NEW BRITISH LAND POLICYBY MR. LLOYD GEORGE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 2939, 22 September 1925, Page 2

NEW BRITISH LAND POLICY—BY MR. LLOYD GEORGE.

(To The Editor). Sir. —The land policy of the New Zealand Labour Party has been subjected to considerable criticism, but it is a notorious fact that this criticism has only emanated from interested parties. To those people who are not blinded by personal prejudice and vested interests, and who desire to find a foundation upon which to build a permanent agriculture iu this Dominion, it must commend itself as a practical pro posal which will pull the Dominion out of many of its political dittic.nlties, and many a struggling farmer out of his personal misfortunes Little did wo think that upon the eve of a general election, so eminent a statesman as Air. Lloyd George, should outline to the British Nation, a land policy which is synonymous to the Labour Party’s “Usehold” policy in New Zealand, but such is the case. Mr. Lloyd George in the cables is reported to have made the following statements: (1) The .State should resume authority over hunt ; (2) Landlords should be compensated, but not by capital payments, or monopoly value; (3) British agriculture is under capitalised; (4) Slate credit is essential; (5) A new form of laud tenure is required to fie called "A Cultivating Tenurej (fi) The only title to land should be ability to use land; (7) Inefficient land holders should be made to give way to practical farmers; (8) The State must provide small holdings ( !J ) Every labourer should have half an acre each; (1U) Afforestation should be promoted; (11) Drainage speeded up. A referejj.ee to our printed proposals will reveal the fact, that we have been advocating the same identical principals for years, and that instead of us toning them down, accumulating evidence is coining forward to support them. Wjhen we adequately assess the enormous losses in productive power, and the financial difficulties that have arisen around land speculation through the Freehold, Mortgagehold, Stronghold policy of the Reform Government during the last dozen years, it must impress every fair minded person with the fact, that the land question in New Zealand is the paramount issue of the day. The golden key to the major portion of our national difficulties, is to be found in Air. Lloyd George’s proposals, carried out in New Zealand. Yours Etc, BEN ROBERTS, Labour Candidate.