THE "HERALD" AND THE LEASEHOLD.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume L, Issue 12392, 13 December 1909, Page 5

THE "HERALD" AND THE LEASEHOLD.

(To the Editor.) The "Herald's" advocacy of the leasehold would indeed be amusing were it not pitiful. It is amusing to tirink that any journal in a British town should attempt, to cram down the throats of British subjects'the preposterous ideathat leasehold is better tor them, than the freehold. Apart altogether from the sentiment of having one's own little patch of ground, does any of the "Herald's" readers—'the common herd" as it chooses to call them—think it is better to rent a house than to own it? Renting is the basis on which the Jease was founded, leasing being but renting for a specified time. The "Herald" has embarked on a forlorn hope if it thinks it can convince on this question any of its readers no matter how stultified it considers them to be. The "Herald's" ignorance of the land laws of the Dominion' is colossal; One looks to a newspaper for sensible advice and fair criticism, but the "Herald" will put to its readers only one side of the question and even then misrepresents the facts. The "Herald" is not British. With tlie exception of a little coterie of Socialist?, the '-'Herald" is alone in its advocacy of the leasehold. And rightly so, but from the clamour it makes it would have people believe otherwise. There is an old saying which should be borne in mind when the "Herald" is heard shrieking for the leasehold and that is "Because half a dozen grasshoppers under a fern make the field ring with their importunate chick, while thousands of great cattle reposing under the shadow of the British' oak chew the cud, pray do not imagine that those who make the most noise are the only inhabitants of the field." The illustration is a good simile and the value of tho man who makes his living (and the country's prosperity) on the land, compared with the value of the noisy Socialistic agitators, will be appreciated. The ''Herald" is the Rip Van Winkle of journalistic enterprises. It has just lately awakened to the fact that closer settlement is desired and is devoting much space to verbosely expounding an obvious fact. The "Herald" is apparently oblivions of the fact that closer settlement and the* limitation of areas are, and always have been, planks in Mr Massey's rjlatform. The Government, in deference to the sound advice of the Opposition and in deference to "the will of the people," inserted a clause hi the Land Bill, limiting tho areas, which one man might hold, to GOOO acres, for. .breaches of which Act, specific penalties were to be imposed. The Liberal Government, however, has apparently been very lax on the question. The "Herald" is evidently not aware of the Act. Apparently its stage of awakening has not reached that far, but it is aAvaks?iiV.g ; Its desertion from and denouncement of the Government is conclusive proof of that and hopes may be held out for the fr.ture, —I am, etc. A FREEHOLDER.