AUSTRALIAN POLITICS.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXI, Issue 35, 26 September 1911, Page 5

AUSTRALIAN POLITICS.

N.S.W. PARLIAMENT. Sydney, Soptember 25. Mr Bcehy delivered a policy speech, in which he said that the confiscation bogey was too disreputable for use. The real issue was ready and cheap access to land against the maintenance of tiio old system of monopoly and privilege. Within three months 300,000 acres, taken from reserve and improvement leases, would he offered for settlement in living area blocks under perpetual lease. No rent would be charged for th first live years, provided 2.J per cent, of the value was spent yearly on improvements. After live years a rent of 2£ per cent, on the capital value would ho charged, and it would he reapprised every twenty years. Absolutely the only restriction was that the tenant could not sell or hold for speculative purposes. No country in the world offered a better system of land tenure. No man, in iHlbsor settlefriei'it'district'' could hold ,norb than a living area. Pie urged that all districts near towns and railways ho proclaimed closer settlement districts. The holding of large areas rue of use in these districts should be made more irksome. It was proposed to add a clause to the Act empowering the Government to resume impiovoment leases, under which at present eight million acres wore hold, two millions of which wore suitable for closer settlement. The valuation for resumption would be done by a board, whose decision would bo final.

The Government would adopt the New Zealand method, and the value of places for taxation,' plus 10 per cent., would be the maximum value for resumption. Referring to combines, ho declared that wherever the people wore being exploited the Government would enter into competition.