The Dominion. FRIDAY, AUGUST 20, 1909. LAND SETTLEMENT.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 591, 20 August 1909, Page 4

The Dominion. FRIDAY, AUGUST 20, 1909. LAND SETTLEMENT.

A brief message from Ohristchurch which appeared in • yesterday's issue reported Mr. Buddo as having, made a statement of the very higheefc' significance. "The supply of, land for settlement in small areas was coming, to an 'end," he eaid, "and by 1912 nearly all the land under survey would be gone," Of the Crown lande'to be dealt with at present, he also stated, only a small proportion was suitable' for small settlements —the bulk would have to be taken 1 up in large areas by men with consideri able capital. The country, that is.to say, is face to face with an entirely; new situation.. It was inevitable that the Government would sooner or later come to the end of its resources : in Ci;own land for settlement. The demand for land has , been for some time greatly in excess of the supply—so much greater that even the leasehold system of tenure has been considered. very much better than nothing at all; The land-hunger has been aggravated by the failure of the Government to make up its mind.years ago to establish a vigorous Native land policy. The coming crisis, which Mn r Puddo. prophesies for 1912,, is coming while there.are millions of acres of Native lands lying..-oithor.,- idlo or only poorly productive. The first thing to be ia,id of ; Mh. Buddo's'important ■announcement., is that it exposes- the unsoundness of tho only argument for the .leasehold in-which there is a «emblanco of reason. For the most part; tlie enemies

of , the freehold have contented themselves with quite meaningless' outcries about "the folly of parting with the national estate," as if, by selling its land, the State lost the use and benefit of it.for evermore—as if, , by granting ! tho freehold,, the State granted its tenant permission to take the land abroad with him.

The time is at hand when there will be no more Crown land for settlement in small areas. But land settlement must go on. What does the Government intend to dof Or, rather, w.hai would it do if—an unlikely thing—it were to remain in office for somo years to come? It might, of course, continue to borrow money for the purchase of estates to bo subdivided and placed on the market as perpetual leases. But Ministers have given evidences that they do not look upon such a policy with -. much favour. Tho arguments' against : it: are 1 very strong. In the first place it would be more than foolish to add. largely to the permanent public debt even for land settlement purposes.; To add to the pub.lie debt for the purpose of gradually nationalising the land—and that is what this policy of land settlement would amount to—would he nothing less than ruinous. There is a good deal to be said, however, for borrowing prudently for the purchase of estates to be offered in small holdings to tenants who would have the right of purchase. Properly financed, a moderate initial borrowing j would enable , the Government to secure tho settlement of lai:d many times greater in area than the area .first resumed. But the Government can easily raise money for '.settlement. • purposes without borrowing. Let the freehold be granted to existing Crown tenants who may desire it, and. let the proceeds of the 'sales', be' earmarked for the purchase of further land or for the financing of intending settlers.. It.':' is a sorrowful i ending to the Government's policy that the Minister for Lands has had to ad!.mit'that "men with considerable capital" have their uses after all., We we're told the other day by a spokesman of the Government that access to'land is morenecessary than access to capital. . The Government..-has very closely , 1 the-doefcrine of the land reformers who' hold with Henry George's followers, of whom Mr. Fowlds. is not the least, imI'pprtant,. that-capital is not at all' necessary to the'settler. Times; are changing indeed when we find'.the "Evolutionary Socialists." who are in office admitting that- capitalists, and "considerable" capitalists -at',that, are 'necessary ■ i: the State is not'(o be,left with idle prairies on its 'hands. 'We may leave Timo to encourage the Government in its process , of/"gradually throwing away" the oilier dear ■ theories 'that look so sound, until i'they come into contact-with, coarse-fact. •••