THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 1906.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8280, 6 November 1906, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 1906.

The usual dullness, between sessions promises l to ba considerably enlivened during toe present reoeas owing to the contemplated efforts of the Government to educate the people on the land question, and more especially, of oourse, in regard to the merits of the abandoned Land Bill. The decision.of the Cabinet to give the electors their views in regard to the drastio proposals outlined in the Bill, prior to converting them into a Statute, will, of oourse, be approved of, but at the same time the Premier and his colleagues must admit that they were quite prepared to give effeot to Mr MoNab's sweeping propositions without consulting the poople at all. It was only when they found a difficulty in semiring a majority in the House, and when it appeared to them that the "country" was not applauding their manner of reversing the position between the people and their representatives that the Land Bill was hastily laid aside. It is evident, however, from what ooourred last session, that the Government rather favour the polioy of acting first and consulting the people afterwards. This polioy may be simple, and calculated, in some respects, to save trouble, but it is also likely to produce rueful results so far as.both the electors and their representatives are concerned. Admittedly it is a dangerous policy for any Government to pursue in an enlightened democracy, and one oati only think that the exiaordinary course adopted by the Government last session waedue to misplaced zeal on the part of the Minister for

Lands. Mr MoNab, new to office, no doubt, felt that something wa? expected of him. Well, he tried his 'prentice hand, and if he did not actually do anything be certainly created a disturbance, and more excitement is promised iu the fufcare. Very shortly the Ministers—or some of them—will proceed to feel the pulse of the people, aud it is certain that their aotion next session will be determined by the conclusions that they draw from their campaign. The spectacle of Ministers thus touring the country may not be very edifying, and we are nok inclined to think that the educational value of such a visitation will be very maob, but the "tour" is sagaestive, and the very open suggestion is that the Government want a "direction" from the oountry, and if the oountry party are really in terested in land legislation they should seize upon the opportunity that will present itself of very fully satisfying the Ministry as to their views. The anti-freehold mania should be stamped out before it develops to an intolerable extent, and the onus of performing this work lies wholly with oountry constituencies. The feelings of oity constituencies have been so worked upon by pseudo-socialists, singletaxers, labour agitators and faddists generally, that it is now beyond doubt that land nationalisation is popularly regarded in the chief centres. Our Wellington morning contemporary remarks in its issue of yesterday:—"So far as the'cities are concerned, there is no cause for anxiety, and we hope that the Government aud the land reformers will not waste much time in the towns. In the country, however, there is not the sharp interest in political affairs whioh every thinking man in the cities displays." That which oar contemporary describes as "the sharp interest" is certainly not displayed in the country so far as combined action is concerned. Despite the weighty opinion quoted it is our view that the former can think equally as well as the oity man, and on the land question he can think sensible, practicable things, as he is in possession of a wealth of knowledge connected with the question, whioh the oity men has not, and never will have without] practical experience. Oountry towns are vitally interested in the land, tenure question —that is, in the maintenance and development of a tenure that will encourage both settlement on and closer cultivation of the land. If the time was ever ripe for the proper formation aud combination of a country party, apart from the platform of the Farmers' Union, that time has now arrived.