INDIGNATION MÈTING.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 671, 23 November 1909, Page 4

INDIGNATION MÈTING.

■ ; THE:GOVERNMENTS LAND; POLICY^.>|: '. ADVOCATED. /;' w SPEECHES BY MESSRS.' M'LAREN,: HOGiO.'': ■• ' : ;:';, "/"■;..'■ .AND TAYLOR. ■■K;?;i''% ■ 'Well ; over, a . thousand ■ ; people • attended • ■■' -2 a: .meeting: held' in . the..; Town Hall Mast;::', night' under, the'; auspices of the : Trades :"'■•: "and. Labour Council,:, to. protest/, against/;.;; the .- land '■ proposals ; embodied ■ in; ■.the;'; -•* Budget. ', Mr. .Noot occupied the chair, and in,... addition to the three speakers, Messrs. M'Laren| v // 'Hogg, and Taylor, M.lYs, seats on/the platform';;// wore also occupied by. several; leading supporters..-. of the.Labour movement.;'--' ; ,' .. : ' '.'/.//'.'••: : \

Views of, Mr. M'Laren. '/.; '(.':: •///;' ':';} : \ ■••. Mr..M'Laren opened his remarks' by stating/ ;■'-/ that, it was'strange the' presentiGovernment:'■;. was,' not 1 prepared)to .trust' the' people. Upon' ',- the/laid, question there was ,no clear 1ine.0f,.,,.'.;,, :demarcation, between : the' two chief parties^:,//• "■'■■ the H6usc> In dealing with the landsot, the,-.- ,• Natives the Government was taking a different .;., lino from that, whicli. it' was, taking ;,in ■';: .regard- to ■ 'lands' -hold by > ,Europeans..; I. . The. Government proposed -that, where Native ; :,.''; lands were held by a tribe, the' .'•' :- to bo consulted as to the future of their lands. ;1 - . That was the right kind of. policy, adopt. ,/,;.•; But, .in regard: to Crown) lands; the. Govern-;, / ment ihte'mled to' deal' frith them without ■v ,direct reference to the people. It should jnot ".;,.'; bo; a- question as : - to whether an individual. •;,/; wanted leasehold or 'freehold, but as to what :,;:,..; was.ill tholbest'interests,of the people. was: now, aimed :at by. the: Government, wa*.,;',;; ■land' monopoly—that' the laids should' go to,/-'/ . the people..who now ! have capital.' The Goy. // ; : eminent found -it easier to attack tho publio /.;;;' ostate than, to follow the Example ; : of/ Mr. >'/;// Lloyd-Gebrgo's Budget, which would live among; y.v tho English-speaking, people as. a.memory or,, // blessedness when, the memory 0f,., the'Y New/ 1 ;/./ . Zealand, /Liberal; Government had died out,.;//;') '(Applause.} Ho wished to toovo. the follow;/.-/; ing resolution:—' ■/.■.:■:.' ■',■■■ ':",;' .//.;.^ 0 /b;/,;/// •/That;before,;any. legislation ;i«, .passed;.:;;,':. . sacrificing ;tho .people's interest' in .: the/./// / / leasehold..over existing; Crown, lands,, or' ; v.-;;; ' in .the lands' settled under,: the Lands for. ///./ I/Settlement Act,t,and,before any more' of /•/;'■-.■,.■ ''■'."•the publicly-owned land/is sold,, all ;ttie'V;> ,; . people, of the' Doininiori-' should have'. ;an/ /<V/ ', opportunity of .saying,. by means of a 'ie-< ■.';■. •-.'.:■■'. ferendUm.ivote,. whether they,'ore, willing ,';•/.,i ; . ..that; the proposals now before .parliament .-■;.- .■;, .; " : shall become,law,, or .whether all existing,;:./; . ; Crown land shall remain the;property a'-'f'v" •';tho people, ,and ; b?. dealt with only fon'the'. ■,;.:;;; • : ' leaschbld system, so'that'future increases .■!;•';, .;. ■, in, rental; value shall be available for: the'.-'i:';' ; . : , reductions of tho burden.of taxation. ; '.; ''/■■■■ : \;■• ;,;,•;,

.'.This -meeting' ■ further; holds that.- to'..;;';.' chango existing' leasehold into a. freehold ;'■■ .'tenure, as is.proposed,'.'would, create a privt-,',.,''/.-! logo which is not in 1 tho covenant entered V :•'.-",■; ■into'., by.the' lessees',, and wonldgivotojsilch:'' -':,; lessees a decidedly unjust advantage, ovtx.:,'. f all other-applicants- for such'' land :';':"' eluding tho element, of competitionwherebyi'V- ''-■■; .the real' valuo of- the; ; land 'can only -bo %•■!?;'.'■ arrived' at.'- ;■• ■<■-':. ;■* .TV .-''.•-—" '- : v*:-i-■s"

,:.■•■';; Mr. Hogg ] Seconds ■ the; Resolution;': .'..' ; .'j;v -,:'. )'• Mr, A.'' W. • Hogg,sin-seconding.tho resolu.■'•■■: tion, said -heVwould -like first of all', to .ask {','■'<: What had bcoomo 0f..; the Liberal: and .Labour ,V. ' organisation?.'..': At ■ a crisis; like tho present, 'it, '< : ;:- 'should'':be active.- : -~:.,-;;.- ../■-.■ . , ■■'% ■ '.V\■'■:'■'■. ,:'Voices: .They, have all got billets -no*.)'-;;.-;'•;;« :> Mr;.Hogg declared -that .the' federation; •.■w.ai-'-.-.v pretty well fed ■' by. the'. Government,; but - as; V" a''member ho ':\vas - .going ■ to ■■;bo' muzzled,'>"C and-would, sneak on-:its-behalf;.. Liberalising-; was-; not-'-dead ifi: this; coiintry^far.. from r.T. and.it \vould.have something; to-say in l^gard'.-'.' to.the Government's land proposals. He would' like to-ask; What of. tho present Cabinet? ■'■::-,'■■:■■ A voice: It-is rotten 1: •»■>':';,■.:'• ";.;•':; '■'<■■'}'■:'':'■'■

. Mr.v. Hogg "said: that that-' was ' not'-a .'bad' dtsoription of.it. It-'would- not'- have''been'' to'-' ,!■. bad if 'the, Government? bad proposed to.'give ; '■ -' tho; freehold to tho: holders',:of the. 999' years '..'":''■■'":''■■ lease;-for; there, ivas- iii reality, littlo 'difference' f;..;;between;the two -tenures, but the proposal' -to- '!;; .give the freehold in respect of; land for. settle.'■:■". 1 mept.lands was simply' monstrpus.'.; What' the.''."i ! Prime". Minister and his. colleagues' wei'o thihkr'. ,in'g dbout when; they;framed;the'present Budget, he could'.'not guess',, excepting it .was- that :' '* ,thcy were..suffering fremv".circulatory de'mcn-V. ■■■''■■ ,tia ~ (Laughter.):;Although!;;both'' Mr.'Massey..-' ; and Sir Joseph' Ward claimed. to -bo reformers 7, ; ; ; they w6re really; anxious';to:.get tidv of..the \„'ils' .'people's property,;' as,,'fast; as;/' possible. ;'lf•-, it;;".;i- 1 .was''uot''*for' the ''presencb-.'in',Parli ! ameniVb£';.-;■' ■sbmq, Radicals; there would'be.;really s 6nly;'onß,f' ' .'party, in.the.'House. .The' tend proposals .were","..',.: 'a'; bid..for 'vbtefe.'i 1 .-! As'soon. as. tho.' other;'. Crown-'.; : ; lahds'we'ro. gone, :.the" Leader of .;• the. Govern-"" ; ment'and: the" Leader of the Opposition'would■.'■■'.-';.. cbtnpctewfth' onu; another ;in ! offering the free-', :. Hold to tonahts. of the. nationel' endowment,'. • He,felt that the people wore now,determined-toy lend. a helping hand; to.: secure' for '. themsolvefj '.. , their rights. .'-'■, .';. .'■ -:.,;..;■...,::

\.:\J';'-\;;Specch'-by.;Mr;i;T.iE.;;,taylor,.v : -''i .;■"'■.■-:•:''; 1} '\ <-■ Mr/;T.'.E. Taylor'said' there were, two-Btrik?,- ,\\ ing'features' of. the -Budget—one;:was the sur-'; ■ ' render of the people's; rights ..'in','-, the Crown ■■'' lauds,;, and the other was"the/fact that it.waß :■.''.'■<•■ . barren, of, any: proposal,to. improve "the .'posii '/.- p V tiori' of, the wage-earners or. lessen the; Wrdon V: ','; »' of taxation. The dis&ussion",iwhich recently ■ '.''?'■•■' took',-place . in',- the .'House .'-would .haya-, v- ■ the ■"' effect,,-; of :':■'.modifying /^certain.-'.; pro. ■. ' ; ;p'osal4.'.'in';the Loan- Bill.,:; If' further, protests. J 1 :--' were:made by way of public meetings the ,re-'■'.';": : sulf:w6uld'.beto make the Bill less dangerous; '''.■':- than it otherwise would.havo been.'-, Nearly tho ; •'■ ; ;:'' wHole of the loan moneys which had boon spent : .'■'■'- on railways, roads, etc., had gone to swell th 0.,.."unimproved 'land;values,' and:the State ought /;" by; way of .land'. tax to'; have -; got tack : the,':;,./ - ..amount which- had, been so. spent.-'; He know' .that- they ■ would; be 1 , told that their proposal s : -' that not another acre of. Crown land should be ':'' ''■'; sold was not 'feasible,':but there;could bV.'nd',''.■''■ .'?•■-'" doubt.:that it was.'.lf the ..remaining Crown ':.'■-" lands.'were.retained;'by:thoiState,as the!years ":,-. ',::.:. went by the' rentals. would; gb ..into tho publia - ■• exchequer./and would be' available, to.-iroduca:■';•:'' taxation to pay old,age pensions,'etc.;.or p'r&i.": ■/ .vide.'funds for the: establishment,of national in--' dustries.:. (Applause.), If. onei weighed things ' .>' properly it would be:found that the two dom. :vy,. : inant parties vera: practically coming into con-■ '■,'. "/ junction, and ;.tho;.no)v';'lahd proposals really '■':■:.<■' obliterated the; party lines in New. -.Zealand. .'.'(.:. politics.'';. The 'Prime Minister.' said that 'Mr. ■■■':■'/" Massey would sell'the. national endowments, but ■'■/■! that he.would fight to tho.death'to prevent 6uch' if a.thing. It. was his opinion, however, that fight- ,/, ing to.tho. death was not in Sir Joseph s lino ■.-..- in politics.'..(Loud: applause.) •: There;. was .no- -. : : ; :. guarantee, that when the time caino'tho pre- ' ,; sent.'.Government would' bs equal to the occa-.: ■: ■: ■sion. against-'a strong desire -for the .'sale of'-.. tho'-: national endowment lands). : The ■'problem'': for the Government 'would..then bo' ;to con-',: ;..:■; trive. some means of giving- away' those lands' :''' ; " so' long as-it'could, hang'on to- office. H«.w ;: •■; in favour'of.eyory acre of Native lands being' : - •■.;:?, '•' nationalised and hold-/As-the' property: of this',' , -': country for all: .time'.;:"'-(Loud applause.) , Tho ';::• i;.-: demand for a., referendum .-vote on the -.-quev, ';:'/ Hon: ofUhe tenure: of-Crown lands Was really <;: 7 \ unanswerable.'- The State should;,possess',, it-"'/ : self of a share, in-j the; future increase Mn«the: -; ;;v value of unimproved l lands, arid set it'.nside'as^:'■' ■v sinking fund' to redeem .tho-national : debt. ■ %■. (Loud: applause.) ~./ /■■/;;: -."■,', -_,/-'v.//■«>.';"//-,. .Upon tho 1 resolution, .being,' put,", only', a: few. ■' ''.V voted againstHt.;:,-.■'■'-.. .•..;.'■ ':/i';// : :-.//,\-:/ .//;.