THE LAND QUESTION.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 10, 12 June 1913, Page 4

THE LAND QUESTION.

An Auckland* land Salesman has been giving his views on the-land question to a Wellington paper. Some of his obser- . rations, which are founded on a practical .knowledge of the ; ,a'oXual conditions obtaining, are helpful to : an understanding' of • 4 very difficult) . The salesman . is . Mr. G. E. '; Alderton, a whilomjnoxtherii journalist, and now of 'Messrs.' Mandcno Jackson &, Co. He says, the demand i, for lain} that is-represented by the applicants at land,ballots,, At these ballo'ia ■' the dummy sisters, cousins and rjJredominatcs, and the bona.fide p^pmtyyho^hm. not the necessary cask Jtakie,>up land, is not a numerous class,.'','Mfci; AWerton may be correct in'' 'the latter statement, but we question,', that under the • severer conditions .now imposed by the •Land Boards prior to ballots as to the fitness of applicant® the dummy element plays the.important part it undoubtedly did in the past., • Jin: regard to. the paucity of means ;ofi<the general run of land applicant, :Mrc' r Alderton proves .his case by instancing experiences pi his - own firm. He says:— "We cut up three large estates our-selves-for clients, and put'about 150 farms on the market on easy terms, that was 15 per cent, cash for improved land, ready to stock, but it was surprising even ' then how few people had enough cash to pay the 15 per cent., and the further cash for stock and buildings." The remedy ?. More money. And the Government, according to Mr. Aldeston, will have to find it. He shows that the Government might assist settlement a good deal if advances to settlers were made with preference to those who would spend the money loaned on making improvements. Hitherto this money has been used chiefly to meet and pay oil' existing mortgages, and very little has been used for actual improvements. If preference were given to those borrowing for actual improvements, the results would be much more profitable for the Dominion. Our northern friend takes the view that it is,the want of money and not the want of land that prevents a greater number of people from getting on the land. The capital is not, he says, in the country to press land settlement any faster than we are now going. This question is often lost sight of. The banking returns show that money is not at present available for the purpose, and until money gets more plentiful or the Government devises some better scheme for aiding the people going on the land, our rate of progress cannot be increased. By late mail advices from Europe it is stated that the total loans made by the co-operative loan banks and other special institutions of Germany for mortgage credit to landowners is approximately four hundred million pounds. If the farmers of an old-established country require so much assistance, it must be apparent that we, too, must have money to finance the farmers, and as the monetary institutions of this country liave not the necessary capital, the, Government should provide it as part of their land settlement policy. Mr. Alderton says that instead of being dissatisfied with what we have already done, we should be. :very/, proud to tliink of what we have accomplished. Just tliink of it: New Zealand has been made what it is to-day'all within the ordinary lifetime df a 'man. With a handful of men we' have built up a vigorous young nation—modern, spick-and-span, up-to-date in every utility, commanding in I ' our mercantile marine , the finest ships'afloat, and out of our i abounding prosperity'we are able to ;

bcHd Dreadnoughts:, The Fallot sfiim, Mr* Aldcrton regards as so ineffective* anil clumsy that lie would improve it •Tit of existence without any hesitation. Hi* substitute is this:

"Place an upset value on the land, say, £2 per acre; then let applicants tender for it. Say the highest tender was £2 15s, that applicant should get the land. The premium of 15s per acre which he bid should be loaded on the land but advanced and spent by the Government in roading the block. This would be a simple method, and fair to all parties. The selector, though offering a premium for the land, would get its value spent on his road; the Government would have to advance in cash the premium to make the road, but would receive interest on the money. It is a fair and square deal, and cannot prejudice any selector, as the premium to be offered does not involve any cash so far as he is concerned, and it absolutely does away with all dummying and the uncertainty of the ballot. The selector has the nearly certain chance of getting the section he fancies by offering a sufficient premium, and as this has to be spent on "is roads he gets the full value of what he offers. Now I have given you my ideas in a nut-shell. I have no drum to beat, and no banner to carry, and I have no political leanings, but if I could assist to make the land question a purely State one and dissociate it from politics, I should consider it my duty to do so. We should aim at enlisting the genius of the country in evolving the wisest and most beneficial system for settling the people , on the land, as on its success depends | our national and individual welfare."