PRE-SESSIONAL ADDRESS.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2212, 9 June 1891, Page 4

PRE-SESSIONAL ADDRESS.

HON. J. MoKENZIE AT PALMERSTON SOUTH. (Continued.) ' LAND PROPOSALS. ... . . He proposed, therefore, in the measure which he wauld submit to Pairiilftrieiu in the forthcoming session, to provide for bona fide settlement. He was quite prepared to give any person wbd wanted a freehold pure and simple, the right to acquire a certain area of land providedlt Wat improved, and not held fur speculatiye purposes.. This, would givp .an opportunity of acquiring a freehold to those who wished to do so, but the area would ■fibf bddurfailed, though it would be such an area as would enable a family to live in comfort and plenty. He also intended to continue the deferredpayment system on condition of residence only. This wbuld be another opportunity given to those who wore desirous of attaining a freehold, and were (unable through insufficient means to purchase the, title right out; but as he had said before, they would be compelled to settle upon and improve the land, He also proposed to provide perpetual leases lor those who wished to have land on that system, and the terms Would be such * -as he hoped wofi Id be most popular, but the terms would be perpetual lease only. So they would see that he had provided for the monied man to get mis freehold if he so pleasbd, the man who eventually wished to come a freeholder could also do so, and the man who would content himself with a‘perpetual lease, in his (Mr Rl’ienzie’s) opi’non, Would be in possession of quite as good a,. tenure as any other in existence. The small graa|ng run .system, he intended, shpulcTremain in, force,; but it would be surrounded with safe-; guards which would prevent the areas becorping , the,, property of large ownersl (and would also, provide for the subdivision of such small runs amongst families. This is, if a man wished To take up a small grazing run he could do so, and divide it in his lifetime or at his death amongst the members of his family. He would provide that the large area of pastoral country which 1 was left should be disposed of for the future in a manner which twould . be more conducive to the public interests of the colony, Under this tenure to be introduced the land could not possibly be held in such enormous areas as it is at present by foreign Companies and individuals. He saw no reason why pur pastoral lands should be held by large Companies'ih London and eleswhere,Which drewthe .whole of the proceeds, except what might be spent on shepherding and shearing and the ordinary expences of a station, to be spent in London and Great Britain generally, (Applause.) DtTMMXISM. He also proposed to make such provisions in the Land Bill as would put a stop to dammyism. He was told by a number of people that this was impossible, that no matter what laws were made in connection, with the (land there would always he ways and means of breaking through them. At anyrate, he thought dammyism could be put a stop to, and he was going to make an honest endeavour to prevent it, One of hia chief proposals in that direction would •be to make any breaches 1 and evasions of The Land Act a misdemeanour udder the act itself. It would be a misdemeanour by: both parties—that is, the actual dummy and the person ivbo employs him as such, and he was cdntinced, if that were done, a large number of those engaged in this, system of dammyism would never try it again. They 'would be liable to imprisonment, without the option of a fine. (Loud Applause,) They were t)ld by a (section of the Prcisa of the ddniitdyism did hot exist to any great extent, and that there were very few evasions of the Land Act. They were told also in the last * sessieh of Parliament, by the then Minister for Lands, that it did not exist to any great entent, and that there were very few transfers from those who purchased to large Companies. or 'private individuals. The Minister denied/ on the same occasion,"that large areas of land in Canterbury had been disposed of during th at J ear which went to the owners of 'original large estates TBLLINU DISCLOSUEEB. f , Since he (Mr M’Kenzie) Caine into office, he bad a return prepared showjug, .what transfers there had been during the last six months. From this return he found that there were seventeen purchasers in Canterbury all of whom purchased on July T last, and each of whom made a solemn declaration that the land was for their own special,. use and benefit, who transferred their areas, amounting to 4086 acres, to one banking institution. He^alsofoundthat^ of her selectors who had also made solemn declarations that the land was fdr There own use and 'benefit, who purchased on..- March 25 last,' had transferred to another banking institution 3466 acres ; and he found that five others, who swore the land was for their sole use, and benefit, and who also purchased on March 25 last, had transferred their ipterest to a Mortgage 1 Agency Company. In the last case the area was -1390 acres. Altogether it turned out that a total number of thirtj.seven purchasers transferred to two Banking Companies, one Mortage Company and two individuals, an area of 13,587 j (acres, not by mortage but by actual transfer. This return had been made j

up to March 5 last, and how much J have taken place since then it is very nard to say, There could be no doubt as to the correctness of that return, as it had been furnished to him by the officers of the Department. (Applause.) He did no think it would be necessary for him to say one word more to convince them, after giving them these hard dry facts, as to the necessity of at once putting a stop to tbm sort of thing—that ; is, if the population is to be settled oh the lands of the Colony. (Great applause.) What position did they find themselves in at the present :tune? It was this that in soma parts of the Colony!, our land was entirely gone. - This wall especially the ease in' 1 Canterbury and Hawke’s Bay There could be no more settlement in either of those provinces unless they were prepared to repurchase some of the estates they had of. This brought them to the question of the necessity for doing so, and in his opinion the time, if it had not already arrived, would very sodh come when the colony would have to face the question, and buyback some of these lands which were, at one time the lands o' ; the Colony, bat which were no w L«ld in estates'mdstiy hy companies, and " monetary : institutions., That being the case, did it not behove them to be very careful of the manner in which they should part with the portion of the public estate left to them P The Bill which be intended to introduce would provide for the best use being made of such lands as were left. A great deal of noise had bean made with regard to the nature of titles to: land, but be ventured to say that a long time before the perpetual lease, which he proposed to give under his new Act, would expire, the whole system of laud tenure, not only in New Zealand! but 'throughout the civilised world, would be altered. It would be impossible!, in bis opinion, to exclude from the lands of the Colony, no matter under what tenure the estates were held, the rising generation of New Zealand j because it freeholders themselves will not met on reasonable terms the demands ..that will be made upon them by the youth of the Colony for land to settle upon, it will be the duty of the Government to step in and make such laws as will open the lands to the people of this Colony. There would be a big battle, fought but to the bitter end, as they might depend upon it that all the influence of wealth, and the intelligence of the wealthy classes would be arrayed against them, The battle would be fbaghk, not with bayonets of steel, but with bayonets in the shape of lead pencils ,at the polling-booths of the colony—(loud and prolonged applause)—and he had no 1 hesitation in predicting which side would win. It would be the youths of the Colony, who would stand no nonsense, but would have opened up for themselves land which was now' held in vast aieas without occupation* (Cheers.) (To be continued