STILL IN THE SLOUGH.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XVI, Issue 27, 26 October 1888, Page 29

STILL IN THE SLOUGH.

TO THK EDITOR N.Z. TABLET.

SlB, — Allow me to put you right in regard to one or two small misapprehensions under which you seem to be labouring, judging from your article on my letter in your late issue. As regards the Fair Bent and Price of Land Bill : You blame our Members, or rather the voters who elected them, for this Bill not being made law. This was not the case. This measure was passed through all its stages by th« House of Representatives by a very large majority, but was rejected by our Upper House, in whose appointment the public have no voice. Our representatives in this matter did their duty as far as in their power lay, but the Members of the Upper House, who represent nobody but their own imbecile selves — land-monopolistß and absentees, money lenders, whose puppets they are — are alone responsible for the loss of this most necessary measure. I cannot agree with you in your idea that the fear of injuring the present education system had anything to do with the rejection of the Fair Rent Bill. The fear of injuring the •ducatioa system was only a paltry excuße made use of by interested parties, whose real fear was that the measure would in time be extended to private tenantcies, hence their concern for education. You exhibit a refreshing simplicity in attempting to defend the article which gave rise to this correspondence by referring to the remarks of the chairman of the Colonial Bank or any other equally high authority. Why, the chairman's remarks are stock phrases, no more common to him than to other chairmen of public corporations during the last few years, and simply mean nothing. Tne president of the Chamber of Commerce (Mr. Roberts) has quite distinguished himself by his originality at a late meeting by uot giving voice to a song of exultation on the return of good timea. This omission the editor ot the Times deplores, but Mr. Boberts must be too well aware of the financial ruin by which we are surrounded to exhibit himself in such a silly light. There is just another point in your article which requires noticing. Tou ask : Why did agriculturists and others consent to pay this enormous interest ? This is a serious question, and as such must be answered. The reasons why farmers undertook to pay these high rates were twofold : first, they could not help it unless they were prepared to find some other business to make a living by ; second, farmers considered that they were justified by circumstaoces in undertaking obligations which, owing to changes in these circumstances, they have been unable to fulfil. I will take the first of these reasons. Farmers could not help accepting heavy, obligations. After the completion of the bulk of our public works there was a large number of pertons who, owing to their having had the benefit of high wages for a number of years, were in possession of considerable sums of money. On rinding the demand for their labour grow slack, a great many of these men, naving been brought up as farm labourers, mined their attention to the obta n->ng of a farm. The Government ci the country, whose only object ought to have been to settle these people on the land in such a manner as would have secuied its successful occupation, seemed rather to think that their duty to the public required them to get back as much of the labourers' savings as possible, and did so by putting land up to auction. By this means and by limiting the qmntity put up for sile at one time they succeeded in getting extreme prices, Wuere land was sold for cash, tha limit of the bidder's means might have prevented prices going too Ligh, but owing to the great inflow of English capital, ttirough the agency of Banks, loan, investment, and mortgage companies, the bidder wuo liked to mk the yoke of the money-lender could neariy always get an advance of fifteen shillings for eveiy five shillings he could raise, and so was put in a position to give excessive pricet. The result was that land wjb not to be had except at high prices, on account of which many of our bottlers ha\e tcjn handicapped by loans to purchase these properties. In fact, Mr. Editor, a knowledge of the meaDS which have been adopted to obtain excessive prices for our Crown lands, would prove to you that Irish rack-reutiug landlords are not the only men on the face of this etrih who understand how to induce the occupiers of their lands to give lull value aud just a little more. Several of the Governtueuis we h-m 1 had iq New Zealand could, I fancy, give thum a btait in thia re-pect. That circuinstauces at one time justified f aimers in giving a lughpuce tjr land in New Zealand cannot be denied. A btudy of the range 1 1 value of our pioduct9 during the last ten yeats would explain the apparent folly and present posilun of many of our farmoiß. To go fully into this

matter or prices wou'd make ti h letter too lon^, so I will ]ust give you one instance of fluctuation in value which has taken place in one of the most important products of fai rners, aud th it too, in a product to wbirh evejy circumsUnce poiuieJ as being likely raiher to advance than recede. 1 refer to bhtep ; which the following extracts from ray btoks will bhow to ha\e vancd veiy much in price during the last few yeais, and itul: in a way not calculated to assist faimers in meeting their obligations Duung Juue 1883, I sold crossbred lambs by auction at ttu shillings aud aixpeuce each. In May, 1887, I sold lambs oi the Eame description aud equally good quality lor three shillings aud bixpence eacn. As all clashes of sheep fell in value in about the same piopoitior). it must be apparent that anyone making arrangements biaed on the prices oi' 1883, was certain* to find bim3 self in difficuiues when the tall took place, lv 1882 and 1883 slock- * bleeders weie confident of a continuation of high prices on account of the shipment to London of our mutton by means of the freezing process, aud that their anticipation then seemed justifiable, it is impossible to deny. That it is to the advancement of civilisation and triumphs of science, the prteent abundance in the markets of the world and coa-

sequent low prices of the necessaries of life are dne, is plain to Mj* one who baa studied the matter, and that their abundance should produce misery amongst ua, proves the ezistence|of evils which it il our duty to remoye. That high rents, in the face of low prices for produce, are an iniquity, all honest men admit, and that it is oar duty no lees than our interest to reduce the payments of Grown tenants and others, in proportion to the value of their produce, is plain,— I am, etc,,

NATIVE.