"INEQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY."

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 925, 19 September 1910, Page 6

"INEQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY."

, ;/ :;OUB'/LAND; "SYSTEM;'; .. / .' Sir,—One'of, the leading: principles of true .democracy :.is equality of opportunity, and as a. preface to .this short'essay I would 'like -to 'draw the l "attention/of so-called democrats in; the. Dominion': to this weakness, of ..our; 'land■'■ creates huge "inequality of/opportunity." Here is a. freeholder; there a 999 years' leaseholder, alongside a", 66 : years'please, a,33 years lease,..a .21 .years'.lease, and so on; Could anything-'be more calculated to create-inequality;? There is only one . sound... basis for simplifying i land. tenure, financially sound and economically wise and just, and that is to atttch apurchasing .'clause . to.' every State lease in New- Zealand..' No measure.could bo more truly democratic. Now, in 'connection with land, settlement proposals it has been stated by the; Prime Minister'that: there is room in Hawke's Bay for 17,000 additional settlers. "This assertion,of .Sir Joseph Ward's I cordially endorse, but notb'eirig 'a professional' politician - "I differ as,to' the methods to be employed to, achieve this end which, we .now all, both big and small. farmers, desire. ■ , The means do not always justify/the ends. On the contrary,, often indifferent measures defeat " accomplishmerit:' .-' To embody principles of unwise compulsion, oppression, and. injustice in our laws is an easy-matter; to'administer such;iaws, to attain.a.satisfactory, social or material state as a' result of. such legislation .isanother thing: altogether.. . The soil of the human mind is particularly prone to' ■the production of noxious growths, and even as our oversea-.virgin lands'seem-to contain-essential elements which Ifostcr" growth of rubbish, just,so does the population' of a young country greedily absorb and reproduce erroneous notions and policies. They run like wildfiro. over the surface. Who will volunteer to hoe the crop? Good arid bad, wise and foolish, tares and wheat. What a jumble! Could there bo a better illustration than our land laws of the last ten years?' Hero a sound policy is enunciated; there it is confounded—we lack : a leader of mo a! In no district would a consistent scheme of land settlement do more good than in Hawke's Bay. No sooner had the large landowners become reconciled to the laud for settlements policy than it is jettisoned as Jikely to sink the ship/and this aftsr far and wide tho boast has gone that to it ,we owe in a -great mea'suro our prosperity. . But pressure of a certain noisy section, pressurp-of finance, pressure of prosperity, put, the. Government'-.in- a predica-imeatr-they, take one fake- etep.and then

hurry on to defeat! Tenures are hopelessly tampered with aud becomo more and. more complicated and involved until tho last state of pakeha land laws will be wors'o'.than Native law! Just as thousands of acres will. presently be covered with a growth (gorse,' briar, blackberry, etc.} which will be far more costly to bring under cultivation than is the indigenous bush! The Land for Settlements Act had becomo recognised as necessary, beneficial, and not unjust so long as. fair value was_ paid—the friction generated by its administration had almost disappeared, landowners ■; voluntarily offered to the Government properties which it would have been highly .profitable for the State, to purchase; our national.credit was so good , that' owners volunteered to payment not in cash but in Government bonds. , The value.'of land was not exaggerated by tho policy, but by' individual imaginations which no amount of legislating can ■■ curb. The value of land is the value of what it will produce and if people are foolish enough to pay more than it is worth, that is merely' an individual weakness .which experience -will', cure .and-its occurrence can no-more; be prevented than the. direction, of pur universe can be changed!, v.. - In my. opinion the solution of the land problem in .Hawke's.Bay is in the active prosecution, of our: original land for settlements; policy. Instead of listening to: Tom, Dick, and Harry.a strong able man, would have gone straight on with a policy which,had resulted -in so much good." By limiting areas,, insisting.'.on; improve-ments,-preventing reaggregation, and pro■viding a purchasing clause which would enable the perpetuation; of./the system'' .until the 'whole of our areas .are closely settled! .Such a policy; is sound financially—econbmicar of' -administration— would .encourage .permanent' settlement, and ; development, and presently get New Zealand out .of "paiyn. j I have no. personal interest to' serve—l may .be blasting, my political prospects for all I care—l am a small man's man; perhaps.they will not .follow me! but : I see deep and I see far, and I absolutely condemn * both . the; graduated land tax and the.proposed compulsory.lease—just as' in the workers' interest I. condemn compulsory arbitration. If: you: examine yonr. advertising. columns you will see that-.my firm, is offering land 'at per' acre,.. owing. ,'to the '.GitiDUated'land tax,'. and'it, -is selling., at .that../BEFORE thegraduated;land, tax it:.could. have been bought by the State for.'i!2s.rTl am, etc.;. ... -',' '• .- ; ;■ !>:.: ; " : ':V'v. '"'-■ -:': : EUSTACE LANE'.' .;!■ Tenants' representative, H.B.'Land Board, .;: president of the Farmers'. Union, and !: : special correspondent-:. -to the,. Mel--V'-,'bourne ~ "Herald'', in .the South Airi- ! " : can. war., ... :■:,.■ '; -.- .... .■'■•:.':■;.•'■'■'.''••.