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Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XV, Issue 4804, 20 August 1894, Page 2

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mandment forbids men to their neighbours houses or anything that is theirs. The Land for Settlements Bill enjoius men tocovettheir neighbours properties, and not only to covet them but to take them straight. Messrs Seddon and McKenzie have evidently in this plundering Bill of theirs overlooked the expediency of formally-repealing the tenth commandment.

Tm: Land for Settlements - Bill reminds us of a little scene in the book of Kings kuown as the tale of '' Moth's vinoyard." Of courso it is a modern version of the old story where King Working-man plays'the part of Ahab, assisted by a Ministerial Jezebel. The manner of tlis-i possessing Naboth now-a-days is not quite so straightforward as in old times, but thework of spoliation is equally effective. It never occurred to KingAhab.whon he wanted. Naboth's vineyard to bring in a Land for Settlements Bill, or doubtless he would have given a preference to this more ingenious method of robbing his neighbour.

Posterity will probably speak of our present rulers as " the Thug Ministry," The Thugs used to constitute a political party, in India which practised as a matter of faith the art-of secret strangling, Our Thug Ministry has been successful in strangling labour in New Zealand, in strangling capital, and now it is proceeding to strangle land, As far as we can understand Thugs are animated by good intentions,-but strangling in their eyes is a meritorious action, something in which they can take a pride. The Ministerial policy in New Zealand appears to us to bo pure and legitimate Thugism.

A thousand acres of land appears now to be about the limit which a man may hold safely in New Zealand, and all above thisarea is liable to be resumed by tho State. A few years henco, if present ideas grow aud.expaniV twenty-fire'acres may become the limit instead of a thousand, and the two hundred and one ■ hundred and fifty acre farmers of tad 'day may be called upon to eronilerJ

A inan with even fifty acres cannot lay the flattering unction to his soul that, he ! can-leave his farm. as. an nheritance.to}his',s'oh. The L'and or Settlement's Amendment Bill of en or twenty years hence may scoop tup; Tho small farmers of New lealand ought to have stood/by the iroprietary rights instead of assisttig to make a rod which, someday vill scourge their own hacks.

The day on which the "Land for.j Settlements Bill" becomes law, will be a day of mourning .for New Zealand. . It affirms this vicious, principle that if a man, by enterprise, thrift and intelligence, has obtained a profitable estate; it is to be wrested from him; but if he has made a bad i bargain, it is to be left on his hands. The Ministry ought to say at once to people settling on land in this colony: "Notice is hereby given that the State .will, sooner or later, resume possession of all the land you take up which turns out worth having," Intending settlers ought, in fairness, to bo warned that the practical condition on which they take up land is that if their estates be profitable they must lose them, and.if they be unprofitable they can keep them.