[To THE EDITOR OP TEE " SrEcTiros."1 Srn,—In his speech
at Berwick Sir Edward Grey said : "When you are dealing with land reform and you find it necessary to interfere with the individual owner or with the mortgagee, or whoever it may be, you should do it in such a way as not to make him a poorer man," and at once proceeded to advocate the Cabinet proposal to place all such people at the mercy of a new Ministry of Lands, and to deprive them of their con. stitutional right of appeal to a court of justice upon any. question arising between them and this official department. Those interested in land are in fact to be outlawed, contrary to the provisions of Magna Carta. If they are thus outlawed, the bottom is absolutely knocked out of the security of their position and of their investment. Their property must largely depreciate in value, and they must be very considerably poorer, though no one but the officials may be a penny richer. Sir Edward Grey would reply, "You can trust this department to act justly." Even if you could, the sense of security would be gone, and the depreciation would inevitably follow. But the fact that an appeal to a court of justice is denied is strong evidence that injustice is deliberately intended. It is lament- able that any Cabinet should unanimously approve such sweeping unconstitutional proposals at the dictate of the exigencies of party politics. When will men of common sense unite to put an end to this shameful state of affairs ?—I am,
Previous page
