THE LAND QUESTION.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 924, 17 September 1910, Page 10

THE LAND QUESTION.

Sir,—Twentyrfive years .ago I. formulated a scheme of land : settlement which, if then, adopted, would have obviated the necessity of borrowing tlie many millions now invested under the Land for Settlement Act. My scheme is:. .-v.- ~

1. A. law. should be passed authorising the formation of • associations of persons desirous of settling on the land: - ■ , ' -

: 2., Eacli association So formed "should appoint; a chairman, secretary, and treasurer. '

3. Each, 'membor of tho association should declare the number of acres of land his means would enable him ,to take: up v and should deposit with the treasurer a sum equal to tho probable half-year's rent of suoh holding. , >

4. Such deposit should'be lodged immediately to the credit of the association in some bank, arid the~ account thus created should not be capable of being operated on without the countersignature of- the Minister for Lands;

s.'So soon as these preliminary steps had been taken the association, through its secretary,' should indicate to the Minister the-land it desired to acquire, and give the names of its members, the area of land each desired -to take up, and the' amount deposited by each of them to the credit of the association,

6. On receipt of satisfactory proofs of the bona-fides of the' association, and of the financial ability of its various members to take up on a lease '\ the. various areas of land sot down before their names, the Minister for : Lands shall direct the Land Purchase Board to appraiso the value of . the land.

7. So soon as the valuo is thus ascertained, the Minister for Lands shall intimate to the owner of such land— (a) That the association aforesaid desires to lease'his land at 5' per cent on. the capital value. . (b) That' the ' Government will guarantee payment of the rent. (c) That the rent shall be paid half-yearly in advance. (d) That the Minister for Lands shall pay to tho owner -of the land all or any arrears of rent due to him from such tenant?. (e) That as soon :as the owner gives -tho'tenants leases of : the land ho shall not bo any longer liable to pay a land tax cm such land, provided he continues to live in Now Zoaland. - ; (f) If, however,, he eleots to live out of . New Zealand lie shall pay a tax equal to .threo „ times tho amount of tho present tax. " 8. If tho owner of tho land agrees, to' theso terms ho; shall at once proceed'to subdivido the land into such! areas as will suit the association,' and shall, free of rent, reserve a sufficient portion of tho said land to provide roads for giving accoss to tho various holdings. 9. He shall exccuto leases of such holdings, and each lease shall contain a purchasing clause, or, failing suoh purchase, a clause providing for compensation for improvements; also an undertaking- that ho will not interfere' with tho tenants, except in so far.as to report to the Land feoaid violations of the terms of tho lease.

10. If the owner refuses to lease his land on the terms herein mentioned, the Minister for Lauds, with the sanction of tho Govornor-in-Council,. may compulsorily force the said owner to lease the said land, as already provided for.

Now, sir, for about 25 years I have advocated this, scheme. Tho late Mr. Ballance circulated a Bill on tho subject, a copy of which I have in my possession, and which boars Mr. Ballanco's own name in his own handwriting. I showed this to Mr.. J. A. Hanan, M.P., one time when he visited Temuka. I published letters in the "Lyttelton Times" on the subject, and I have letters from Sir Robert Stout in reference thereto. I also brought /the. scheme under'the.notice of tholato Sir John M'Kenzie and tho Hon. W. P., Reeves, and in 1907 I submitted it to Parliament,-and have several letters acknowledging receipt of it. There are some proposals in the scheme to which objection may be taken. . First, why should the State guarantee payment of the tenants', rents? Second, why -should . landowners be relieved of a land tax, when they receive rents therefrom? Third, why should rents be so'high as 5 per cent? To the first and second questions I reply: Because we do the same thing for the English money-lender. We guarantee payment of interest to the English money-lendor, and pay it, and. why not guarantee one of ourselves payment of his rent? We cease ,to collect a land tax from anybody the moment we acquire a large estate for settlement,- why not treat men .who have their lands in the same way? I make the .rent S per cent, because tho land-owner must give a part of his land for the purpose of roading the land,'and because he must also pay the cost of survey and subdivision.—l am, etc., J. M. TWOMEY. Temuka, September 10, 1910.