LABOUR AND LAND.

Wairarapa Age, 21 April 1927, Page 6

LABOUR AND LAND.

MODIFICATION OF USEHOLD. THE OWNHB'S INTEREST. NAPIER, April 19.. The Labour Party’s land policy is ov.tlir, 1 in a report of a gpoeial comIni t'e, which was adopted by esnfer- | once to-day, as follows:— I “V\ c recommend that the present seci tian of the dealing with land be deleted, and the following inserted: 4 Public ownership of Jand being the only ultimate remedy for the present chaos and muddle, the party’s platform provide*—(l) conservation of all State ’ ahd publicly-owned lands; (2) full recognition of owner ’s interest in all and inPHudihg tenure, j’ight of sale, transfer and boqkest; (3) compensation for improvements on leasehold land; (4) a graduated tax on unimproved land values; (5) acquisition (compulsory where necessary) of areas of land suitable for closer settlement and townplanning; (45) .tK'nnre of acquired land to be perpetual lease conditional on occupancy and me, with periodic revaluations*; (7) State provision of all fiacilitics for transfer of land; (8) maximum assistance to organisations of 'proiueers for co-operative production, pureb shipping, marketing, i\nd credit; (O) extension of agricultural education, including provision of research facilities to lind means of bringing land to its fullest productive use; (10) securing of an adequate supply of fertilisers at lowest possible cost to fanners; (11-) (levoTopment andesettlement of unoccupied land by the most advantageous methods;' (12) (a) adjustment of taxation on land in business areas to» prevent exploitation and to secure community values for the people, (b) the application of the betterment principle to land values which have been increased by public works or other community enterprise. “The iand policy and the finance akd credit policy of the party are interwoven, and wo recommend that the following clauses be included in the platform: (1) A State bank to* act as a central bank with full control of the note issue; (2) extension «f the State Advances Office to provide all sary for (a) primary production, including loans to co-operative dairy companies for assistance of suppliers in the purchase of fertilisers, equipment, or stock; (b) the house-building •omuiiy.tee unanimously recommended the above in the belief that fhe various sections were in line with the objective of the party—i.e., that public ownership of land was the only remedy for the present chaos and muddle, and supported the recommendations in the opinion that they wore the best method by ; which the objective could be attained.” —(P.A.)