大象传媒

Bha mi ag innse dhuibh an t-seachdain sa chaidh mun fhear-phoilitigs ainmeil Sir Iain MacCoinnich. Rugadh is thogadh e ann an taobh sear Rois. Chaidh e a dh鈥檉huireach ann an New Zealand, no Sealan Nuadh. Bha sin ann an ochd ceud deug is seasgad (1860). Chaidh Iain agus a鈥� bhean aige don Eilean mu Dheas. Bha iad a鈥� fuireach faisg air D霉n 脠ideann.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Fhuair Iain obair mar ch矛obair. Dh鈥檕braich e gu cruaidh. Taobh 聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽a-staigh d脿 bhliadhna, bha airgead gu le貌r aige. Cheannaich e tuathanas.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Chaidh Iain an s脿s ann am poilitigs. Ann an ochd ceud deug, ochdad 鈥檚 a h-aon (1881) chaidh a thaghadh mar bhall p脿rlamaid. Bha e na bhall de na Libearalaich. Bha iadsan l脿idir anns an Eilean mu Dheas. Bha Iain ag iarraidh taic a thoirt do thuathanaich bheaga. Chunnaic e an sgrios a rinn uachdarain ann an Alba.

Bha Iain ag iarraidh a bhith cinnteach nach robh an aon rud a鈥� dol a thachairt ann an Sealan Nuadh. Bha e na Mhinistear airson an Fhearainn anns an Riaghaltas Libearalach. Bha sin eadar ochd ceud deug, naochad 鈥檚 a h-aon (1891) agus a鈥� bhliadhna naoi ceud deug (1900).

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Rinn e ceithir rudan m貌ra mar Mhinistear. Thug e a-steach c矛s fearainn. Thug e cothrom do dhaoine fearann a bhith aca air mh脿l gu s矛orraidh. 鈥橲 e sin rud ris an canar an 鈥�999-year lease鈥� ann am Beurla. Cheannaich an Riaghaltas oighreachd mh貌r. Bhris iad an oighreachd airson tuathanasan beaga a chruthachadh. Agus st猫idhich Iain ann an lagh cead a bhith aig an riaghaltas fearann sam bith a cheannach. Bha sin eadhon mura robh an duine leis an robh am fearann ag iarraidh a reic.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Nuair a bha MacCoinnich na Mhinistear, chaidh c貌rr is millean acaire fhosgladh airson tuathanasan beaga a chruth-achadh. Fhuair seachd m矛le teaghlach tuathanas dhaibh fh猫in.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Ach bha aon bhuidheann nach robh toilichte. Bha fearann m貌r aca anns an Eilean mu Thuath. Na Maori. Ch矛 sinn mar a thug poileasaidhean MhicCoinnich buaidh air na Maori an ath-sheachdain.

I was telling you last week about the famous politician Sir John McKenzie. He was born and raised in Easter Ross. He went to live in New Zealand. That was in 1860. John and his wife went to the South Island. They were living near Dunedin.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 John got work as a shepherd. He worked hard. Within two years, he had enough money. He bought a farm.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 John got involved in politics. In 1881 he was elected as a member of parliam-ent. He was a member of the Liberals. They were strong on the South Island. John was wanting to help the small farmers. He saw [had seen] the damage that landlords did [had done] in Scotland.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 John was wanting to be certain that the same thing was not going to happen in New Zealand. He was Minister for Land[s] in the Liberal Government. That was between 1891 and 1900.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 He did three major things as Minister. He introduced a land tax. He gave people an opportunity to get land on a perpetual lease. That鈥檚 a thing called a 鈥�999-year lease鈥� in English. The Government bought a large estate. They broke up the estate in order to make small farms. And John established in law permission for the govern-ment to buy any land. That was even if the man who owned the land didn鈥檛 want to sell it.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 When McKenzie was Mini-ster, more than a million acres were opened to make small farms. Seven thousand families got their own farm.