FOOD FOR REFLECTION.

Waikato Times, Volume XLI, Issue 3345, 5 December 1893, Page 6

FOOD FOR REFLECTION.

Sißj-From the contest' lately decided, to' an outsideni;'would'a'ppeiir that we : not of one family;or nation; biit ! a'different ( ■ raceiof beings b'nrn'or made to devburieach other and live at enmity in .;which is.allotted to'u?. ; .WJba.t.a,great dia-' . { '' ] tilnc^ ,f \vc appeft'r tot' te ■. vjro „Btiall;be J atrof one nhind,';'a.ll ! aim, ; ,',eveb",the ygbod'of his heighbbur ; 'yet-Such' we' are > tausrlit'will come to pass;»but whatistrifes and■ cnntentipng,..we:jshajl ihaye.Avitnessed, or. those„Bhal'| have ; .witnessed before, all those tibihos shall' have'b i een i accomplished, even'W goodb ! f u iii3. neighbour. 'X was fchinkingiallthis has'come about;'and is; the "outcome'between capital'arid labour a* force ■ij which haislajn dormant; butstillalive'-rn'ofc ',' perceptible,-perhaps,, but stiß, .moving. ;,Ifc ' began in' London'a', few years ago, then.it was in 1 Germariy, • and "America, then'-'roaching to' Australia, ' c arid? lastly tmichedi>our;;sliores,' a ! nd : if we look at it we will find theisafne spirit animating our.».electionwiamely, a strife' between, capl a,ndlabour. ;".,In, reviewing Mr Wiihy'sj address iti to his constituents on' the subject of land nationalisation, his argument that land has risen in; value, wbich'he attrtbnt'ea to eurrounding l .: circumstances,>the surrounding ..ignoring, the .tiller of soilpr, farmer, and : v: spealc3 'deci'dedlyl' s-i'yi "owner .of , f ilie! r labd'is'outside of it ! alt(igether in advancing; "its' 'value/' I 'have' 1 hfid some little experi-; -euoe in-that line',' andJ'Vontu're to say, that; statement has - whatever,: '"Sfime-where,about; ,tjyenj;^-five. ? ,yef»rsi agoi several farmerV ■. came! to»tlip Waikato and; •'bought landj atr ya'Koui? prices;' nips); of it' : ; Was-bought ' at '£l 'or' '3os per acre. I ''Tlien <they;bought plough's and Howes,, and 'began ,toimprovejt. .lam'writing.'mpre:'particularly about, the ( distrtpt ,of To Awamutiv, and if I describe this it .will answer for all the oHtier towhsliibs ih.'Wiiikak,' When I passed through' To'Awamiitii'afc that tiirie 'thci Business inhabitants, of 'the'place 'consisted of one blacksmith's shop, one publico house, and one-, shoe-maker.--Passing to the farming .communjty, : which. I left, ploughing.the land jand sowing clover,|- in ii very short time there was' an abundance of feed for all the stock you could put on it, and the'more fat' cattle'it turned-off 'and cheques-;.returned,the;better for the farm[ugcommunity, and I,scarcely.need add that there was more profit in those early, daysoffariniiigthan there has'been since,' consequently the'land.was of mure value,' I im, drawing this out for Mr Withy's information, gentleman whichof the two ,ir.en made the land valuable', was jit | the ) three above named' tradesmen, the -blacksmith, shoemaker, and publican? It appears to me they had nothing to do with it; they did not even ; grow the'cliiver.:seed ithii.twas.pht on it. It was the. : farming; community, and., they oniy.that enhanced,this value of ,'tlie land, so that, 'jt rose in 'value'iip ''to! five or 'six pound iier'acravery cfniclcly '; indeed,' some of it lias'.been sold ■ fori double that price.' ; The most:remarkable,thing about: this des: criptionj.s .that ; as Te; Awamutiv became: more,..populated, the lanilsurnmnding, ,b : B:i camVof'less value and unsaleable, and re-.', mains so at this time for the simple reason' that the profits of the farmer are smaller and his'expenses.are: greater, -If -this description is a true one,.where ia.the unearned; increment or increase?! Why,there is none and where is'tlieli'ngle"lax coming from ? It appears'tc/my that'these gent'enieri do not prove-what they rffe talking about;,' and the audience cheers and cries out " hear hear." I am just writing this Mr; for ,tlie simple reason that it ( i.s,.time that all this nonsense 'was' put' down; 'One man buys; a., piece of land j'it'isof'no value in its natural' state,, covered with fern and bush; : He commences to clear it, and iif lit; gets anyJassisfcf ance—the assistant,, gets,-, say,' five,;or,six. shillings per day-he 'accepts p that as hi^ r share in the transaction. Thebwner'ofthe' land put his share or' labdu'r ,in the land, and it accumulates andthe more labour or capital;; or-;, assistance ■,;hei..rgefc's ;;thei more valuable ..ln's ;; Jar,m'|/w ; ill /.become.; The present .state,df brought about very frequently" by,the assistant, as I have described him spending his share : ;as 'fast ; has; bo receives it,;n'ay,!'sometimes faster; : by"ap- : plying to other sources for assistanoejand; getting into.that position which iscominonly caljed debt., If. this, is sojne.faiiitdescrip- -: tion, does it not seem'sin.' unfair proposal to tipce from the individuaVwh'o has'been sav- J irjg'to give t'o'tho one—who lias spent all and ! brought himself to ruin?. I. know :'.itsis a", great argument and,a,.good,one these peoplajnust bo fe/iand looked after, but that advice does not apply to New Zealand,, at,least at present; (There! never was a time when generosity I 'was' as the present tim'p. -We have onr Hospitals, Charitable Aid.Boards ( ,andeyenan Old Men's' Refuge, besides tho charity that is bestowed ; broadcast; on incidental accidents','and'this charityappliesandbelorigspfinoipully 'to-New; Zealand, aud wliilb'L am.writing I,, feel -proudlofJieivand think, myself happy jn,l|\ T irig in.such a-place called New Zenlancl. , closing this note I would' like 'tli' give i ;a;iittl l e advice to all young men that'is, 'get'a piece of land, 1 'either big ;or little,-ahd;make a home on it;; anri,,tben. you,;aan jnvite!<some,:one toacr company.you, this single, arrangement wonjt. do,.and particularly, on, a farm,. With ind lis tryit will keeß'yoii,' better , health' and : live; longer, s and -die-' happier than' in any. other. pi<sition/.ih;lifei'ybu need not 1 ' foar,,any of these, Single Nationalising ideas,, they, wilLallpass away. and : yon 'and yourchildren shall inherit the, Innd for a higher pbwer.than the wtit'er Has declared ! it!.-lam,efcc.| i^i ; ; '' i ; ;:; ; -^* 1 - ~::z ";'- f -"r":"JoHN Gibson, Mangapiko. ..■ . ; ;' ~ , ri , ; ,■ - -?,- , : \t