"INEQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY."

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 930, 24 September 1910, Page 20

"INEQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY."

OUR LAND SYSTEM. ; ... . .' • [To (he Editor.] . - |~^ r 'T olle 01 t'l" leading.principle oj : n °f opportun. - ; lly, .and as a preface; to this short essay : ' : ' j: so-called democrats ..in. the.: Dominion ta * - ■ this weakness ; of our ; land ■ tenure-it'.' - ' creates huye ./'inequality 'of ■ opportunity;*•Here, is a freeholder,., there a 999 years'- ' r a^oD sside ,a/66; years' lease,'- 1 a 33 years lease, a 21 years' lease, an<J ?°,Ti . anything'; hei.more- calcb.; v ' lated to, create inequality ?, There •is 'onls ■ 1 one sound basis for simplifying land tenure, financially sound and economically • wise and jush .and. that ..is', to atttch a- - ' r | ' ?n Ur fc ID # f'T'4? '- e V er y State -leas®' ';- •-1 in .New - .No...measure, could bo - more truly democratic Now, m conneo i land settlement-proposals it has -v'■•' wen .stated .by. the Prime -Minister that ? : Jmu-- Is m.fffawktfs..Bay-for.' 17,00(1 T^ni? ce .„ tler r T ¥ s assertion of Sii Vni S cordially: endorse, but- It not being a nrofessional politician >t ' differ as to the .methods td employed:- 7 'J" ,to.Mkievo this end -which, we now all. - !| both big- and -small farmers, - de3ire. - . ine means, do not always justify tbn ends.. ,On the contrary. often mdiffercttt ' measures defeat accomplishment Ta embody principles of nnwiso compulsion, oppression, and injustice in our laws ia an easy matter, _to administer such laws, to attain a satisiactory social or material state as a result of such legislation h| another thing altogether The soil ofl the human mmd is particularly prono to! toe production of noxious growths, ait® even as our oversea virgin lands seem to! contain -essential ,elements which foster!' - • ppwth of rubbish, just so does tlio popuJ lation of a young country greedily absorb) and .reproduce erroneous notions and doU lcies. jThey ran like wildfire over tHfcl • Who wiU- volunteer: to ■ hoe th 3 - ' '' crop? Good and bad, wise and foohshJ tares and wheat What a jumble' CoulcS there be a better: illustration than our! land, laws» of the: last ten yeare? Herd' '• a,sound policy.is.enunciated.; 'there it'i2'' : confounded—we .lack ai,leader, of' meal].' -- r 110 district would a consistent schema! of laiid . settlement do more good tban mi Hawko s. Bay* . No sooner had the' large: landowners, become reconciled; to thn landji for settlements policy, than It is jettigoMdl, as likely to sink the ship,, and this after far- and wide the boast' has l gone thai to , it-we ;.owe :in a .:great- measure''qui ' 'prosperity. But pressure of a oertaia noisy section, pressuro of finance,, pressure of prosper- • •ity, put the Governments in a predict •' • m«nt—they -take, ono fal&o step and thea- ' ■ rrnrry on to defeat!;. Tenures are hopei -- lessly. tampered ...with , and; become monl . and. more complicated and involved until- ; the .last.state of;pakeha land laws. wUJ vbe worse than Native law! Just as thouJ .BJindb of , acres, will presently be covers '*™- : », growth (gorse, briar,' blackberfyJ .ew.) which-.:will- be-far -more costly-* xa bring under cultivation than is tie ral digenous bush' The Land for Settle^ ments Act had become recognised as ne« ! essary, .beneficial, and so long ' • 06 was paid—the friction gew ■ . erated by its administration had almost disappeared, landoimers voluntarily o£* fered to the .Government properties whicH j ' ii'' have been .highly .profitable foil i the State to purchase; oux national credifi ' was so good that owners. volunteered t3 ' - ' accept payment not in cash but m GovJ 1 .ernment bonds. The value of land, wad' : not 'by,- the .policy, but bjr vindmdoal imaginations which no amouns <■ of legislating can curb. The value of v t land is the value of what it will produce' and .if people are.-foohsh enough to : more -than ...it ..ls/.-worlij-. that: is merelj , . a T/<>akne6S which expenenca t >■ will euro and its occurrence can no morn i be prevented than'the direction iof oun universe can be changed' 1 In my opinion the solution of the landj i problem in Bawko's Bay is m the achvtt 1 prosecution of our original land for eetw,- • dements: policy.---';lnstead of •.listening-to>-.Tom, Dick, and Harry a strong ablo m'aa' - 1 (Would have gone straight on with a policy . which had resulted mso much good By limiting, areas, - insisting, on -■ improvements, preventing reaggrcgation, and pr&i viding a, purchasing: clause which. woul4' ' ■ enable the perpetuation of the system- - until the'whole of our areas aie closelji, : settled' Such a policy is sound finan-1) cially—economical' ■■ of - ■ administration—j. would encourage permanent settlement) ' and development and presently get New) Zealand out of pawn I have no personal interest to serve —I may bo blasting myl political prospects for all I care—l am ai small man's man, perhaps they will not 1 follow me,- but I see deep and-I see far,and I absolutely, condemn.-, both- the. '. . ' ' graduatedt land: tax-and the: prropoaed com-''' ; pulsory lease—just as in the workers' ' ! terest I condemn compnlsoiy : arbitration.!. If you examine your adverosing columns) you. will see that my firm is offering land; at-iSO .per acre,• owiso to the gkado.' • - land tax, andvit-is ; selling afri that, . BEFORE: the graduated land' taxjiit could have - been! bought by the Stata ' 1 for' i 23.—1 am, etc., j; ' • V s - ■- '■S.' .EUOTACE \ .