LAND SALES BILL

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 7, Issue 1, 24 August 1943, Page 5

LAND SALES BILL

CRITICISM OF MEASURE AUCKLAND FARMERS' VIEWS The Government's Servicemen's Settlement and Land Sales Bill was criticised at the monthly meeting of the Auckland Provincial Executive of the New Zealand Farmers.' Union on August 18. The. President (Capt. H. M. Rushwodtli) stated that, when the bill was introduced he had authorised the Provincial Secretary (Mr A. E. Robinson( to send the following telegram to the Minister of Lands (Hon. J. G. Barclay): "My Executive considers Servicemen's Settlement and Land Sales Bill is camouflaged nationalisation of land without State, responsibility. Government could not bring in land at prices at which it is now on sale and my Executive considers that, the Bill is. a trick to authorise taking of farmers' assets below real cost and, prevent them realising the lifetime work of themselves, their wives and children. The action of the president in sending the telegram was approval. The president said there was something to be said in favour of legislation dealing with land for returned servicemen, but the present bill was altogether too wide in scope. It. was ]i'ke using a steamhammer to crack a nut. If the experience of the last war was any guide only about one-fifth of the men who would be. returning from the war would want to settle on the land. What would happen? Were they to have further bills to provide for men desiring to engage in other occupations?

Mr H. Johnstone (Whatawhata) said that as president of the Waikato sub-Province he had telegraphed to the Prime Minister • stating that the bill had occasioned general alarm among the 2000 members of his district. The' bi'll was revolutionary and he thought it should be deferred for fuller consideration. If passed in its present form they would all become serfs and their land would be subject to the pleasure of the Government. The Minister had said that the Farmers' Union had asked for the bill, but this was not correct. There had been no great increase in the prices at which land, had changed hands recently. A resolution was passed affirming that the telegram sent by Mr Johnstone was in accordance, with the representations made by the Provincial and Dominion Executives. Mr S. A. Wells (Ompkoroa) said that the returning soldiers would desire to go into many industries, apart from farming and his branch considered that it would be advisable to have a comprehensive national development measure dealing with the whole subject. The. servicemen should have the best possible treatment in regard to all avocations. The president said that the remaining land in the Dominion suitable for profitable occupation was about 11,000,000 acres. Who could predict what the markets would be after the war or what the. prices for produce would be 10 years after the end of hostilities? How many soldiers would go on the land Avithout a guarantee of markets and prices? If they brought back, say, 80,000 soldiers Avhat would happen to the large number of men who might, be pushed out of their present jobs? He could visualise Avar years, with aj certain degree of comparative equan- i unity, but it Avas not pleasant to contemplate what might, happen after the Avar. Mr A. McConaughy (Paparoa) said that if the Government amid give some definite indication of what Avas likely to happen after the war it avouUl be of value. The breaking in of all remaining land would be very risky. There Avas no guarantee of the continuance of good markets after the Avar. The outlook for wool, for instance, Avas uncertain. It was understood that tremendous stocks of w T ool Avere being held in America. The president said that there Avas nothing more that could, be done, regarding the bill unless they asked the Government to refer it to the Lands Committee of the House. This Avas the normal course after the bill was read a second time pro forma, but as. far as was known, it was not proposed to do that in the present case.. As to any increases in land prices that had occurred the cause probably was that the fall in interest rates was leading investors to look for relatively safe investments for their capital by diverting it to land. If interest rates Avere low the capitalised productive value of land tended to rise.