NO LAND CONFISCATION

Opotiki News, Volume I, Issue 46, 20 June 1938, Page 4

NO LAND CONFISCATION

. . . ——i .MINISTER’S ASSURANCE \ I A reply to what he termed insidi- .’j ous propaganda was- made by the I Minister of Lands, the Hon. F. stone, in the * Opera. House at Gisborne on Thursday night, when he flatly de- - nied that the Government’s intention was a confiscation of land.* He referred to “vipers of untruth” / who were circulating malicious rum- § ours against the Labour Government. ' One of such rumours was that the Government intended confiscating the I land. Under the past system, many, J people had their lands taken from j them. The only way the Government I could secure land: was to buy it. Today he v had dozens of land-owners asking the Government to buy their • land, but the Government could not find the money to purchase all the land. t - ‘ ,;j Stopped the Meal Tickets. He had received a letter only that day to reply to statements maue that tile Government intended coimstutiiig* tlie land, insiuibus statements such as those which were being -made by the Government’s opponents played upon the fears of the people. Girls' in the shops even had been told that the Labour Government intended taking their wages from them. “Why, t-lie Labour Government stopped the meal tickets which they were getting before,” the Minister added. » 'Mr Langstone said he would like to be able to name people who were' spreading those statements. The individual had rights, and he ■ could only have’ rights based on income. his individual, rights and liberties were in proportion to his income. And those who talked of individual freedom and liberty were the very people who would take it. away. The Labour Government aimed to give tlie people the income they deserved. There were certain tilings rucli as education, post office, railways and roads, that could be best done by the State, and became public duties.