Lafrß Xi E S P 0 N I) E N 0 E.

Colonist, Volume XXVI, Issue 3900, 12 June 1883, Page 3

Lafrß Xi E S P 0 N I) E N 0 E.

"/'/ THE LAND QUESTION. To Ihe Editor of the Colonist. Sis,—With your permission I should bi> pleased to supplement the few remarii I made at the Colonial Treasurer's meeting upon •ho Land quealion. It is admitted by Maj r Atkinson, in common with all authorities who. have given the subject any 'attention, that bud lard laws are a great factor in the production of pauperism.; It is admitfced,-ijUßt ns readily,, that the/Jand .laws of Ireland -,as they ,>- were,7 and in7Knglan|,^ productive -bY'paifpemm, thaisstamping' them badlandMffiwl;'' I"^;^^;''^ "!'-;. 1 ' f l-, :« Now tlie" lahdsys'tem'br^rifginis known as,, I freehold/add':frafctiam:af icohiricH very' pretty. names no,dpubr,;apd wh,i/h{ilL'rue:JJritons )o*e. But, jet t as, i|nd >: jaws(they \ are ' charged/and I am bound'fp'say most justly,, with'the'horilbid.criwb^of producing pauper^,,1 ! ism. •Is it possible; 7 -LtJtAiß; see. Freehojji tenure oam°s sooner or later all land, ,tp aggregate into t'ae hands o» a few,,as ithag;, done in Britain, either,! { hy' the .gift of'the. j Crown/or by purchase-'of'-rich- merchants or bankers;.and thug a class is createrl called Landlords, or better named, Lords of-tie Liod. Now; alongside of tbe?©,. is, created! another class palled Ten? Bt* .farmers. Itii between theSa' two classes."that freed,om of contract begins, and begins upon'very unequal: terms. The tenant farmer must have land to' farm. The landlord hijs probably other fa-ms already let, 'and'''perhaps an incb'me besides from other sources j' therefore,' hWi'a master of Hie situation, .and is ab'eito dictate terms ,fethe Teuant far~e!;,.w,hichjdu .-may :b,o,.surefSrff' hampered with couditiou# which dofnotleave* him a large margin of profit upon the prodnoe of the farm. There is yet auothcr'class; create!* cal.ed Farm laborer*/- T-lie'yi = -too/nVust'.havfe! work ,to supply- the? daily Mieeda■■ off rth.'ir families.; The 'aidlord havis'g, screwed the farmer down to tao smallest margin of profit'; the farmer in turn screws the I'ab'orer down tor jiist sufficient of thb humblest fare Id enable' him to do efficient work/ ■ *v '■'''■.'i '<-- : .>:^' t?^"'"\ The laborer haa'aifamily growing!up,- His: •ons have the naturnj ani 'iandiibie^-am.bitibn,' to better thomselves. They,know they a.-c cever liksly'to rise aboTo a *arm laborer if" they remain where they are, so they migrate to j the adjacent' city/.' Their ruddy ohoeks and | robust frames, the product of the pure atmosphere of the country, readily procures them, employment; and in obtaining employment, they push thecil.y-born, .weakened and pallid : vby!tthev!itiaiin'g''iif biosphere of the city, over the[border,,uponiwhich'he has been" standinginto the great ftxray. of! paupers..' : TmY I pa.ll! j the natural process of n^anufacturing paupers , through'bad land laws. , Are our land laws : better thau these!?' NoE one Wit. ' ; ,;.. We have freehold-tenure, combined With the auotion system, the wors,t possible system,. in existence;, which ph/jß.rigbTihtb.the hands, of .that curse of all n^w countries,' the lunu. !'speculatoi;&n'd'-ia-ndrsharkfi • Wie know whajt. it, lias ;done,.J.ere, ;, We know, .that.rthere $««-. wealthy*, menin this Polony.,- who never f »ouid-; /l.mve'beeh'wealtlvy But for this cursed'system. They never worked. They paid a feWahillibge". per acre for she land (oftea on oredit), and waited .untiUweallh *as wroughtsfr;im the soil by ;the sweat of;the brow ol tbe ; real tiller; of the1 soilj. and. the QoVeramen.!; by their b n ' jland B'yetem casts it' into't'be'laind.gpeculatbr'b lap; and because they'we're wealthy, successive Governments pitchforked i them-: into the Legislative Council. InjeffeptPpeßßionedtb-e i> W.th two hund ed guineas- aj^ear, Jltjje high time that the Legislative, Council r,w as madr elective.)' .'"/'>■. \' h '"' "'.", s' 1 :,;We- have -the deferred payment Bjstetn, hampered and nulified by the auction system. ' We have, the .leaejng Byste.ni, .wjth auolausf ihat.afc the "option of thir'lessee the -lease, maj; be turned into a freehold. ! These are all freehold tenures, the two hW being modified, and underdifferent names,and. it like onuses produce like effectsj wiil,"-»8 the'good land is taken up,and inferior.land,has: to tie resorted to and the-goo.d land (becomes, worth investment as a soUrceof, incomej creji c' the same cla.-ses, and produce'a "Ike'resuU—. pauperism, as the .land Jaws 6f Brit'ditiV | li-! these systems are, faulty,' with j what should "we raplaco them ? 1 wirl- try and answei'i.j • ' Why'is it men personally .like the,, freehold 'tenure P^B'ecduse'it secivres'to them'absolutely ; the improvements/the 'fruit7prii'ti<iir 'own labor; therefore any tenure to be'satis&blory,, must be equal to a f'eeholjJ, and' without iits dangers. There is nothing equal tpji-tiejoept;'. leasing is perpetuity at a,fixed rent, with. conditions' of benefi'dial ocoupation. ..'..Tms'i , would: ;effeotualiy ' orflsh <> land place the people upon the land, andeff'ctualj, preveut them massing in the town and ciiijea/' -jf we want an illustration of.tbe,effect of such,,; a system in settiihg the land, we have onlyito,' taka the leasing Bjstem Of the Trbvinoialr district of JSelson. The greater portion of the population of the Motueka Valley, Tadmbr, sherry^ Motupiko, . and # aßjaoent: VAlleys, wera s6{tled r upon thiß ( syßtem, ; urid!they,.never would have been Wttled under, any (I qther, jbeeause ta;> people could not?have ibiabu the purchase money. Many of them' wbVfe;! Wai- . men settlers' sons—w4»ose tathers' farms were too straight for the,in f . Ujuderthia bPtfeficent system, by far tho'best in ihe Colony because" it was free: sele'ctian'J they fer ; o how Vccupibd |in building u.f^ a 'thriving"'po'aitriPnit'y'.'. If thi* has beeh done-undbr difficulties of-eommunica-, Moo', and^ uponj by.jpo.smeapsTtheobest. jandjinj Hew Zealand', what .might-haV;,e.,beerf ? .done udder different circuinstanceßan other, j»^r(,a iof 'thiBOoloby? ■»'■"'»i_ '>wi<yJ <^ •^-■•■^ ■ - ; Major Atkinson- tbid' us freebl Oiid(tb'hlure^was l?n its,trial.!,-Ho should:h^v^satd„itliiiid^been, ttied long ppoughj,and fohndUwanting,'} \ Ihiuk this,ia preity neM f the^ l uniye.r6aV.,y,el'4ict of all land ref /fmera, and: the best .bp-.iuaa, to' adop.t w/th m^ ftv^hTyt'ro^^'ilM^acre'a'.'lefb' to ua is no'tfftf'paVii'with'tbe fee simple* bf'auo-i ther apre intoWnshipyor flouißttfy Qißtriol»',and; to ; lease pnly^apojjHbjj) Rjineipl^/O.fjifiwty bf { tenure, 'fixed 'rent, (andi,f^e,e!jßale^l,ittjgirbve-| me'titV. Then we may hope to .see the people freely eott'le oh the land ;' bfuild'ifp' a 'thriving nation.;i and at alleventi,-iKemfov"e bhcPabknow-; ledged potent cause. ofipajipßiißmi*':-'.--ii': ; ; 1.. have npfc,,tpuohed upon the;;.i«nmense revenue that7might. hare been derived froia 'this 'sourceI,'to the relief of 'genetal .taxation,1 •if the'eyßtem'of leasing1 town and couhiry .lanJa had been: adopted twenty yeara ago, btit jib,mu|9t be something very considerable. Nor have 1 touched upon the Ba*e of town: land^, ; axd what effect thD_extreme prices at whioli it is often leased, must have had upon the wages* >of labor. tThere-iß'riPldbubt it ha's a very appr<jI ciable.effepU and?is a factor iin the production '^of.paup^ißm;. .>}-;■-,!/ -.7.7/1, ih 1; '7.': .= ] ythi'nk !ti ( haye w^ittenj.ejnophto.g'iyeajl 'thb'sd^Hb y?JBh for t)ie"m6re general diffusion >o i 'Wealthy and^h'e 1-^al H iasffng' p%^peri(y o'i the Colony something tSithvn'lP'alib'ut.''' <;' 7 j ''•Priueea—and ibydi''_"a"y~*flburwTr and" may lad(>j,, 0 , Q("<j r,;'; r-a-w'-i 'J"'-:.'..i • \ — 'breatjh haih, maHe them, asabreath has ir-"- made'V ' ' li~ ;'"' '"'""'' ■•'•' -■■■■' ■ \ But a bold Yeomanry their country's pride, \ iWbehanAe de'str(iyed{ eari1 never bb;Bti'ppiied.'| •.j tj\ >-\>>:.'..xl ilfourß, Ac."'■(.■' 'i;-> ■■"■■• ' * '„,«■.{»*..> yY»Im- J!" «fti! : jJ? PIPJSB. ] .-•S U/l. •■ ■• '.-s"t< cV * I

'A. oAefc'[J)as beeri broVghj; ioto operation ifj .Nevv South- Wales, co Btnuglsii't iij!:'"it3- r!pTpvisie»iii' th'^t ©Ten h' kpjß|)»n^. [ Q^,}^;B 3 §fiftkeß ihe owners BUbJßCt{,ljgc I |i^Bl|jie*»BoXt h!; O. - :.'v..;.iil It is said that Midwinter recently cleared £2000 buying and selling iniL* iag stock ia Sandhurst.