CORRESPONDENCE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVIII, Issue 81918, 15 February 1907, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE.

LAND BILL, J To the Editor. .Sir, —The 1 adverse criticism on) line new Land Bill, contained in an article iu your issue of the Dth inst, (tin; Farmer's Union Platform) moves me 1o venture a word or two in support of the most remarkable attempt whicn has yet been made to refer our land ad'mmistratio'n to a sound economic basis. That previous Governments have failed miserably iu vlcaliug with this great question will be realised with quite suilicienl distinctness by the tax payers of future generations, and the country is indebted to tiie an thor of the new 15ill for hubmitting a measure which at least is framed on lines of progress and evolution, and at once reconciles and unites the contentions and aspevations of the student and the pioneer, and which, at any rate, is divested of certain attributes

of puerility aiul narrow provincialsm conspicuous iji previous Aels. The leal kernel and issue ol' iue .Bill is its tacit assertion of the golden principle that to the State belongs the increased value. This is where the battle rages, and it is this long' delayed assertion of the country's rights thai sends confusion and consternation into the ranks ot the fanners, and excites 'their anger and indignation. That an increase in value which lias been main ly created by population, State expenditure, and industrial and commercial development should be arrogated, in the case of land, bv its temporary occupiers, is a monstrous charge 011 the labour and producing power of the balance of the connuuuity, and constitutes a rank and dangerous monopoly. Capita), another monopoly, naturally clamours for the freehold tenure, for wherever the pestilence of the free hold broods, there the vulture <of the mortgagee hovers and fattens. liecause other CovormuenU have failed to solve the laud problem, iy surety no reason why wc should, continue in their footsteps, and perpetuate their errors. The Farmer's Union complain that 'the rdl'ect of the renewable lease would be restrict the tenant's borrowing power. Seeing that the' (.'overninent olliee lends up to threc-Ufths of the improvements, J fail to see any reasonable ground of complaint. Since people, we know, arc not happy unless they an- mortgaged up to the neck, lock, stock and barrel, but J notice that set \lenient goes along better without] these hand-to mouth adventurer*. i

The Farmer's I'nion begins lliis article by (juoting the London "Speeta tor/' an ultra-conservative organ which believes in such things as free-wi 1, arbitrary punishment for misdeeds, the sacred rights o)' property, Capital, and the divine right of Kings, and will probably stfll be writing Monopoly when an army of imported mercenaries defends the Empire and the shells from the Chinese Heel are bursting at the front door. In its extremity the "Spectator" eveti quotes the Bib!c in support of Capital. What' a splendid weapon the liible has been in the hands of the wily Capitalist! What execution has it not done! The other quotation has a more direct, but still only a relative, application. Louis Stevenson rightly deprecates arm chair erit«ieism. but the issues of the Land Policy rise above a mere conflict of opinion between town and country. The interests of one are the interests of all, and a principle once admitted inusl have wide and universal, not mere local application. When once people realise the bright possibilities the new Bill opens up. they cannof. help supporting it. There are 110 real and valid object ions to a leasehold temuv. 1 believe thai many parts of London, ami practically the whole of New York, are held on leasehold. In some of our large cities the most valuable business sites are held on lease. The "Wellington Citv Corporation, taking warning perhaps by n ferry combine of a malignant type with which Sydney is threatened owing to the alienation of iior foreshores, leases the valuable reclaimed land for terms of 21 years without compensation, and with a provision for revaluation. In the King Country, large blocks of land are taken up. and improved and occupied, on terms not nearly as favourable as those of the (){) year renewable 'loaves. State Leasehold secures to the country hiv equal division and a shat'e in what is a Stale asset, a natural birthright. On the other hand Freehold means Monopoly, whether the area i-< limited or not, and we may safely depend on monopoly to keep (he gaols .full, and make 'the* hospitals and lunaliC;asylums nourishing institutions. 1 ani,etc. W. T. MUUTKLL. Whaiigamoinona, January 11.11107. TUAUIXG IN NKW PI.YMOITH. To the Kditor.

•Sir, —I followed with inlere-t your remarks and the correspondence ensuing on tiie eredit >y*teni and trading generally 'J'nere is one matter to which 1 would like to draw your at teution. A lot ol our people, comfortably ol)', professional people for the most part, could do more I'ny the place in winch they live than they do. It is not common knowledge that when titis class ot people want, say clothing or furnishings, and even groceries, they never think of obtaining them from the local houses. That would not do for them. They send away to some hig centre. Now, supposing the people who provide the livings ol* this class were to adopt similar tactics, what would we find? It is easy to-Bee. These same people, would be starved out of an ox, istence, in the same way as they are striving to rflarve! the local traders, who for any line at nil. I make bold to say, can sell as well as any of tine •firms of hig cities. If jhey couldn't and they were anyway near the mark, the professional people in (jucsthm should, if they had any idea of fairness and cho fitness of things, bestow their patronage iu the place out ot which they gain their livelihood. Jt

is UiU class (if people wiio keep hack a place. 1 hope these people will awake to a realisation of the mistaken natiire of their tactics: or tliat t.ic people alVectcd will simply do ;is they are done by, and consult outside professional men when they want profis siousil work to be done.—J am, etc., TIUDKIi. SOCIALISM AND THEOLOGY To the Editor. Slit, —I am in n quandary, My friend the enemy (" Cosmo") accuses me of " autobiographical flourishes" when I quote my favourite authors, and yet, in tlio middle of his letter, lie says: " I could quote numberless writers," etc. Now, in the wildest flights of my imagination I never aspired so high as all that, not having the time to sp ire from my pursuit of bread and butter for ebo family. Jiut lam pleased that my friend has Ihe time for so much mental culture. My own personality is nothing in this discussion, and after this will not be obtruded in any shape or form. The Church hn.s done good work in the ]>asl, for which she lias received the honour due lo her, lint she ha* departed in a no>asure ii'uui lice principles ol sell-sin mice and person*! seryicc, laid down by The Christ and gone in for dressing herself in line raiment, building cosily cdilices, and worshipping willi the eye instead of looking within. Some day. perhaps, she will wake up as a body Even now then; arc a few mouthpieces who sland out from the crowd, but alas how few I The fact of her incompetency is being forced on her from without, and by Iho class she is supposed to minister 10, viz , Ihe poor.—J am, etc.,

ll,! .T, HOG TAX COLLKCXION. To the Editor. Sir,—Will yon allow me through iho columns of your valuable paper to ap peal to the owners of doj>* to 1 u> less luu;siii in their fueling towards the collector of our dog" ta&. It is not Mr Tippins who is responsible for-the onb rjiyeoiw clmrgc. and one cannot blame 3iim for the unreasonable amount of commission that has b:vn doled *Olll to him by a certain section of our City ii-ather*. It is the mover,, seconder, and supporter -of such a monstrous tax that are (to blame;. anU 110 smalll si mount: of blame is attached to tho ? e of our Council who sat meekly by and allowed this imposition |o be imposed. Lei every ratepayer make si mental note Of it and sec tLnt wc arc not done

brown again in the same manner.—l am, etc., DOG-OWNER &, RATEPAYER, THE PAKUIAKA "PROPHETS." To the Ediior. '' s", —In reading the account of the di:; raceful and undignilied scene at tl: • burial of Tohu, one is inclined to think that after all the Maoris re <|uire a deal of civilising yet, I wish to draw your attention to a remark by your informant. lie says: I'e hiti and Tnhu became cleverer than their teacher, the Rev. Mr Riemensohneideiy' He used the wrong I word. lie ought to have said "more cunning." Cleverer than an edueat- 1 ed-gentleman they never were. —I am, etc., PAKEIIA.