The Manawatu Herald. SATURDAY, NOVEM. 18, 1914.D LAND AGGREGATION.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 1639, 18 November 1916, Page 2

The Manawatu Herald. SATURDAY, NOVEM. 18, 1914. D LAND AGGREGATION.

OU R Redding contemporary Inn been calling public attention to lam aggregation in the district - . We d(

not need to go outside our own district to sec the result of this evil, j Ciitil New Zealand carries a popu- | la lion of live or six millions the evil will continue. There is a law which forbids anyone holding more than a certain amount of land in their own light, (ml this prohibition is a farce, and “dummying” is quite common. We heard a man openly boast in a railway carriage not long since of the area ho held in excess of what the law allowed. Whether he was occupying the land with a view of making two blades of grass grow whore only one grew previously or for speculative purposes wo know not. Anyhow, a correspondent, commenting on the remarks of our contemporary, says: “Land, air and water are absolutely necessary to human existence, and no man should have the ‘right’ to own any one of them for his own especial benefit. A man who ‘owns’ huge areas of land is not necessarily a ‘smart’ man —a sort of wise man from the East; but the people who permit him to own ii are necessarily slow. Land-grabbing is only a form of gluttony. As a man, Dm land grabber is just as good as (bo rest of ns; bis desire to own more land than is good for him is his negative quality. Psychologically, he is a puzzle. If vnll were to ask him just why he wanted more land,, he couldn’t tell you. One might, answer for him and say that his desire was just uncontrolled greed. Ihe future of lids country depends very largely upon closer cultivation, and for (bat reason, if for no other, the land-grabber ought to be dealt with."