AN EXPLANATION REQUIRED.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9665, 2 December 1909, Page 4

AN EXPLANATION REQUIRED.

When a politician commences to double on his political tracks, he ought to be very careful to put his political boots on back to front, else his political feet will leave some very accusatory marks upon the political sands of time. Sir Joseph Ward, aided and abetted thereto by the whole of his Cabinet, has commenced to double back upon the land legislation of the past eighteen years which probably accounts for the contradictory nature of the two following remarks, culled from his recent Budget speech:—"Every man who now owns a freehold is entitled to it, and tinder no conditions would the State be justified in taking any step to weaken his freehold tenure." That is a tasty sop to the man who is following the Government's backward or Freehold trail, remarks the "Wanganui Herald." And to sweeten-the man who is following along the forward or Leasehold track, Sir Joseph then went on to say that large estates would still continue to be compulsorily acquired under the Land for Settlements Act, and announced that five estates were so acquired last year. How does he reconcile the first quoted opinion with his later mentioned intention?