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COMPULSORY LAND ACQUISITION

Mli. WHATMAN REPLIES TO "SETTLE!?,." . Sir,—l notice in your issue of October (.under the heading of "Letters to tlio Ldilor, that someone, who writes to your impor under the. 110111 <le plume' of "{settler, gives the public, his views concerning (.lie administration of land generally. ills bone of contention appears tu be with Mr Sykes M.P. for Maslerton, and with Air. A. I'. Whatman, of tho sumo locality. For, to quote his own words ho says: "Mr. Sykes, M.F, for Maslertoii, advocates, in place of voluntary dealing with the land, that tho UovtM-iiiiieiit. should .compulsorily tlakfc places at their valuatioii, and that farmers in tlio Wairarapa are in favour of his proposal," and goe s on' to say: "I am ail'aid Mr. Sykes is only <ixpressing the views of a few discontented -'ndivkluals—as lam sure the farmers of tlio Wairarapa are British to the backbone— and nothing is so abhorrent to a Britislier 11s anything compulsory." "Settler" also adds: Of course, if 110 land in available, it may be necessary, to have compulsion with some of the large landHolders, 111111 the Wairarapa, representing a farming with other parts of New Zealand is a closely-settled district. Continuing, he says: "L think it comes with a luiti grace from liini as he was a farmer himself once, and his son now .holds, 1 believe, 0110 of tho best sections in the Wairarapa, bought under the voluntary system. . Mr.' Hornsby, Mil', for South Wairarapa, is mentioned' as having advocated a system proposed by Mr. Whatman, but that gentleman, instead, of cutting up his sheep staliou and selling it 011 his own proposals', sold it as a whole to a man who was. at that .time holding largo areas." Now, Sir, tho view taken by "Settler" is entirely erroneous when he states that. Mr. Sykes is only expressing the views of a few discontented individuals, etc. I may here say for that gentleman's information, .that I was the culprit who first advocated the compulsory acquisition of hum uating from the commencement of the past great ivorld. war, and have tho sutistaclion of knowing that it met with the entire satisfaction of llio farming community-from tlio North Capo ■ to. tho Muff. My credentials feeing, in the first instance where it was unanimously passed by the members of Ilia Wairarapa I'atrioiie Society, again at I ho. Wellington Provincial Farmer.f Confer-, enee, held in Marton, and finally at Ills Dominion Ijuniers' Conference, held iu -'Wellington, between July li-t and 2i), 1917, where it was again unanimously passed', by 'acclamation. Some forty delegates were presouii—farmers' themselves representing tile farming community of New Zealand. I hope-these, few references may, disabuse tne .ideas of "Settler" aswell las tlio.se of the public,generally who. may' think that the present time is not opportune for the compulsory acquisition of land throughout New Zealand. When "Settler" comes to criticise tho position Mr. Sykes has taken up iver, the mailer, 1 can,only say that lie shows a shocking ignorance 011 tJic subject matter he has taken up, and places himself in an ignominious position in the eyes of the public generally. Let him remember this: Mr. Sykes had two sons• fighting for Jho Umpire— 'one being taken aud the other spared. • , In reference to the remark of< Wairarapa being a closely-settled district, etc., after-having lived in iiho same for tho last 10 years, I have come to the conclusion .tlrnt there is ample 100 m for the best settlement of many hundreds or returned, men if the Government would only put into operation the statutory powers they possess relative to Die acquisition of land. 111 reading <1 paper of October 0 last, I came to this statement made by the Bight Hon. AN. 1. Massey: "In seven or eight months tlicy would practically have completed the scheme of soldier land settlement. 5 liey could not keep the soldiers waiting. They would have provided iand 101 au those who wanted to go 011 the land and were fit. to go." Yopodal How easy it is to luako a promise, and jet so hard to keep. ' What'-ijas been Hi?, policy ot the Government? AMjat have been the doings of the administrative Land Board? 1 venture to say timidity, vacillation, inertia, and incompetence havtt been their stock-in-trade, and ught throughout the chapter. A 3 ear a„o there were hundreds of men on the wait seeking for land-to-day'tlure awl thousands on the same errand, andwith a cheery hope of getting same v\ hen 111 great wake-up Ijusmoss presents it-elf. the gentleman ho mentions, instead- of cutting tip his sheep *tthn it on his own proposals, sold it » whole to a man who 1 Uic £mc J a ; large acreage. And 10 , - )jUo say finally to bottle ami have offered it to to Qo«rnm. of ' ..they took n ot JJ c B tho Dominion Farresolution j>assed mi i,i j n any mers' Conference, 01 at their use tho ways and me< Jjusiness-liko ilisnosal for dealing ma uus , a i ons the land question. AU aloo tlio line, and thro",hout breadth of f>ev. Ze,> . {a ; t . mlll deA rooted forming community, that representative farmi g , g j tho 0110 and on > I' lo hout New Zealand instance to deal th o a( j a ptabla with the mo , st ' . j ua '|[ v work down until properties and S™Jde good, to that to go on the lahid, painoho sion for M" 1 * 0 ® al -s back two liunis, in olovw- . , n „thilv, *> ut - lt . 16 , a X have haw been deeply subject mattei that i .. ( , av interested in durinb u (nl)ll! I>a pers and when that .''Settler rubbish of such « B i o ns, it is as «ell hfis gratuitously fcw ,. 1 to givo ail wplaimtw Masterton.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DOM19191013.2.71.1

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 15, 13 October 1919, Page 6

Word count
Tapeke kupu
958

COMPULSORY LAND ACQUISITION Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 15, 13 October 1919, Page 6

COMPULSORY LAND ACQUISITION Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 15, 13 October 1919, Page 6

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