The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 1887. VILLAGE SETTLEMENTS.
We have, on former occasions, gben expression of approval of the present Government's Village Settlements Scheme and we see no reason now that theory has has been converted into praotioe, to alter or modify onr views. We notice with regret, however, that during the present eleotion campaign the exigency of the iltaation has oaoßed several former admirers to change front and to condemn now the soheme which formerly they praised. All kinds of objections are nrged against it. Bat it is one of those questions* where the homely old adage, " The proo of the padding Id the eating," Is very pertiently applicable and In this oate all who have partaken of It bear valuable testimony to its excellence. In the North Island, where the Government have had greater soopo In the matter of ■electing land, all the village settlers seem to be doing well. In this island, where unallenated land is not so common and selection necessarily restricted, complaints have been made by outsiders that settlement! have been planted m localities where the land is of poor qaality and remote from markets. But 'those most deeply interested— the village settlers themselves — seem very well pleased with their holdings. This is nut a mere vague assertion on our part, for we learn from a speech lately delivered by Sir Julius Yogel, that Mr Marsh, the offioer m charge, sent round to all the persons who had taken op these settlements and who had been more than six months on their holdings thres questions to be answered. They were : " How are yon progressing 1" " Are yon satisfied with yoor prospects 1" and " Do yon wish to give up your sec tlon?" The answers were as follows:— No 1 — " lam doing jast middling :I am satisfied with the section ; only one great drawbrok is the want of water ; lam not Inclined to give up my section." No 2 — "We are getting on middling well; we have a house, and each section fenced and ploughed, One great drawback to ut Is the want of water ; it is very dry here In summer. We have no desire to give up the section." No 3— « 'Fifty aores is small to make a living on, and there is no employment m this district. I have the house finished ; I have no trlsh ts give up the section." No 4 — "lam making all the Improvements I o»n. I have the land all fenced, ten acres ploughed, six acres In wheat, and an addition of one room to my house ; I cannot give a decided answer yet ; Ido not want to give up my seotion, as it would leave me homeless." No s—" I have my land ploughed and intend to put oats m at once, I do not think I shall make the rent this year I consider the rent too high ; I don't Intend to give np just yet." No 6—" lam progressing as well as oan be expooted ; I am qnlte satisfied with my prospocts ; I have no wish whatever to part with my section," No 7— "l have ploughed thirteen aoroe, intend putting ten acres In oats and In fruit trees ; I am satisfied ; I do not wish to give np my section, I have what I consider a nice little borne and am content." No 8— "I have the house np, land broken up and fenced ; I am very well satisfied ; I do not with to give up my section." No 9— "l am getting on all right ; lam perfectly satisfied with my prospects ; I do not wish to give the aection up. I have laid out £30 and still have to make Improvements.'' No 10— "I have finished my bouse, and am grubbing np «turap3 for root orop ; I am satisfied with my prospects, as I tbink the village settlement the best thing that has been brought forward for the working man and also the colony ;Tl do not wish to give up my section." No 11 — I am progressing very slowly but very sorely ; I am very well satisfied with my prospects ; I have no wish to give it op so long as I can pay my rents and keep m good health." No 12— "I have fenced and ploughed up my seotion and built a three-roomed house ; lam perfectly satisfied ; I am perfectly pleased with my little home, and do not wish to part with it." No 13—" I am doing well ever since I took up my allotment. I have fifty-four chains of fencing done and five aores of flax cleared ; lam very well satisfied with my prospects, and .Intend to make a nioe comfortable home ; I do not intend to give up my section. It would take a good ism of money to boy me oyt," No iw;yr|ll have my
section ploughed np about tbe end of the month and have a crop of turnips m this season. I am well pleased with my section. I have no idea of giving np my section, I sent draft tbia morning for rent," No 15— "I am making prepare, tions for fenoing and putting my house up. Perfectly satisfied, and only wish I had the chance years ago. I wonld not give up my section for any consideration. 1 hope to be spared to make it a com. fortable home." No 16— "I am progressing grand. My prospects lam satis* fied with ; my section I intend keeping." We give the answers of the varioni holders m their own words to as to effectually oloae the door against doubt as to the truth rf our assertion, that they ar satisfied and doing well. These answers are asuflioient refutation of the ohargei levelled against the Village Settlement Scheme by candidates and others adopting the Opposition platform. It will be noticed that the magic oharm postested by that sweet little word " Home," forms one of the leading features m the aspirations of those settlers, the phrase, " a new little home" or "a comfortable home" fre" quently occurring. It will also be noticed that m two or three instances the drynest of the locality Is refeered to m the replies forwarded. This wo may observe, has arisen In consequence of the area of selection open to the Government being so circmnioribed. This will, no donbt, be remedied In future settlements by the operation of the Land Acquisition Bill should it become law. We dlreot the attention of electors to this subject at the present time, aa a tremendous effort ii being made by the Opposition to secure the return of tbe Atkinson party to power by giving it a large majority at the forthcoming elections — a party which we need not say is opposed to Village Settlement or to any settlement of the population on the land on easy terms. It would, In our opinion, be a grevloua wrong to oar lees fortunate fellow colonists to return men pledged to uphold the Atkinson .policy, for then the Village Settlement Scheme would be sure to have sharp deipatch —a scheme which hai not only direotly caused hundreds to acquire a home and Independence and to do well, and indireotly, to solve one of the most trying questions of the day— the unemployed. If thepeoph prove true to themselves and refuse to surrender their Interests and liberties 'to the hands of (< The Selfish Party" — the money-bags and land monopolists — preferring to repose moh a saored trust with the Oovernment, which has done so much for them, all will be well, and Village Settlements will grow and increase, but if not — well we will draw the veil, for we shudder to contemplate the alternation.
Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/AG18870903.2.3
Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka
Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1653, 3 September 1887, Page 2
Word count
Tapeke kupu
1,290The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 1887. VILLAGE SETTLEMENTS. Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1653, 3 September 1887, Page 2
Using this item
Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi
No known copyright (New Zealand)
To the best of the National Library of New Zealand’s knowledge, under New Zealand law, there is no copyright in this item in New Zealand.
You can copy this item, share it, and post it on a blog or website. It can be modified, remixed and built upon. It can be used commercially. If reproducing this item, it is helpful to include the source.
For further information please refer to the Copyright guide.