THE LAND POLICY. SOME SEVERE STRICTURES.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2024, 8 March 1907, Page 4

THE LAND POLICY. SOME SEVERE STRICTURES.

Some severe strictures on the Government’s land policy are mado by Mr James Stuckey, of Te Rangitumuu, the well-known breeder of Southdowns, who has just sold his large Hocks prior to his estate being taken ovor by the Government. Mr Stuckey, accompanied by his family, leaves New Zealand in the course of a few weeks for England. Asked as to the reasons that led up to his withdrawal from the colony he stated that it was almost entirely due to tho insecurity of land tenure under the laws of the present Government and instanced the compulsory acquisition of his own estate as an example of what he termed an injustice. He stated that over 20 years ago he took up the Hangitumau Estate of 3000 acres, all of which, with the exception of ten or 20 acres, was standing bush. For the first three years a great deal of capital was sunk in improvements without practically getting a shilling in return. At this juncture tho rabbit plague became a very serious question with landowners throughout the district, many of whom were ruined through it. Recognising that the pest had to be dealt with effectively and immediately he set to work in earnest to conquer them. Before he was enabled to deal with them with any degree of success, however, he found it necessary to erect a wire netting fence round the whole of the property, ns well as to wire net the subdivision. The cost of killing and loss incurred averaged quite £ISOO a year for many years, and for the first fifteen years the returns from the estate had not paid anything like a fair percentage on the capital expended. When the rabbit plague was at its height the' property was absolutely unsaleable, and only those who had the capital were able to hold on. For the last nine or ten years the profits from the estate were good, but at a period when one expected some substantial return for years of hard work and the outlay of much capital tho Government stepped in and acquired the estate. A man with capital who acquired a freehold in New Zealand, and who had any energy at all could do well, but when ho had gone into bush country and spent many years of liis life and expended a largo amount of capital, he felt that an injustice was being done him if tlie Government stepped in and took it over at a period when the returns for energy and enterprise were being realised.