"SETTLEMENT, MORE SETTLEMENT, AND STILL MORE SETTLEMENT."

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 21, 13 June 1914, Page 10

"SETTLEMENT, MORE SETTLEMENT, AND STILL MORE SETTLEMENT."

~ (To the Editor.) Sir.—The above is now so woll 'known as the watchword of -the Reform Minister for Lands that a perusal of the attached extract must cause ft..oae who have the country'- welfare at heart to ltcogiuse that it is but an empty cry tr> mislead. vcu.rs ago, Air f-fo l '."* Ml'. for Mastcrton, drew attention to the aggregation jjoing OI) w j (pri) . by the population of certain „a.rts »'«-•» seriously a (I'ec ted fcliat man>cries ami schools had to be closed and anyone who will pause and study the question. by the extract therewith must, come to Hi" roneiusion tliat a revolution in nwitt«r* pertaining to the at-ijuisition of land must be brought about, as quioKlv as possible. What was pointed out by Mr Hogg and which is referred to here can happen in any district under the ireeJiold tenure of land holding, and it seems, when one goes into the matter in the interests of the country's welfare, (and thereby the welfare of generation* to come)' that the doctrine laid down by Henry George is, after all, the omly true solution of a difficulty that year by year is becoming more accentuated and which a big increase in population would hasten to a finality. I can say that in our own district there are many cases of a similar character as referred to, and one cannot (under present conditions) blame any man for gobbling up his neighbor's land if 'he can pay for it, but. in the interests of the country's advancement, anil if we wish to s<*c ©u. country supporting a couple of millions more, we should we tluat this land business is put on a basis that will lessen the need for the aggregation of small farms into bjg ones. iMiere i»s no doubt past politicians treated the land question on the conditions' that obtained at the time, and no m'an could foretell tbe rapid advancement that foas ' taken p'aee in. such a short .space of,2fe,

enable the outlay of settlers in cieamerius, etc, and the outlay of the people (per State) in schools to oc so much good money thrown away, ami which enables good land' suitable for intensive fanning (and thereby support hundreds of lives) to be made into a sheep wade are not conditions that tend toi tilie advancement of the Dominion as a whole. I trust those who reau the extract, which is credited as the effusion of a 'supporter of the present party, wiil Jay aside all party bias and look at the questiou squarely, and in doing so, carefully study the. land polliey of the United Labor Party. It is tihe adoption of some such scheme that will lead to a solution of one of the gravest questions all'ncting the present and future welfare of this gram, country. Hoping you can find space f r this aml the extract,—l am etc.. JOE B. SIMPSON.

Durham ltoaa. , Extract. "Taumarumii Press." "I have just, returned from spending a holiday in the Raugiwmhia district, in the Kiwitca County, and 1 have been so impressed with the extent of the. injury inllctcd upon the district by the actions of farmers ill buying their neighbor- out. that I feel convinced the most, drastic legislation is urgently required Jo make the continuance oi this policy : mpos-,i,ble. Throughout the district referred to. the whole of the Kiwitca County generally, the county is strewn with abandoned homesteads. Houses W'liMi have cost ■humlreiis of pounds, fine wool-sheds. -lUib'.es. cowsheds, an.-l other buildings are abandoned and going to ruin, and line orchards are being left to the nireev of cattle and sheep, and mi this in one of f..e most rich mid fertile counties in New Zealand. T do not mean to say that large c-talos or runs are beng built up. but large faun-. A man. with -ay -Kid acres, buys the ■adjoining properly, of say DDI). -n'U, or ."illlt acres, and in many cases buys more I'lian one neighbor om. Whatever benefit this: may be to the. scl'Vi' or purchaser, the result is most, di--a-trous to the country. Something must be done to. stop wis thing from going i on auv longer. Mr Masse)' must grap|.l" with the question, or he will sul'ny 1)1.. supplanted by the Liberals, who in turn must give place to the Labor pai't\ if they fail to do their duty.lt is no use blaming the politicians of the pa-1; what is wanted is immediate remedy, It seems to me to lie labor in vain 'o purchase large estate*, subdivide ami road them, place settler- upon them, and then allow the process oi aggregation lw undo all the good work done. H hat is wanted is an Act of Parliament which will prevent a man from holding more than a. certaiir limited area of hind—and a fairlv low limit at that."