on the Land Bill will not bo acceptable to ihis country until provision is made for tho optional tenure." A vote of thanks to Mr Boddio for his address was heartily adopted on tlio motion of Mr H. Bitrklaml. and; a similar compliment was paid to the Mayor for presiding, on the proposal of Mr Boddie. To-morrow Mr Boddie will address a meeting fit Palnicrston; on Thursday lie speaks, at Mosgicl, on Friday at Middlemarch, and on Saturday at Nasoby.