The Temuka Leader THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 1882. THE LAND QUESTION.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1004, 14 September 1882, Page 2

The Temuka Leader THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 1882. THE LAND QUESTION.

' Parliament passed one truly good and liberal measure this session, but it was near being strangled in the Upper House. We refer to the Land Act, 1877, Amendment Bill. In. that Bill a clause was inserted to the effect that a -certain area of agricultural land should be leased instead of sold, in blocks of 640 acres for a term, we believe, of 21 years. This, certainly, was a, very, advanced step. Throughout the world the greatest thinker* of the day argue that to nationalise the land is the simplest and most effectual way of settling the that is constantly rising with regard to land. By nationalising is meant.that there should be no freeholders, but that the land should be leased to the people by the Government. When this principle was affirmed by our own Parliament, we pointed out at the time that it was the first senate in the world that had done so. We also pointed out that if all the land in the Colony were let by Government under the leasehold system, the rents from it would yield enough to defray the Govern nent expenses, and that consequently there would be no necessity for either taxes or rates, Our contention was that the rents would be lower than what a great many pay on borrowed capital invested in the purchase of their land, and that if tenure was made terminable only whsn the i tenants failed to pay their rents, a leasehold would then be just as good as a freehold. If this system had been adopted in the beginning this colony would now be ten times move prosperous and more populous than it is, but when the most of the land has been sold it is certainly late in the day to begin the leasehold system. However, sooner or later, this system will come into force. It may not be fov the next 20 years, or, perhaps, double that number, but however long it may be delayed the land is bound to become national property. To find our own Parliament putting the thin edge of the wedge in by inaugurating the leasehold system, therefore, gave us much pleasure, but it appears now that the Legislative Council were very near, destroying all they had done in that cMS-ection. The first step the Council took was to reduce the area of the blocks to be leased from 040 acres to 320 acres. Why they did this we cannot imagine. A clause limiting the areas into which pastoral land should be divided to as many acres as would carry 20,<ft)0 sheep was struck out by them, but they reduced the area into which agricultural land should be divided by one half. What can anyone infer from this, but that they want to give the squatter unlimited sway while they restrict the farmer as much as possible. We arc not an advocate for ,' large holdings, but we certainly say I that 640 acres is not too much, and that the Council had no right to reduce it. But this is not the point in which they were near making the mischief, but in affirming that the lessee should be entitled to acquire the freehold of the land after six years, provided that lie had complied with the conditions. To this the Lower House did not agree, and appointed certain members to come to some arrangement regarding the matter, This conference did not agree either. A second conference between Members-of both Houses was held, and it was ultimately settled that the right of purchase should refer only to agricultural lands ou'side of gohlfields. The leasing clause, therefore, so far as we cm understand it from the meagre reports to hand on the subject, is that land will be let by Government for a certain number of years, and that if the tenants have complied with the conditions at the expiry of six years they *'«an then acquire tne freehold of it at a price to be named at the time of leasing. This destroys the principle of the nationalisation of the land, but we do not' think that it will have any immediately bad result. On the contrary it will be advantageous in settling people on the land. The public mind is not yet edu- i cated to the leasehold system. The natural ambition of the people is to acquire the freehold of their properties 5 they cannot realise that a leasehold is as good as a freehold if the tenancy can only be terminated when the tenant fails to pay his rent, Consequently the

hope of becoming freeholders, which trill be given under the amendthent of the Council, will offer an inducement to people to take up leasehold land. Great changes may take place before six years are at an end, and by that time it is not improbable that the leasehold system will be better understood. There is no doubt, even with these restrictions, the leasing system is the most liberal land law yet adopted in New Zealand, and we will be surprised if it does not result in a great deal of land J being settled upon before long, We notice that there are,a great many farmers in Western Australia discontented with their

lot. A recent letter published,in the'ltlelbourne Aigus;says that there are IiOOQ farmers ready to leave there as soon as they can find a.better field.' Supposing inducements were offered to these farmers to come to New Zealand, would it not be a good thing for the colohy ? 'they are just the class 1 of imfnig.iants that would suit us. ; They ' are ' all capitalists, their ~ individual capital being slated to vary from £2OO to £400.), and they have colonial * experience. These are the men the Goverrimen t should now try to secure to take, the leaseholds. They should offer them all:the inducements possible to get, them to | come and sattle in this colony. .Fifty , men of this class with capital sufficient to take up farms would be worth a whole ship load of penniless inexperienced immigrants imported from England, and we have very little doubt that they could be induced to come if the prospects offered by this colony were made known to them. We hope therefore that the Goverment will advertise | the land they have to dispose of in the neighboring colonies as we'l as in England, and leave nothing undone to induce capitalists to settle upon the lana.