PRIVATE PROPERTY IN LAND.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20917, 6 January 1930, Page 5

PRIVATE PROPERTY IN LAND.

TO THE* EDITOFI. SIR, —The theory of British law is that the land belongs to the people, but the practice is very different from the theory In practice the land belongs to the for tunate few who possess it, who regard it as being as much their private property as their .houses and furniture, and bitterly resent any Government interference with their land estate by taking any of it for public purposes at a reasonable price., Still more do they resent any addition to their land tax. Yet land is l£ e source, of a" wealth, bo that to own the land of a country is to hold the landless people, depriving them of economic freedom and at the just reward of their labour. The landless are thus dependent on landowners and capitalists for a livelihood, and are soon beggars when employment is denied them. The position 0 u % a , ncle . n t British serf was not quite as bad, for he was allowed to hold several acres of land for his .own benefit and 11 °F ner > when he sold him, could not sell his land—the land and the serf went together—so that the serf had never to lace unemployment and starvation for himself and family unless helped by the Government or by the charitable institutions. The British serfs ultimately rose up, demanded their freedom, and got it .But most New Zealand serfs are content with the denial of true freedom, and care not a -straw so long as they can get a glass of beer and go to the pictures, thus demonstartmg their utter unworthincss ot ireedom. Private property in land not only deprives the landless of their iree,dom but it confiscates about half their learnings, for what is the unimproved .value of land but the surplus earnings ofi 'labour capitalised? It is said that thai | unimproved value of land is made by tWR iiondon market, but what would the hW4 London market be worth to New Zealand! \ landowners without New Zealand labourS : Ihe unimproved value of land, as&verjg .political knows, is given to* the land by population, -and therefore thd whole population, instead of a fe\« people, have a clear right to ahare in M Ihe land of New Zealand is locked upl and need we wonder at there being sqr much unemployment! Throw the land? open to the people and soon there would be no unemployment. Free our tradj and the cost of living would be greatljl reduced. The Protectionist working people are unconscious Tories, keeping the cost of living high and preventing the taxation of land values in country i and town, for if the- Customs tariff wertf ■ abolished or cut down to vanishing coin? ! Government would be forced to get most ot the revenue from taxation of the unl .improved value of land, and this woulj give the people freedom and justice. life the rural districts of .the country voig will hardly meet with a man who is ndt $ freetrader. The number of Freetrader! ,in the cities and towns has also increase*, very much of late years. I believe if ouxj inme Minister passed a Proportional; Kepresentation Bill and immediately wenfi to the country with a Freetrade policy, h& would win a very decisive victory. All: the secondary industries that are wortbj anything to us might be preserved undeifi ireetrade. The unprotected New Zpo3 land industries are now the most flourish-i mg of all our industries.—l am, etc., ,• T B. T. Evans. •; January 3. >;