LAND SETTLEMENT.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20089, 4 May 1927, Page 9

LAND SETTLEMENT.

LABOUR PARTY’S POLICY. DEFINED BY MR HOLLAND. (Per United Press Association.) HAMILTON, May 3. Labour’s policy in regard to finance and land settlement was defined at Hamilton last night by Mr H. E. Holland, leader of the Opposition. He said the Labour Party proposed to attack the problems from the viewpoints of a steeply-graded system of land taxation, acting against, largo estates, and a system of acquisition by negotiation and purchase where possible, and, whore not, by compulsory acquisition; the land to bo valued at the proper market price, with, if required, revision by an appeal board, representative of local bodies, landholders, and the Valuation Department. There would bo a perpetual lease, conditional on occupation, with periodical revaluation. The Labour Party, he said, was prepared to stand or fall on the principle that men should not bo allowed to hold large areas of land for speculative purposes. Whoever held land would be required to hold the land and use it.

Dealing with land aggregation, Mr Holland said that 43,500,000 acres of occupied land were held by 85,754 persons, out of a total population of close on 1,500,000. It would bo bad enough if tho distribution were on a just basis, but out of that 85,734 persons, there were 78,756 who hold totween them fewer than 14,000,000 acres, and there were 6973 who hold nearly 30,000,000 acres. In other words, 8 per cent, of tho landholders held among (hem 69 per cent, of tho area, and 92 per cent, held 31 per cent, of the area.

Mr Holland referred to high interest bill, and, touching on land settlement, added that his party was of tho opinion that all Government lands offered for settlement should bo cleared before being settled at the expense of tho State by a State clearing party, accompanied by a State sawmill. He believed also that, in this way, timber value? would to conserved by tho State.