A Defence of Large Land Owners.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXIV, Issue 7167, 31 July 1890, Page 2

A Defence of Large Land Owners.

In respect of the large properties held by absentees and some resident owners in New Zealand, particulars of which hare been published widely throughout the colony, the Bruce Herald steps in as champion thus : — "Has it yet been proved that tneee large landowners are a hindrance to the progress of the colony, or that the absence of some of them is a hardship to those of us who are left behind ? It might even be asked whethor the private ownership of land in general has ever wrought any harm — and we ask this question in spite of Honry George and all his fellow theorisera. These absentees own but a very small proportion of the land of New Zealand, and there is ' not ono of them who does not directly or indirectly contribute to taxation. It mar be taken for granted that they carefully watch nil our proceedings, and do their very best to make their estates as valuable as they can. That cannot be done without the expenditure of money, and in all probability there is more money sent out by these absentees for improvements than the radical reformers know, or, if they knew, would give them credit for." Then it says the Crown Lands Guide, proves that there is abundance of land for all who wish to obtain it. " But to return to these absontce property owners, who ate supposed, vampire like, to bo 'sucking fhe life blood out of the colony. They are said to own between them something like eight millions of real and personal property. Eight millions seems and indeed is an immense amount, but it is not so very much comparatively. The deposits in the banks amount to nearly ten millions. In the Post-offico Savings Bank the depositors, most o£ whom belong to the working classes, have close upon a million and three-quarters. In the building societies, also an institution ohiefly patronised by working men and small tradesmen, there is a capital invested amounting to over i'loo,ooo. It would be easy to show, as maybe soon from the few figures wo have quoted, that the I value of the property owned by these absentee landowners is very small when compared with the capital invested in other •ways. It cannot, of courso, be denied that some large landowners have striven their best to evade payment of taxes, and sometimes with success. And it may also be urged that tho colony suffers through tho absenoe of those landowners who, prefering to live elsewhere, do not benefit the colony by their current expenditure. But take them for all and all, wo doubt whether the absentee landowners ore ca iniquitous a class as are many of the wageearners, who lift up their voices against them, and spend their own money on nothing, and less than nothing and vanity, even to their own hurt."