The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 1888. THREE-ACRES-AND-A-COW

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1795, 21 March 1888, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 1888. THREE-ACRES-AND-A-COW

Our Temuka contemporary draws attention to the affirmation of the " three-acres-and-a-cow " scheme of Mr Jesse Collings, M.P., m the passing by the Imperial Parliament of " The Allotments Act, 1887," of the provisions of which it says : — "Power is given to the Banitary Authority — that is, what we call here the Local Board of Health — to purobase land for the purposes of the Act on receiving a request to do so signed by six electors or ratepayers* If the Sanitary Authority is unable to get the land it wants to purchase it refers -Hir«-TTMrM-«r */■> ihn CJnnnfy Authority which is the same as our County Council — and the County Authority may then make an order authorising the Sanitary Authority to exercise compulsion m acquiring the necessary land. Now here is the great principle of compulsory sales of land affirmed by the Imperial Parliament. When the StoutYogel Government last year announced their intention of introducing the Land Acquisition Bill, which embodied exactly the same principle as that which we now find adopted by the Imperial Parliament, a cry arose from end to end of the land, and it was denounced as confiscation and socialism, and it was said that it would have the effect of driving capital away. Now here we find a similar measure passed by the Imperial Parliament, and no one has thought of running away out of England with his bags of gold on account of it. Thus it is evident that even the Conservatives of England are far more liberal than the Conservatives of this colony, for they have passed a measure the mere mention of which is enough to send their New Zealand cousins into a fit of hysterics. In this measure are affirmed the principles of compulsory sales of land, the State leasing system and the acknowledgment of the right of a working man to a home on the land on which he works. These are most important innovations. Twenty years ago the man who would have suggested such a scheme as has been em-

bodied m the Allotments Act, 1887, would have been considered a fit subject for the lunatic asylum, but without a doubt during the next 20 years much more rapid strides will be made than m the past. The people are becoming educated, they are beginning to open their eyes to the unfairness of many existing institutions, and m course of time they will insist on having changes effected . It is not right that one man should starve while another has ten thousand times more than he wants, and it will be the work of the future to render the opportunities of the people more equal and put them on a more even footing. This first great step has been taken m England, and the example is bound to be followed m other countries m the course of time." It is only fair and just to Mr Twoniey, who is the editor of the " Leader," and who was one of the candidates for the Gladstone constituency at last general election, to say that he was one of the first advocates m New Zealand of the principle con- , tainedin the English " Allotments Act " above referred to, and published m 1883 a " Laborer's Homes bcheme," which was submitted to the late Government before any Land Acquisition Bill saw the light,