NEW BRITISH LAND POLICY—BY MR LLOYD GEORGE.

Shannon News, 25 September 1925, Page 3

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 in this Dominion, it must commend itself as a practical proposal which will pull the Dominion out of many of its political difficulties, and many a struggling fanner out of his personal misfortunes. Little did we think that upon the eve of a general election, so eminent a statesman a<s Mr Lloyd George, should outline to the British nation, a land policy which is synonymous with the Labour party's "Usehold" policy in New Zealand, but such is the case.

I Mr Lloyd George in the , cables is i reported to have made the following statements:—! The State should resume authority over land; 2. Landlords should he compensated, but not by capital payments, or monopoly value; 3. British agriculture is undercapitalised; 4. State credit is essential; 5. a new form of land tenure is required, to be called "A Cultivating Tenure"; 6. 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; 9. Every labourer should have half an acre each; 10. Afforestation should be promoted; 11. Drainage speeded up. A reference to our printed proposals will reveal the fact, that we have been advocating the same identical principles for years and that instead of us toning them down, accumulating evidence is coming forward to support them. When we adequately assess the enormous losses in productive power and the financial difficuties that have arisen around land speculation, through the Freehold—mortgage hold —stranglehold policy of the/Reform Government during the last dozen years, it must impress every fair mind 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 Mr Lloyd George's proposals, carried out in New Zealand.—l am, etc., BEN ROBERTS, Labour Candidate.