"RANKEST DISHONESTY."

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 918, 10 September 1910, Page 3

"RANKEST DISHONESTY."

; t; CANTERBURY OPINIOiNS.'vV , (By Telegrapi.-Speqial. Correspondent.) '. "■'•'V>' ,: ".;'-; "' ; --;'Ph'ristdhuroii,' : Sepfemher.'^ ■■■:, The • opinions:; of,'; >pWsoiis .... who'; , aire locally! ■ ;ih'. the. laud .question regarding 'the ~Government's" nci\; Tiand Bill' are far- from.; being 'favourable ;■■ to its main'., provisions'. ' : - Sevcral-.wboi were 1 "seen,by a representative,ofjthc'l'ress,'.'; i. and : asked • for.-their viewsUn' the;Bill, remarked that..they preferred to.;'.\va.it. until they-had'the full text of the Sill before, them. '■-.-.; '■'■'•■.:.■ :; :^V ; :i./ : ; : ;.v' •.Oiib gentleman, referring to tho.pro- : visions for■'•the compulsory';lcasiiig :.o'f, land and'-thjo imposition: of the graduated tax, in the meanwhile,' 'said .that to take.a'man's land away from:him and make liim finance the,' Government for ten years willy-nilly,-and then, contimio to, make him pay- : tho graduated, tax,' was a proposal' that.-was.^simply.. 1 the rankest dishonesty'; -It' would.;.be : very 'unfair that a man,; say with £30,000 of-, property, should.', bo exempt from tho, operation- 01. this provision, whilst a man i with £50,000 worth is liable i'o haveeverything'taken from him excepting ah; area representing, a. paltry farm 1 , worth .£SOOO ■unimproved. '■ It was 'quite 'possible that such a Jiiaii migh fc- liavo improvements worth £10,000. it. struck him .that the least the Bill should propose would be to give. a year or'two's notice to the owner of *, property the Government-"in-tended to, take, which would give- the owner time to sell his excess - of 'land above the;£4o,ooo limit; and so. attainthe object the: Government had in view.' ■Tho whole 1 of the Government's pro-' jiosals under this lease were in, keeping'with Sir Joseph 'Ward's political instincts, fJo waß securing land to-

day and putting off the payment till tho future; when it will;.'lie- iomeone elso's trouble.■'•-/•}' • ■■"■:}•• ■ • '•//>/':/ Mr. Walter Macfarlano, a well-ltnown pastoralist,,' expressed.'the ■ opinion/ that it was not intended'that the Bill should become law.; It contained sops to both the freehold and the .leasehold parties, and theso would bo thrown on the'floor of the House to bo fought dvor./.Tlio:' only ', result would be, a. further waste : of public time ...and. public }nioney... Tho: retention of the reuowablo lease for the endowment ■ lands was only to 'be.'' expected, and it was one'of the sops to the leaseholders.} Tho..optionV of '■ the freehold was:to bo given over other: Crown lands,.- and that formed the . sop to the'.freeholder's'"; '■•',;■ A;';":'r \ ..' As. to the. clauses of tho .Bill providing for. compulsory leasing, ; Mr. Macfa'rlaiie had nothing but'strong condemnation for ;th'ein:', The/object of" tlip' Bill. was apparently :to';setlle : people, as possible'on..the land;as"quickly ; : possible..: The question : of -justice/to', the' present holders of-land- did -not, entie'r.-at_all:intb\-!thß:''prdpdsals'/ ; an^ : ..in-. : ..;--his'opinion it* was" a: most unjust! measure.' Tile landowner whose land was":compulsorily leased by. the ' Government would'. practically become- tho' slave of -1 the Government. ./His would' bo tied up,'and he would bo'.unable, to deal' with his .property -in- any /way until.'the expiration... of i ten) years} from-' the. date '■of-;,:the:' .'lease.':/'The,.,owner should be: free';to.''seU- : .when;''lie,ilike'd,-;' whether the Government -was/liv occupation or: hot, /and lie should; not .;■ be compelled to . 'refuse ./an offer- .to pur- '■ .chase' because; the' Government had com-. pulsorilyjacquired -a• lease;;/'Mr.-.Mac-.farlanb; i added: .that', a 'proposal", of '•>; the: sort, submitted by: the .Governmeht/pf-: fered very little inducement:.to people'to venture: their > money .|iii. :: Dominion} industries} or/ehteqjrises./One. of the causes';'of .-the:;-present outcry -for. laud; was (the restrictions placed'} l on }pthe'r'' avenues -for.capital.-,- The "opportunities 'for; industrial employment^wore- being, .reduced, -and tlfereibib..the people .were ■ demanding.' kvnd 'for//setWeme/nt./'-./The; Government: appeared to'rhave..c'oinei,to the. c6nplusion-:::that^the. ; }lando'wiier's were fair}game,}-without.%..considering whether/they,/had ariy.| HghfT "or} claim ■t6.-be-.ireatod;-with-:ordinarj^;iustiee'.';'.'-.-'

/ \ -ppppsiflON /CAUCUS.} : :}} ..-'An Opposition Caucus"'was 'held..yesterday; morning '':when' : a 'number' of ..mat-' ters }of,, cpnsiderable..:;iinportahce}'-.--,vere discussed-.-.; }.The-,;.■;:Gdvornmeht's . nW Land Bill was the, subject of: particular attention,}..but"/ m'ombers:;6f,;:tho}:party -.are'.-reficent".'as-' tb ; .what" was; decided,-in'-, reference, to.' any./ matfersz/diScu'ssed/i -'..;: