LABOR LAND POLICY.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LI, Issue 16870, 27 October 1925, Page 7

LABOR LAND POLICY.

ITS FALLACIES EXPOSED. WHAT LABOR CANDIDATES AVOID. THOSE BIG ESTATES. MANY ABOVE SNOWLINE: OTHERS TOWN PROPERTIED (Special to Ih- Herald. i AUCKLAND, this day. Some .new light was thrown on the vexed question of Labor’s modified land polity by Sir James Pyrr. the Government candidate for Eden, in the course of an address to a large gathering of electors in the Henderson Valiev school. “I have observed during tho past Iwo weeks.’’ said Sir James Parr, “that Labor candidates are avoiding reference to the main clauses in tho policy, which provide that a Government valuer shall value all lands in the Dominion, and that no one in the city or country will be allowed lo sell except lo the Government, and at a price fixed by the Government valuer. These paragraphs still stand in the policy. “They are ignoring these main clauses and are clinging with both hands lo a little addendum at the end of tlmpolicy. which says that when Labor reaches poVen- they will immediately apply tho uschold tenure to rural estates over £20,000 in value,’ continued the candidate. “Mr. Jordan and the others claim there are 1080 estates valued at more than £20,000 in New Zealand,, all suitable for closer settlement. Gf course the intention of our Labor friends is obvious. They are putting foiward a cheap and easy appeal to city audiences to attack the big farmer, and they advocate collaring his iand for subdivision. But here again the Socialist candidates have shown utter ignorance of the real facts. Sir James Parr said that firstly over 80 per cent, of the large estates were quite unsuitable for close*- settlement and would never- make small farms. Nearly all the large rural estates consisted of sheep runs and precipitous hill country. In the South Island lens of thousands of acres of sheep country were above (he snow line. “Jus;, imagine for a moment." said Sir Janies, “any party asking that this sheep country should he subdivided for the purposes of dairying or close farming. Yet this is exactly what the Labor candidates are demanding. “My Socialist friends have fallen info an even more serious biunder,” continued the speaker. “Many of the Labor candidates have slated that there are 1080 large estates exceeding £20,000 in value, and (hat therefore there is abundant country available. This statement is cl id on fly based cm a yeftirn furnished in 1923 on the motion of the Hon. J. A. Hanan, hut here again Die Labor people have fallen into another morass of error. 1 telegraphed lo tho Lands Department, Wellington, to-dav. asking whether there were 1080 rural estates of over £20.000. I have: received a reply to the effect that the return of 1080 properties comprises urban and suburban, as well as rural properties. As we all know there are scores of properties im main streets of eitirn such as Lambton Quay, Wellington, Princes street, Dunedin, and Queen street and Knrangahnpe road, Auckland, which exceed £20,000 in value, and all these are included in the 1080 so-cal’ed large estates, which this party demands shall bo subdivided for closer settlement.”

/ The audience accorded the candidate a hearty vote of thanks for the work ho had dona for the rural district of Eden in particular and confidence in him as a number. A resolution was also carried that no confidence was held in the uschold policy advanced, bv Labor candidates.