THIS LAND QUESTION.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13889, 29 April 1907, Page 2

THIS LAND QUESTION.

SPEECH BY MR JAMES ALLEN,

RESOLUTION IN FAVOUR OF THE OPTIONAL LAjS'D TENURE.

Mr James Allen, M.11.R. for Bruce, in response to a warm invitation, addressed an ontluisiastic meeting in the Public Hall, Miller's Flat, on Friday evening. There was a big counter-attraction in tlic shape of a Highlanders' ball at Roxburgh, but though this drew away from (lie settlement many young people of both sexes there remained behind sufficient people to comfortably fill, the hall Mr John Kerr, who presided, emphasised the importance of the optional system of land tenure, with tho right of acquiring tho' freehold. He held that the greatest iueontiye there was to going on tho land was tho prospcct of making a comfortable homo to hand down from father to son. lie felt convinccd that level-headed men, as their own member, Mr Bonnet—(applause)— and their highly-esteemed visitor, Jfr Allen, together with' others of th'qir way of thinking on tho land question, could produce a Land Bill immeasurably more conducive to the ksting welfare of the colony than were the present land proposals of the Government.—(Applause.) Mr Alien, who was most cordially received, commenced by reading a letter from Mr J. Bonnet, M.H.R., in which the writer expressed a hope to be present at {ho meeting, jMr Bonnet and ho (Mr Alien) were at one in regard to tho Land Bill,—(Applause.)

IMPORTANCE OF THE LAND QUESTION,

Upon tho settlement of the land question depended our national industries: upon the production of the soil depended the interests and welfare of the towns. The problem' had always been to get the people out of the towns and on to the soil, where life was healthier and more vigorous, and there was a higher moral tone. His chief difficulty in spiking to them on .the Land Bill was to chocse the particular bill to iliseuss; There was the bill brought down by the Minister of Lands last session and discussed in the House. Then tliore was the bill as amended by the Waste Lands Committee, anil the bill as they would have to discuss it when Parliament reassembled. Judging from the evidence of public feeling during the Minister's tour, it was probable that the bill would be considerably amended ' when next brought bofore the House. The attitude of Mr M'Nab's colleagues in the Ministry was 'also suggestive of important changes. 'Sir Joseph Ward said'' before ho went away that the bill when it came down would be considerably amended. They were .forsaking tho limitation proposals, and were going in for the graduated land tax. Tho Hon. Dr Findlay at Falmerston practically apologised for the hill,, and previously to that' ho had informed them that Mr M\Xab was not tied to tho mortgage question, but that amendments would he made in respect to this. The Hon. Mr Carroll, in a speech that caused some consternation among the Ministerialists, indicated that the bill would ho dropped. Mr M'Nab said it would bo one of tho first measures o! tho session. LAND LEGISLATION IN THE PAST.

Befofo dealing with the bill itself, Mr Allen sketched the history of land legislation in the past, dwelling upon the optional tenure introduced by Sir John M'l£on«b,' and the compromises between the freehold and the leasehold. The 999 years' lease was, as Sir John M'Kenzie told the country, very like a freehold, but. with certain restrictions imposed in the lenses. The opposing forces present in the Home at. that lime still existed, and would continue lo exist. There was the force represented by himself and by the Opposition, who had always been asking for an extension of the principle of option—that ,\vas 'to say, of the principle' of the leasehold, occupation with right of purchase, and freehold. Then there was the opposing force represented by the Land Nationalise!', whose aim was to make the hind a national concern, and the Singlc-taxer, who was nearly allied to the Land Notionaliser, and who was desirous of milking the land hear every item of taxation.

THE lABOUPv ATTITUDE. Another branch of the same opposing force was voiced in recent, resolutions passed by the Trades and Labour Council in favour of land nationalisation and the nationalisation of the mineral wealth of tho country. Another resolution approved by the Trades and Labour Council ran—" Iliat the Government be urged to cease the ealc of Crown lands, and to provide for the revaluation of Crown lands held on loaso, providing that there shall bo no revaluation of existing leases until 50 years from the date of the lease or until the transfer of tho lease to another party." The plain English of this was that, tho contract faithfully entered into between tho Government and tho lcase-in-perpetuity holder was to be' broken, tho lease to l>e made null and void at 50 years' time or sooner if the leaseholder transferred to another. Examples of such breach of faith had been already broached in the House in Revaluation Bills that bad not got upon the Statute Book yet.

THREE COURSES OPEN. There vero three' courses open to tlio Minister of Lands. Either ho had to stand still—and Mr Seddon was cute enough to stand " with his back against the door,"from which lie refused to move,—to go forward, or to go backwards. Prior to the general election both Mr M'Nab and the present Prime Minister' declared themselves in favour of the .option, and it was a surprise, therefore, when a Land Bill was introduced by Mr M'Nab with the option cut out. Mr M'Nab had himself told them that Mr Seddon, with all his enormous liower, did not consider the time ripe to interfere, but he was not following in the wise steps of the late Premier.—(Ajiplause.) There was a general opinion that* ho had blundered. He was drifting towards the Land Nationaliser and the Singlo-taxer and to those who would break faith with the lease-in-perpetuity holder. If -he took one step forward, then ho would be compelled to take another, and the present Land Bill, if it found its way to the Statute Book, was one step in that, direction. One thing which, influenced the Government was the fear of not. being able to provide the money for the purchase of further lands for settlement. The Opposition scheme involved the selling of Tand in small areas, with restrictions in regard to their re-aggregation. ILL-DIGESTED PROPOSALS. The speaker wont on to enumerate the shortcomings of tlio bill as originally submitted to Parliament. No provision was made for the surveying and roading of tho endowment lands, and that was obviously a big question; no provision was marie to protect the Now Plymouth bondholders (they had received certain lands,

and tho revenues of these lands lmtl been set aside as security for loans; Mr Massey discovered t,ho omission, and a clause was inserted to save tho bondholder); no pro- 1 vision whatever was made for mortgages— by a. stroke of the pen evevv mortgage sacuritjr was destroyed. Tho Waste Lands Committee had to put in clauses to fill these (raps.

THE ENDOWMENTS SCHEME. Tho p'roposal to set acido all tho Crown lands of the colony remaining unsold or unsclected at the time of the passing of tho bill, not including the settlement lands, as a national endowment for education, hospital and charitable aid, and old-age pensions, catuo in for considerable criticism. The 66 years' lwiso with one right of renewal _ proposal was also severely handled. As in his spcecb recently delivered at Milton, which was fully roported in our paper at the time, Mr Allen pointed out, tho significance tho limitation proposals. Tho mnin thins; with regard to endowments or any other land? was to get them occupied and niado useful and productive. Settlement was tho essential thing. The peoplo would t.hon bo ablo to pay for their old-age pensions, hospital and charitable aid, education, and everything else. The whole estimated income of tho endowments was £186,000 a year. Old-age p'ensiona and education co3t £711,000 a year. When the ondowment lands had beer, surveyed and rpaded there would bo mighty littlo cash left, To make such greatthings 60 dependent was simply folly. Of the endowment lands. 13 million acres wore in the South Island and tlireo million were in tho North. Mr Jl'Nab had sa«l that in tho coijrse of time tho lands would increase in value; at tho end of 66 years there would lie higher rents, and the departments interested would benefit br them. Who could say for certain whether land would rise or depreqiate in value in 66 years? Examples of depreciation of values were not wanting. But if those lands were sold there would be actual cash in hand, and thero would he ihanv settlers adding to the natural wealth of tho country.—(Applause.) REVOLUTIONARY IDEAS. In conclusion, Mr Allc-n referred to a pamphlet that had heen circulated in tho district. Tho writer stated, among other things, that " what tho Stato should do and what tho State should not do cro matters of mere expediency. What the strongest force in tho State wants becomes in the long run 0110 of tho rights of the State." If that view had any force of public opinion behind it, it would bo a had thing for Now Zoaland. Truth and justice and equity woro what ho advocated.—(Applause.) RESOLUTIONS. A voto of thanks to Mr Allen for his address was proposed by Mr D. Armstrong, seconded by Mr Jphn Sillars, aild very heartily agreed to. Mr Nicholson then moved—" That this meotiiig is ftillv convinced that the optional system of land tenure, embracing the right of acquiring tho freehold with reasonable restrictions as to area, of land purchased from the Crown, id tho best and most advantageous law that can, possibly be devised for this colony, and that the proposed Land Bill of the Government, inasmuch as it destroys the option of occupation witji a right of purchase, is advorso 1o tho successful snttlcmcnt of the country." This was icco.ided by Mr Borland, and unanimously carried. Mr Allen briefly lcpiicd, and a capital n.eeting terminated with a voto of thanks to the chairman.

MR T. MACKENZIE, M.11.R., AT ■ INVEKOATiGTLL. (Fboh Our Own Correspondent.) INVERCARGILL, April 27,

Mr Thomas Mackenzie, M.11.R. for Waikouaiti, addressed a meeting of farmers at Allen's Hall this afternoon. Mr John M'Qucen (president of the Farmers' Union) occupied tho ohair, and introduced tho speaker with a few words relating to the . difficulty of understanding the Government's Land Bill, ou which he hoped tho Bpeaker would bo able to shed some light, Mr Mackenzie said that oven thoso who . were responsible for tho bill could not fully explain or justify its provisions. Whilo i the Minister of Lands olaimed to have gained 90 per cent ,of his election pledges for tho freehold/ the land mtionalisers had secured 100 per cent, of their programme, because if the 'bill passed in its present form the whole of the remaining lands in New Zealand were sealed up for ever against freehold. They wanted to thresh out this question, and eliminate the chaff of fallacies and misleading remedies from tho solid grain of experience and sound views. No tenure, however enticing, could over equal that of granting a man the opportunity of making tho soil he cultivated his own. Whether tho bill was going through as printed remained to be seen. From indications there was an appearance of nbandonine some of its prinoiples, and they know that the deterioration of the Government almost always began with the decay of its principles. Those who had studied earnestly what was boat to bring success— not only to the. cultivators, but also to the merchants and manufacturers of this land— believed in granting, such tenures to thoso who produced as would induce them _to extract from the soil to its ufmost capacity. Tho proverbs of all nations expressed the sentiment, of tho value of tho freeholder. Tho Jewish proverb was, "Ho that owns no land is no man." The Japanese had a snyinsr that "landless cultivators arc people of no importance—mere waler-drinkers," and in Rome the possession of land was the basis of citizenship, and only free men could lie freeholders. The leasehold tenure was termed "preoarinm." The English proverb was that " the freehold was a tenure unworthy of a free man." and the Saxon proverb that. " tho landless man is no free man." Land in law was t.ho only veal ; "onertv. all other forms of wealth being termed personal Freehold land was tho Frenchman's bank and the Briton's hobby. Even Burns pitied

Tho puir tenant bodies, scant o' cash, How they maun thole the fnctois' snash. Dealing with the d'fficulty of inducing formers to unite, Mr Mackenzie stated tlint they really possessed the power to carry such legislation as made for the best, prosperity of New Zealand, but, because thoy would not unite, the active minority, associated with other interests, dominated the political situation. The two greatest re-

formers of land tenure in ancient history wero the Graoehi. Tboy did more to subdivide the land and settle the peasantry I haii any other men in (indent, history, but they' Anally concluded that the son of t.hp soil could seldom bo stirred lo a political emotion strong enough lo overcome the jvractical appeals which wore made by seed time and harvest. That \v;w why Cains Gracchus and liis brother Tiberius found Hint fnrmrrs would not tnko t.lio trouble to vote or unite, oven [or known of political :mport. and that. the best security a popular leader could enjoy, whether legislator qr candidate, was to att-'tch the urhan voter to himself by tics of grattiudo and interest. That was the experience cf legislators in' this country tco. What, was 100 _ true 200 years beforo t|ie birth of Christ was truo of farmers to-day, and they saw it come out in political history. 'J he men who ruled this country could afford to leave the farmer out of consideration, because lie 'vould not be rouseil to unite and exercise a Joint, vote; and l.ho pushing, ambitious politician attached to himself tho eity population, largely expressins their theoretical opinions in the legislation of the country. At th.i close of tho address,' which wns followed with closo attention and frequently applauded, i>, motion was unaniinously 1 passed 4o the effect "That no Land Rill will bp satisfactorv to this meeting which does not provide for the freehold or the optional tenure." Votes of thanks to tho speaker ajid tho chairman were carried with ' acclamation.

HON, 0. FOWT.'ns TNTfiimrcWßD. (Peb UjnTED Press Association.) AUCKLAND, April 27. 11l the course of an' interview to-day, the Hon. G. Fowlds said: "A good deal of interest is being taken in the Land Bill all over the colony, y.'irticularly in the south. I may add that in tho south there is ,i very strong feeling in favour of tho Government's land proposals. A week ugo I gave an address at Cheviot, in tho course of which I treated fully with the Land Bill, and, although people had been scraped together from 20. miles round to carry a hostilo amendment, a resolution in favour of the Government proposals was earned by a substantial majority."' Is not Cheviot mostly, leasehold? "That; is just ihe point. Cheviot was originally offered in alternate sections--one leasehold, and Iho other freehold,—and only thrco or four of the freeholds were taken up. Eventually the whole estate was offered on tho leasehold tenure and taken up, 'there' being now only three freeholders in the whole of tho Cheviot Settlement, the rest, being leases in perpetuity. I can assuro you that l-ho condition of tho property at Cheviot proves conclusively that the leasehold system does not interfere with firat-elnss farming on tho property of the occupiers."