THE OPPOSITION AND THE LAND QUESTION.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXXXII, Issue 12842, 27 November 1905, Page 7

THE OPPOSITION AND THE LAND QUESTION.

A politician who Ji&s no policy On the land question should be re'egated to obscuritv. said Mr Alien at Temuka. Had the Premier a policj"? He could not find one in anything he had said or done. The Opposition had a policy.- It was' to allow a man to take land * on lease if he preferred it, but to allow him if he become strong .enough to exchange his lease for a freehold at the original' value (p'us 1 per cent, in the case of leases in perpetuity to put them on the same footing as other' leases). That was a perfectly clear issue and the Opposition were going straight for . it. Three- years ago Mr Seddon 'wanted to do away• with all forms of purchase, to make everybody leaseholders. Last year he did not know what he wanted, so he set up a Commission, that would ..cost probably . £IO,OOO to £15,000, and : when the Commission .had: reported -the Government could not get a po'icy out of the report. Mr Seddon "brought down to'the' House a' series'',': '& proposals, only one of which/-was/a clear, proposal for" anything, and that' was to do tbe/lease in Opposition o '3id„ not. oppose that, /.beMa&ifjj they did not think, -,the tenure /a: /secure/ one, and" they 'wanted to give every man a secure tenure. • was. in danger from the single taxer, and from the 'Labour Councils in the towns., The in "favour- of giving the freehold original because 4 tenant had as much right to his goodwill if it increased .through the .progress of settlement as the owner of any other kfcid of business' had to have /the goodwilE increased :'iby the same means. The po'ifcy ■ t>ehirid'.' their proposals... was /to encourage ;men. to.- 'make "the best use" of the landg. to produce--aS l * niticK w'ealth. from., it as possible; for the benefit of the community, t and that, encouragement would be given: by the Jighfc to Save.: the/free T hold. (Applause.)' % •