CURRENT TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 99, 17 October 1911, Page 4

CURRENT TOPICS.

.MR. McCLUGGAGE. It was said, at Stratford the other evening of Mr. Joe 'McCluggage, the Liberal candidate .for the Stratford seat, that he was a man.of. grit, interested in and actuated by all that appertained to the welfare of the district. Further, that in spite of the cares of business he had managed to give a large proportion of his valuable time to the people of the district, and, therefore, no man knew the requirements of the people whose suffrages he seeks better than he. Flattering as this testimony is, few, we imagine, will be found to disagree with it, for Mr. McCluggage has proved himself a worthy settler in every sense of the word, and, apart from the particular political creed he professes, he deserves well of his fellows, lie is a good specimen of the men that have made Xew />ealand the flourishing country it is. Laborer, pioneer, farmer, business man, he has been in turn, bringing to bear on each the qualities of industry, perseverance and ability, and, unlike so many others on the road to comfortable competences, ever giving of his valuable time for the promotion of the interests of his fellow settlers and district. As in other things he has tackled, he is putting his whole heart and soul into his political campaign, and it is not surprising that he has succeeded in making a distinctly favorable impression wherever he has addressed meetings. The reports of his meetings show that Mr. McCluggage is a keen student of politics, and has' a very good grip of the problems before the country. The case for the administration'loses* nothing by his presentment or espousal. On the contrary, it will serve to enlighten many as to the actual position of tilings, and particularly where the party he supports stands in relation to them,

THE LAND QUESTION. Mr. MeCluggage has been lielpilig to administer the Crown lands of Taranaki for the past ten years. Consequently he is well qualified to speak' on the subject. (In the course of his speeches he traversed the Government's land policy in detail, pointing out the different tenures under which land can be taken up. and giving the lie direct to the statement so sedulously circulated that intending applicants cannot obtain the freehold. He referred particularly to that promising measure, the Land' Settlement Finance Act, under which five or more intending settlers with plenty of farming experience and little capital can purchase blocks of land, not less than ->ao acres in extent, the Government doing the necessary financing, the applicants only paying J <4 per cent, interest and 1% per cent, sinking fund, the whole being redeemed in twenty years. This system, when thoroughly understood, should, go a long way to promote closer settlement and appease the land hunger, providing laud can be bought at a reasonable price. That, however, is the trouble. There is any amount of land of a kind to be bough t or available for settlement, but land easy of access and suitable for close settlement is dilTi- ! cult to obtain at a reasonable price. The Premier confessed in the House last week that the Government had tried different ways of getting land at a fair price, but each time had been defeated, and because of their failure the Government were going to pass a law this session which would enable thenrto acquire land at a fair value, and to take it compulsorilv where necessary. Details of the 'Government's scheme will be awaited with considerable interest. They should be forthcoming this week. The*price of rural land should be based on what it will produce. In Taranaki the practice has been to make the highest possible return, together with the highest market prices for the land products in the very best season, the measure of value. Consequently there is ill many quarters a stringency where buoyancy and prosperity should be the order. In England, we notice, there is a move to take land required by local bodies or the Government at a price based 011 the actual prolit to the owner, taking a ten years' period and averaging the yearly productivity and capitalising this. This seems to us a scientific method of arriving j at the worth 0/ land, and possibly the I

1 Government have sonic such idea in their i minds. The present system of land purj chase, it is clear enough, lias broken J down. .Mr. Massev boasted that he could j go through the country and get more I land than was required, at prices war- | ranting assurance of prosperous settlej ment, but almost in the very next breath he discounted his statement by admitting that if the Government wanted to take his farm he would demand three times its value with the hope of saving it. Of course the Leader of the Opposition is not alone in possessing an affection for his home. Nearly all landholders have it. But is this affection to be allowed to stand in the way of closer settlement? The interests of the country demand that it should not. The future of this country depends in a very great measure upon closer settlement, and the settlement of the present idle lands, Crown and Maori. The tenures under which land can be taken up are varied enough, but if there is no suitable land available at a fair price what is the use of the tenures! It is fair to say that during the past year or so the Government have shown commendable activity in the settlement of the remaining Crown and Maori lands, but even greater efforts are called for. and the Government must make them if they are to retain the confidence of the country. More money must be spent on baekblocks, on roading, bridging, etc. ■Mr. McCluggage realises the necessity of this, and strongly advocates the Government borrowing more money or issuing State notes to cany on the development of the back country. We would like to see less money spent in the towns, in palatial post offices. Government buildings and duplication of suburban lines, and the money used for the opening of the baekblocks. It would certainly prove a more profitable investment. Mr. McCluggage suggests several improvements to the present land laws. For instance, lie holds that residential conditions, should be relaxed to allow a registered substitute to comply with the residence clause, thus enabling sons of farmers and townspeople to take up land. He further suggests that holders of school commissioners' leases should receive the 10 per | cent, rebate allowed Crown tenants for paying their rent promptly. Also that the Government Advances' Office should make advances up to 70 per cent, of the selling value of the land, instead of CO per cent, as at present. These proposals appear to be in the right direction, and are entitled to the favorable consideration of the Government.