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They were driven from the land on which Providence had placed them, and in the state | of society surrounding them every other walk of life was rigidly closed against them. What was | the result '( After battling in vain with privation and pestilence they at last graduated from the j workhouse to the tomb, and in little more than three years nearly a fourth of them j lay quietly in their graves." 5 What a picture this is oi landlordism ! The point I wish to make is this : Under either state landlordism or individual landlordism the people in occupancy of j the land have to bear a system of rentals far beyond their abilities, and although you | may have in this country a better form of government—and so long as good government | is continued on safe lines these people will be justly and fairly treated —what has been j may be again, and past history shows that if 6 bad governments arise, either by extravagance or J anything else, the lands of the tenants of a state will have inordinate rentals extracted from ] them, whereas if the people are owners of landed property they will only be required to j share fro raid with the other owners of property in their contributions towards the state. In \ connection with the land administration of Ireland, we have evidence from those who have taken a j deep interest in the matter that practically nothing 7 was done from the time that Cromwell took the land from the chiefs and gave it to his followers and adventurers until 1870, j when the Bright clause was made law. When Mr. Wyndham's Bill was introduced in 1903 j Mr. John Redmond said, " You must not remove from the provisions of this Bill the knowledge ■ that these men were becoming absolute owners. If you remove that you do away with all j the good the Bill was calculated to promote." He also said that if the 8 lands were Jin the hands of the people of Ireland, and if the people had the right to [ make them their own, the holders would at once double the productive capacity of the land J owing to that tenure. In connection with Continental countries, others express precisely similar opinions when the [ lands had gone into use and had been under the right of final acquirement. I come, j then, 9 to consider some of the Continental countries where the system of freehold tenures exists, and | here a brighter picture is presented. I take France first; and I want members to mark | the contrast between the countries where state and individual landlordism prevails and countries where they have ' the right either of acquiring the freehold or of enjoying the freehold. France is an example of the kind. France has divided her lands among her people. There are in France no j less than 10 two million occupiers of the soil who cultivate areas of less than twelve acres.
No. 85 —Shorthand. — For Class D. Time allowed: Three hours (two hours for Questions 1 to 5, and one hour for Question 6). 1. What system of shorthand do you write? 2. What are the main principles of that system ? Answer briefly. 3. Explain the chief essentials for attaining speed in writing, combined with accuracy of transcription. 4. What are the fundamental principles of abbreviation in the system you write ? 5. What rules should guide the writer in the use of phraseography ? 6. Write in shorthand and transcribe into longhand the passage dictated to you by the Supervisor. [Use a fresh book for the transcription.]
No. 86. — Shorthand.—For Class D. Time allowed : One hour. [For Supervisors only.] Instructions to Supervisors. 1. Inform the candidates before the time for taking up this subject that a candidate may use pen or pencil as he pleases for taking notes, which should be written in a ruled note-book, but that he must transcribe those notes into longhand with pen and ink in one of the ruled foolscap books provided. 2. Inform them also that the clearness and accuracy of the shorthand notes (which must in every case be handed in together with the transcript) will be taken into account by the examiner. 3. Inform candidates that when once you have begun to dictate you cannot stop until the passage is finished. 4. Dictate the passage at the rate of 80 words a minute. N.B.—lt will be well to practise reading the passage aloud some time beforehand, looking at a watch or clock, so as to accustom yourself to reading at the exact rate indicated. The matter to be read is marked off by thick lines into sections, each of which is to occupy a minute, and also by thinner lines into smaller sections, each containing the number of words to be read in twelve seconds. As the candidates hear the passage read only once, the reader's articulation ought to be very clear, and the candidates ought to be so placed as to be able to hear well. Passage foe Dictation at the Bate op 80 Words a Minute. [The passage takes 8 minutes.] Now for the Cook Strait lights. In the lifting colours of a sea sunrise the " Hinemoa " j splashed her anchor into the water opposite Palliser Bay station, and after breakfast two boats were | lowered away to transport stores to the beach. All trouble lies in this part of the I work ; the landing-places are indifferent, and in bad weather there is much danger. Often and | often a boat's crew has to battle back and forward from ship to shore through 1 snarling, | smothering surf that, to a landsman—aye, to any but an experienced boatman— it seems impossible | for a boat to live in. See them go shooting backward on the curling