LAND POLICY.

Waikato Times, Volume 117, Issue 19596, 7 June 1935, Page 7

LAND POLICY.

(To the Editor.) Sir, —A correspondent signing himself "Liberal” asks: “Did Mr Seddon or any of Ills predecessors, or any! member of the Liberal Party, on the,

1 public platform ever advocate the. ‘usehold’ land policy as adopted by the Labour Party?” My answer is j 1 that I never had the pleasure of hear- , 1 ing a political speech on the land ques- j 1 tlon by Mr Seddon, and as far as the , word “usehold” is concerned, I believe r that Mr Holland, the late leader of | the Labour Party, was responsible for ' coining the word. As for the term ! “Liberal” as applied to that party since the demise of Mr Seddon, it has \ been as dead as the dodo, and has reverted to the present Labour Party, 1 as far as the general welfare of the [ community is concerned; but the • remnants of the 'Liberal Party have r wandered far from their original ' policy; they seek to enrich themselves 1 and their, clique, hut not the public. ' I have no doubt in my mind that if 'Mr 1 Seddon were alive to-day he would ; favour leasehold, usehold or land j restoration, any one of which would ' be 50 years ahead of the present gang 1 of muddlers, who are boosting their * land policy, which amounts to smotherhold, mortgagehold, strangle--1 hold, or lioldinghold or any other hold so long as they can delude the dull-of-intellect. Talk about “usehold.” What does it mean? It means that no land useful for or capable of production in any form would be allowed to lay dormant or half-improved while thousands of willing hands are idle, though they are eager to Improve their lot by using God’s bountiful gifts that only require labour, for development. At the same i time the land-grabbers go ahead and ; pick out the most fertile land, practlc- [ ally for a song, holding it up till the i people make roads, bridges, railways, . etc. They then put toll on the public , and make them pay what they think ■ It proper to demand. The land belongs to the people. See what would be the result of such a policy as the , usehold or land restoration. Every . piece of land when improved would , pay rent to the State, with less taxing ■ of the poor, making them as happy as ; the birds of the air in summer time. —• I am, etc-, W. JARVIS. ‘ Frankton, June 5, 1935.