LAND NATIONALISATION.

Waikato Times, Volume XIX, Issue 1613, 4 November 1882, Page 4

LAND NATIONALISATION.

In his Wttfk «n Land Nationalisation, Mr Alfred Russell Wallace, after giving a survey of tho great question, summarises, in the form of a series of brief propositions,, the conclusions he lias arrived at, and. which ho demonstrates by an overwhelming, body of evidence. It has been shown, he remarks, that unrestricted private property in Innd is in?urcntlij\ wrong, and /cads to serious and widespread evil : — Bkc.vu.sk— lt gives to the class of landowners despotic power over the freedom, the property, the happiness, and even over the lives of their tellow citizens who are not landowners. The wholesale evictions in the Highlands of Scotland and in Ireland, wheie houses and whole villages have been destroyed and the human inhabitants have been replaced by cattle or deer, often for no crime of theirs, but simply to carry into effect the will of the landlord, are the most glaring examples of the truth ol this proposition. Even in England similar cases occur, though less frequently ; but the tenant is often coerced in his political rights, is interfered with in the free exercise of his religion, and is generally subject to the will of his landlord in many other ways. In all these cases the State is a\owedly powerless to protect the tenants, who are nevertheless told that they are free citizens of a free country, that the Englishman's house is his cabtlc, and that there is no wrong without a legal remedy. BKCArsr. — By possession ot the land, which is absolutely essential to all productive labour, and even to life itself, it enables the landowners to absorb all the surplus profits of both labour and capital, keeping down the wages of unskilled labour (which regulates that of labour generally) to tiie lowest point at "\\ Inch life can be supported, the result being, that large masses of the working people are condemned to exist under unnatural and degrading conditions of poverty, and that pauperism is made chronic amongst us notwithstanding it keeps down the r.ito of intciest, enabling large capitalists alono to tlnivc, while small capitalists can hardly live. In all civilised countries, and at vaiious peiiods of history, the same phenomena have been observed— where land is cheap, wages and interest arc comparatively high ; where land is dear, both are com- ' paratively low. Bw.vu&K — The divided and often conflicting interest it creates in tho soil ! check permanent impiovemcnt, limit the variety of crops and of agricultural industry, and seriously diminish production. This evil is admitted to be great even where leases are granted, but is at its maximum under the system of yearly tenancies which are now the rule in this country. Beuacm:— lt has to a large extent caused and now perpetrates pauperisms by depriving the labourci |of any rights in the soil of his native land, and destroying to a large extent his home feelings and inteiests. This has been aggiavated by the euclosuie of t>o many ot the commons, which were the labourer's heritage from die past, by the dealing estates of cottages to avoid the burden of poor-rates, or to make "show villages, " and by lea\ ing the poor to the mercy of speculators lor their dwellings, usually of the motst w lutched chaiacter, ■without land or gaidens, and often far removed from tho scene of their daily labours. Bki'\i>k— lt interferes with the fiecdom w Inch every citi/on of afiee country should ha\ c of obtaining a healthy d\\ elling (in pioportion to his means) in any pait of the countiy he may pieter, and with a suiliciency ot land aiound it for health, repetition, o-ml garden cultivation at approximately the same cost as agricultural laud. He is now forced to live only where landowner will allowjinm, in houses elected by speculate builders for show rather than for health, comfort, and permanence, on land costing iiom tun to a hundred times its agiioultural value, or leased out for a term of years in order finally to be confiscated by the landlord tor the aggiandisemont of his successor. BiX'.u'M,— lt has led and still leads to the cnclosuic or appiopuation of all unless closed lands fin the exclusive benefit of landowner!), thus depm ing tho entire population of tho couutiy ot rights they line enjoyed fiom time linmemoiial; to the stopping ot footpaths, the destruction of roadside greens, and the exclusion of the people iiom much ot the wild and beautiful scenery ot their native land. BhC'.vu.sj.— lt gives to a limited class tho power of permanently impoverishing the country for their private benefit by the excessive export ot minerals, w Inch, being limited in quantity and not producible by man, should be jealously guarded for the use ot the nation, with due legard to the needs of our succcssois. Bkcu'mj — It ghes to iudniduals a large pioportion of the wealth cieatcd by the community at huge. All land has doubled in value— much of it has increased a hundied-foM or even a thou-sand-fold in value dining the present; century ; and tin* incica^cd value, due to the giowth, uidu-stiy, and enterpuse of the people at large, has become the property of a, body ot men who, tor the juo^.t part, have had the very smallest share in ci eating it. BEt'U'hß— lt linohcs the continued existence of a large body of citizens living in idleness on revenues derived from the labour and skill ot the working classes, and who constitute, therefore, a permanent and injurious burden on the industry of the people. For these misons it is essential to the well-being ot the community that unrestricted piivate pLOpeity in land be abolished. And further :—: — Blc yum.— ln every one of these cases in which tho piesent system ot laudlordisin produces evil results, and carries with it the curse of pauperism and ciime, a well-gUHidod system of occupying ownership under the .State i 0i 0 calculated to produce beneficial results — to diminish pauperism and crime, and to add to the geneial well-being of the whole community — it therufoie becomes necessary that some such system of land nationalisation as that here sketched out be sjjeedily established. Mr A. 11. Wallace concludes with a quotation fiom .Mi ./. Boyd Kinneai's important and instructive volume :—: — •' Who does not see how much happier Kngland will be A\hon, instead ot one great mansion sunounded by miles beyond miles of one huge pioperty, fanned by the tenants-at-will of one landlord, titled by the mere laboureis, whose youth and manhood know no lelaxation fvorili rough mechanical toil, whose old age sees no home but the chance of charity or the certainty of the workhouse, there shall be a thousand estates of vaiyiug size, where each owner shall work lor himself and his children, w here the sense of independence shall lighten the burden of daily toil, where education shall give re&omcvs, and the labour of youth shall suffice for the support ol age.' " Working men of England," adds Mr Wallace, " 1 have shown you how this improved social condition may be brought about. It is for you to make your voices heard and insist that it be made the question of the day by your chosen representatives in the legislature."

Ax attempt is to be made to run trains thiough the St Uothard tunnel by means of electricity. At present the pioducts of combustion left in the tunnel make ti availing very uncomfortable. TjiK public teachers in Fiance number 32,403 females and 49,201 males. Only 197 teflialea ami 073 males have salaries of £100 and upwaids, the umainder varying;' from' £24 to £100. Most -of them leccite jKiy at Hie rate ot £1 a M'tck. The total annual cNpcnse under tJiQf.htiml of< salaries h a JhfcJekss tiian, 1 £$,QQQ,(Mt a <ytai', pr nu ai-ciage of d(i loi/fnvh teavher, and the Mioisttr of the of it'ubijb Instruction ichisea to pr»poae an . , , , •