A CANDID FRIEND

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2036, 22 March 1907, Page 4

A CANDID FRIEND

SEVEN TAILS WAGGING ONE DOG. Mr. A. W. Ruthorford, M.H.R., hus invariably boon distinguished for tlio frank outspokeunoss of bis criticism upon tlio methods of tlio Govornmont, with those political iortunos lie lias identified hiinsolt, but on Saturday night nt Cheviot lie quite excelled any previous efforts in this direction by tlio caustic vigour ol bis onslaught, as the following excerpt from bis ailress will show:—“l will provo to my hearers whoso reasoning powers are unimpaired that this much-boasted Land Bill is a pretentious fraud, so far as putting pooplo on the land is concerned. The Minister for Lands stated in the House that the Department is at its wits end to know bow to provide land for tlio land hunger, and yet bo contemplates providing a number of wealthy shopkeepers and peoplo of that sort with farms to amuse them solves, and to supply themselves with fresh eggs, spring chickens, butter, and early 1 amb, to be eaten in their palatial houses. The poor man is to be kept off the land so as to give the wealthy man a country house. This is a rotten clause, and ought to bo struck out of the Bill. Alter waiting ten years for the excess of any holding over £50,000 ill value to bo sold you got a chance to bid at public auction, and this is the precious Bill that is to endear Mr. McNab to the hearts of the landless. The author of this crude immature Land Bill is.not a farmer, although a landownor. Ho is a student who had a brilliant University caroor, and who has spent the latter years of his liio hunting up records of tlio old whalers who visited tho coasts of New Zealand a contury ago, on which ho writes very interestingly. What tho old whalers knew concerning the land question, further than occasionally purchasing a million or two acres for a blanket or a tomahawk, I don’t know. Anyway, their knowledge is not applicable to the present circumstances of the case. There is an amount of boyish verdancy about Mr. McNab’s Bills that is quite refreshing iu this businesslike ago. Ho is, however, a likeable man, and has not an enemy i lithe House. Sir Jos. Ward professes to favour tho optional tenure, but as ho selected a leasehold Ministry his freehold professions do not amount to much for practical purposes. Mr. Fowlds is a fanatic on single tax, and is proud of it. A largo section of tho Liberal party look upon his inclusion in the Cabinet as a menace to the landowners of tho colony from the 50,000 acre man down to tho humble holder of a quarter acre section in the back block townships. The burden of his song is ‘tax the land,’ but never a word about taxing tho drapers’ shops. The profits from these are enormous, in many instances 100 per cent. In the suburbs of our chief towns the finest houses and grounds are owned by these rag merchants. Under Mr. Seildon’s regime wo hail ono dog wagging seven tails, now we have seven tails wagging one dog. The time has arrived, and more than arrived, when the criminal inoptihir of the Government with regard to tlieir native land policy must end.”