LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 32, 1 November 1919, Page 8

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

LAND AND FARMING Sir.—l do not know whether the Leader of the Opposition's latest speech about land values is intended to catch votes or otherwise. He tells us "that the riso in the value of land was abnormal, and was accompanied by ail extraordinary rise in prices." How can any intelliuent ex-Minister of the Crown niako such a statement? Sir Joseph Ward must know that, the New Zealand producer is not netting famine prices for his produce; in fact, he is getting less than quarter its value according to world prices: -The rise in land is due to supply and demand all the world over, and when Sir Joseph Ward quotes <CSO an jicrG for land ho iorjjcts to add that good freehold pastoral land can be bought from .£7 to .£lO per acre. It is not very long ago sinco he returned from his last tour, and ho must have noticed while on that tour that land in Britain is being rented at anything from .£3 to ,C 7 per aero. I'ricc-s there are very different from here. Milk is Is. per ciuart, butter 2s. per lb., sugar Is. Su.per IT)., and meat 2s. (ki. -Sir Josenu Ward mvs: "The family mnn scarcely knows how to live." Well, if he reahy wishe.s to help the latter I would suglast that he should not spend Miy more of tho public money raising 31.1. s eaiaI'ips—fhev are already quite adequately paid-but uso the money insitead to l uelp the family man. Also, heshouloiake on tannine. and resell lus place, say, m ten voars' time at the price lie now buvs it at. for after all it is practice not precept, and facts not fiction that i*opl« believe in.-I am, etc., p^KMEIt.