The Daily Telegraph. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 1883.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3799, 18 September 1883, Page 2

The Daily Telegraph. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 1883.

The political party now governing the destinies of this colony is regarded as, and is indeed called by its opponents, "conservative." There has, however, been no more radically liberal party in power than the present Ministry since a Constitution was granted Now Zealand. And, like all Radical Governments, it is overbearing and autocratic. To this "continuous" Ministry ■we arc indebted for triennial parliaments, manhood suffrage, representation on the basin of population, and a liberal land law which recognises the principle of the nationalisation of the land. For the consideration of members of Parliament during the recess, and for discussion by the people, there arc to be distributed a Bill for the amendment ef the constitution of the Legislative Council, a scheme for national insurance, and a Railway Improved Lands Bill. This last should satisfy the yearnings of the most ardent follower of modern thought. It is in fact a measure for despoiling landowners. We have not received a copy of it yet, but a Wellington contemporary supplies us with the following summary of this measure:—"The Railway Improved Lands Bill, introduced by the Minister for Public Works, and just circulated for members' consideration during the recess, is entitled 'An Act to impose on lands traversed by railways constructed at the public expense, a charge in aid of such construction. This substantially sets forth the whole principle of the bill. The rest is mere detail, but this, of course, is highly important. All privately owned lauds (not within a borough or town district) situated within five miles of a Government railway, arc to bo subject to the provisions of the bill, and on the opening of the railway arc to be liable to contributions in aid of its construction. The amount of such contribution is to be assessed by the Property-tax Com-

missioner, who is to have power of purchasing tho property at ten per cent, over its assessed value if the owner objects to the assessment. Tho owner may either pay the contribution on demand or allow it to re--31-rrin as a charge on the property at five per cent, interest. All lauds subject to tho Act may be resumed by the Crown for settlement on payment of "2o percent, above their assessed value as determined bj r tho Pro-perty-tax Commissioner. The power of resumption is, however, not to apply to the site of ihe owner's private residence, or to so much of the adjacent land, not exceeding G-10 acres, as the owner may select, or to gardens, orchards, vineyards, nurseries, plantations, or ornamental pleasure grounds, to tho extent of ten acres each. The proclamation of resumption is to be subject to the approval of 'Parliament next session, and is to lapse if such sanction is nul accorded." The provisions of tho Bill arc only to apply to future railways ; the lines already made, the political lines that do not and cannot be made to pay, and the estates that have been increased a hundred - fold in value by railways, arc all exempted from the operations of this proposed measure. Tho Rangitikei Advocate remarks that the Bill is radically vicious, and is an attempt to violate the sacred rights of property. Laudowners are to bo compelled either to pay the proposed special tax as determined by the Properly-tax Commissioner, or to sell their holdings to the Government. This i.s had enough in all conscience (says our contemporary), but there is worse to come. Lands subject to the Act arc to be resumaLle by tho'tState on payment of twenty-live per cent, move than their assessed value. Now, although it may bo contended that the owners of the lands would make good bargains under such circumstances, it will at once be admitted that thcrc_ are many landowners who would not desire to part with their holdings at any price. And besides, the principle is incurably wrong; indeed, it involves rank communism. When a mini lias purchased a piece of land and trot it secured to him by a Crown grant, it oiiirht to be his until he elects of his own free will to part with it. It was asserted by Mi , Johnston when he foreshadowed the project (hat there was precedent for his confiscation proposals in the provisions of the Public Works Act, whereby land may bo taken for the construction of public works on payment of a fair price to tho owner. The cases are, however, in no way alike. The Public Works Act provides merely for taking land on a very small scale,' and for works which are absolutely essential to the public weal. The bill of Mr Johnston provides for resuming hundreds of thousands of acres of land, and not because the resumption is a neoessity, but solely in order to enrich the State at the expense of the individual. Were such a measure to become law in New Zealand, the very foundations of society would bo shaken J , for no one would bo able to predict what might be the next move in the direction of revolution.