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Hokitika Guardian, 20 June 1931, Page 4

i At Mount Puketanu, Otago, on Saturday last, the unveiling took place of a cairn in memory of the late Sir John McKenzie, and the opportunity was taken to fittingly pay tribute to the, national service rendered by the statesman who was responsible for the introduction and adoption of the ays?, tern of closer settlement in the Dominion. Forty years .have elapsed since the Ballance 1 Government came into ofll.ee and thirty years since Sir John M‘Kenzie passed away. The present generation knows only by hearsay of the hitter controversies and sharp animosities that were excited by the land policy which was identified with the name of Sir John M,‘Kenz!e. was said by Mr de la Perrelle on Saturday, the inspiration for that policy came from Sir John M’Kenzio’s knowledge of the hardships that were inflicted on small farmers in the highlands of Scotland 1 at a time when iiitlfliifl i rights wore less fully respected than they are flow. With rugged' 1 eloquence Sir John M’Kenzie pleaded on the public platform mud within the walls’ of Parliament for the enactment o. laws which would prevent the aggregation of land in New Zealand an the hands of a. “squattocraey” and enforce the subdivision of large privately-held areas. The policy that was brought down by him met with, strong opposition. largely because of the principle of compulsory acquisition, by the State which was a cardinal and, indeed, as must now he conceded, a necessary feature of it. Tn retrospect, it may be generally agreed that it was a policy which has been in the public interest. Tt lias stood the severe test of time. The expansion an production which has been recorded during the past' quarter of a crniturv would hardly have been possible bad it not been for the subdivision of large estates into'farms of moderate size and for the impetus given to closer settlement by the amendments in the land laws that w 6 ne effected at Sir John M’Kenzie’s instrumentality.