GOVERNMENTS LAND PROPOSALS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9657, 23 November 1909, Page 5

GOVERNMENTS LAND PROPOSALS.

MEETING OF PROTEST IN WELLINGTON. WELLINGTON, November 22. Over a thousand leaseholders and sympathisers met in the Town Halt to-night, to protest against the Government's land proposals. Mr W. T. Noot, President of the Wellington Trades and Labour Coun cil, occupied the chair. He explained that the Council had called the meeting. Mr D. McLarer,, M.P., said that the people should be consulted on this most important question. The Budget had never been before the people. The Government was in a tight position financially, and thought it easier to sell the country's lands than to face the positon. He moved "that before any legislation is passed sacrificing the peoples interest in the leasehold over the exsting Grown lands or in lands settled under the Lands for Settlements Act, and before any more of the publicly owned land is sold all the prople ot the Dominin should have an opportunity of saying by means of a referendum vote whether they are willing thtit the proposals now before Parliament shall become law, or whether all existing Crown land shall remain the property of the. people and be dealt with under the leasehold system so that future increases in the rental value shall be available for the reduction of the burdens of taxation. This meeting further holds that to change the existing leases into freehold would create a privilege which is not in the covenant entered into by the lessees and would give to such lessees a decidedly unjust advantage over all other applicants for such land by excluding the element of competition whereby the real value of the land can only be arrived at." Mr A. W. Hogg, M.P., declared the Government's land policy to be absolutely dishonest. Every member of the Ministry which proposed it ought to be brought before a Supreme Court. The next thing would be the disposal of the national endowment. MrT. E. Taylor, M.P., said that gambling had been allowed to go on in tne State owned farms, which had created a class of rackrented tenants If there was any gambling to be done by the resale of farms the State should get the benefit. He protested again3t the sale of a single acre of Crown lands. The motion was carried with but two dissentients.