The Daily News. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 15. LAND TENURE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 81848, 15 September 1906, Page 2

The Daily News. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 15. LAND TENURE.

Whatever the opinion may be respecting tlx- merits or demerits of the new Land Bill, there can be no two opinions thai the Ward Government nas not "hidden its light under a bushi'l" over its policy in regard to the question of land tenure. In days when we have grown accustomed to finesse and vacillation, subvertion of principle to expediency, on the part of some of our public men, it is refreshing to see political leaders take up a position, have the courage to defend it, and put forward their plans in terms that leave no room for misunderstanding. The land question will always be a difficult one to deal with and to sett'e. Our legislators have been grappling with and endeavouring to settle it ever since this colony has been a colony. One policy alter another policy has been promulgated and tried, and the fact that we have been crying out for another —and have just been given one to digest—is prima facie evidence, as our legal friends would say, that we are "no forrarder. 1 '

* * * * The new Government has tackled what must be regarded as the most vital question of the day, so far as we in this colony are concerned, with much boldness and ingenuity. Mr McNab, who is the initiator of the new land scheme, stated the other day that he recognised "that it >s of vital importance to the country that this continual fight around land tenures should close," and doubtles.s felt that his scheme would act as the desired panacea. The salient points of the scheme are, briefly 6tated: the cessation of the freehold alienation f all unlet Crown lands; the refusal of the freehold to the Crown tenant under the Lands for Settlement Act; the substitution of a sixty-six years' lease for the lease in perpetuity; the perpetual leaseholder having' the right to exchange for a sixty-six years' tenure, if he so desires, with certain compensating advantages; and the limitation of the area and amount of land to be held by any individual or concern. It is provided that, from the coming into operation of the Act, no Crown land is to be selected under the old Act, on the cash, occupation with right of purchase. or lease-in-perpetuitv systems. All the Crown lands remaining unsold or unselected at the time the proposal becomes law are to be sot aside for—(a) in aid of education, lb) hospitals and charitable aid, and (c) old age pensions. Settlements' land or land already reserved or set aside as endowments or reserves, do not come under the national endowment proposals. * * * *

The limitation of the aggregation of private estates in land is in keeping with tin- democratic spirit of 'lie times, for. with land of an uniinprov ed value of £50,000. a man ought to have sufficient to satisfy his wants fur all time and those of his kith and kin, and should then give, or be compelled to give, his landless fellow a chance of acquiring a little land a'so. The Government's idea is thai, by bursting up the large estates in this manner, the settlement of land will be accelerated. But we are afraid this desideratum will hardly be achieved. Holders of property over £50.000 in value are given ten years in which to reduce the amount t'f their land, failing which the Government steps in and set's the land itself, and after taking out-of pocket expenses connected with the sale, etc., hands the surplus realised to the Public Trustee, who eventually pays it over to the owner.

* * * * WIIO does not know of the dodges resorted |o at the present time by the big -landholders to circumvent the Graduated Land Tax. Wives, sons, daughters, uncles and aunts—all have parts of estates nominally transferred to them, but the estate interested is, all the same, worked as one. The owner saves taxation, and his relations don't mind aciing as dummies. And if the p'esent Bill becomes law, this sort of thing will no doubt go on with even jnore eel erity. Looking through the details of the JSiii, we cannot see how the "dummvism" is going to be prevented. Then, how is this limitation of estates going to affect the powers of financial institutions that hold the titles of more than £50,000 in land ? Are they to be prevented from advancing more than £50.000 in the aggregate'mi land security? Mortgagors default simetimi'S. We have only to remember the £3,000,000 worth of securities taken over in 1X95 from the Bank of New Zealand by that perpetual body, the Assets Board. \\e se ( , no provision in the Bill for the contingency of a mortgagee buying in land on which it has loaned money. We don't want to discourage or hamper legitimate financing, but that would happen, it seems to us unless some alteration is made in the Bill.

We have before expressed an opinion oil till; of encouraging the man who goes inio the wilderness and carve? for himself and family a home. It is this stamp of man that'has made New Zealand what it is to-day. We want as many of his calibre as we can get on the iand. But to attract him we must treat him nvre liberally than the Bill proposes. Much of the available Crown land is of poor rjuality, and hard to work, and he should be offered something more than a 66 years lease. Oilier UoviTiimi.'ljts recognise I lie advantages of bona fide settlers, and even give land away free in order to attract men of the right stamp. Those countries—Canada is an example—have. in (onst-quern e, gone ahead wonderfully, and at though we haven't the tracts of land available that Canada haj, we could, with benefit to the countiv. show our appreciation of the pioneer's worth by offering him the option of the freehold. It is only equitable, in our opinion, that he ■■houkl have this option, and without it we cannot see thai settlement of the unused lands of the Crown will be at mi. c.v.fiil as it otherwise woei'd be. The Government is inconsistent. In the Workem' Dwelling* Act a worker may acquire the freehold of his place on the easiest of teims, but the worker who lias lean and gr.t enough to tackle a bush section and undergo the privaiiuns incidental to such a life —well, he is not to be considered. What is sauce for one should be sauce for the oilier, but evidently the fnimors of lie 11,11 under not it e did not think so.

It is exMcni'-ly unfair thai distinction b'-iuc-n dip two (i,ism's of worker:- should he made. If am* disiinc linn should he made, ii should hi; in favour of the backbleck toiler, who is intit'ed to the fr-cho'd of every acre he wins from Nature. The case is somewhat ditl'ereni with ;hr man who takes up improved land under the I,and» for Settlement Act. The Suite buys the Umd, reads it (if necessaiy), and hands it ovei to the seh-' tor at practically cost pi ice. \\c can understand this sort of land being made inalienable. The expei i- ' lice ha- b 1 rn thai the men who have been iuc ky enough to draw section., have dope tenon kably well out of them—parlu ularlv in repaid to the M'lling of "their righi. Their land has com'- lo profit just after resump tion; not <», however, with the other kind of si'tllrr, who has to exNt years i«»r a return fur his labour and years for roads ev>n. Other i'eatutes c»f Ihe Hill offer mom f:>r critic ism. but w'■ wi l ! have to leave them fur the pp^-cut.

LOCAL AND GENERAL. The Sierra left San Francisco on lite thirteen inst., at 3 i>.m. About £25 was realised as the result of tlie bulb show liell 011 Thursday to raise funds for Si. .Uary's Sunday School. "Land must be increasing in value at Rahoiu,'' remarked a Road Board member 011 Wednesday, when it was stated the pound site of three acres in the township would cost the Board a rental of £b a year. The mortal remains of the late Mr Edwin Team wero interred 011 Friday afternoon at Te Henui Cemetery, liev. F. (jr. Evans officiating at tlie graveside. The deceased was 11, very old resident of tlie district, having arrived in the first ship, the William Bryant. The Taranaki Petroleum Company is pushing on with No. 2 bore, the present depth being uhout-250 feet. From general indications Mr Fair expects to strike oil at a few Feet nearer the surface than at 1 lie Birthday well. It, is probable that throe shifts will be put on almost immediately.

The Borough Council is now approaching the various local bodies concerned in the extension of the electric lighting system, with a view of obtaining permission to erect the lines along the suburban roads. Amongst others are the Devon road as far as the Waiwakaiho, South road to the old tollgate, and the Breakwater road. The Garrison Baud will give a programme of music on the band rotunda in Kawaroa Park, on the Esplanade, 011 Sunday afternoon. A collection is to be taken up toivards the band's expenses to the Ckristchurch Contest. The following is the programme : March, " Marmion ;" selection, " Last Judgmentmarch, " O.H.M.S grand contest selection, " Oberonintermezzo, "Merrie Monarch;" selection, •' Opera Bouquetmarch, " In Camp;" National Anthem. A serious and painful accident happened on Friday afternoon to a lad mimed George MacFarlane, employed at the Egmont Boot Factory. He was sitting alongside the perforating machine, which was not working, and rested his hand 011 part of the machine. One of the staff set the perforator in motion, not noticing the lad's position. In a moment his liand was pinned beneath a weight of several hundredweight and horribly crushed. It was some lime before he could be released, the weight having to be shifted by wedging it up. The little fellow bore up pluckily, but it was found absolutely necessary to operate, and he has 10-t three lingers and portion of the palm of his left hand, retaining the thumb and index finger.