POLITICAL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 453, 13 April 1909, Page 3

POLITICAL.

MR MASSEY ON THE COMING SESSION. Auckland, April 10. A remark to the effect that he had heard it seriously rumoured that another Land Bill was to be introduced during the next session was made by Mr Massey in the course of his Buckland speech. Subsequently a Herald representative interviewed Mr Massey on this point. “ I do not know, of course, what busines will be brought before the House,” said the Opposition leader, “ but I am inclined to prophesy that the session will be rather more interesting than usual. There are a number of matters that I think the House will want to know about. I heard in more than one quarter that we are to have a Land Bill, but I should have thought the Government would have let that question severely alone. I notice Ministers have been trying to convince some audiences that we have the best land laws in the world, but I don’t agree with them,” added Mr Massey. The Opposition leader went on to remark that once the freehold incentive to settlement which settlers had under the optional system was removed, settlement would suffer, and he knew it was suffering now, where lands had been opened only on leasehold tenure. If a vote of the farmers and settlers and intending settlers were taken to-morrow, 999 out of every 1000 would vote for the optional system. The settlers knew what was best for themselves and best for the land, and what was best for the land was best for the State.