THE LAND AGENT

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 7 October 1920, Page 3

THE LAND AGENT

A speaker at the Pahiatua Farmers' Union meeting who said that he supposed there was no man making more money than the land agent—the land agent had no capital invested except in a motor car and an office girl ; There was no doubt about it that the land agent was responsible for the speculation in land to-day — may or may not have been correct in his first premise. He was at sea, however, in his concluding reference. The land agent is »ot responsible for the speculation in land to-day. He is simply the effect of the cause. Farmers are buying and selling day by day. There is a great deal of unrest, assisted by the speculative element, desire to • xtend opportunities and the vision of far-off hills looking green. These reasons and very favourable financial conditions evolve the land agent, who only fills a need in having a fund of information available about land and bringing buyer and seller together. If the land agent was not-existent sales would still take place with probably less careful .selection due to paucity of information. Proof that this is the correct view is afforded in the fact that whether from financial or other reasons land transactions are affected the land agent lias his periods of inactivity. He cannot put transactions through if there are no buyers or no sellers ; therefore it is not correct to lay the blame on his shoulders. The reason lies deeper. The land agent is brought into existence by prevailing conditions. He does not govern them.