HOW THE MINISTRY PROMOTES LAND SETILAMENT.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1665, 17 September 1887, Page 1 (Supplement)

HOW THE MINISTRY PROMOTES LAND SET I LAMENT.

We hear much about the Special Village Settlement soheme, and of the anxiety of Mr Ballance, m particular, and of tho Ministry, m general, to got the people upon the land, but the following letter, whioh waa lately published m an Auokland newspaper, ie a praotioal commentary upon Mr Ballanee's operations :—

TO THB SDIZOBt

Sib.— Having read your able leader on lend settlement, I take the liberty of putting before you my experiences of getting land ia this colony. I may here state that I came from the County of Down, m the North of Ireland, where I held a farm of sixty acres, and ••old have lived by bard work and industry pretty comfortably; but having a large family »f sons, aud having read from time to tima about the grand opening there was for men with families m New Zealand to obtain large farms of good land, wherever they might select to live, I though I would come here and get a large farm from tha Government to settle my family on. But I find there it bo chance of anything of the kind. To let yo« see that I did not sell out and come away without due consideration before I offered my property for sale, I wrote two letters te the Agent-General for New Zealand, who advised me strongly to come, and even offered me assisted passages for myself, wife and eeven children, for the sum of fifty-five pounds, which, however, I did not take, as I thought that by paying our own passages, and putting the Government to no expenses, that I would surely be better treated. However, I soon found out my mistake, as on my arrival here I went to the Crown Lands Offioe to get information as to how I should aot to get the land at once. I was told to go to the bookseller's and buy a "Land Guide," which would give me all the information I required. The books, however, were not ready for sale for some time, and after a few weeks' delay I got one, and having perused it I again went to the Land Office, having made up my mind that I would take the land under tbe leasing system with the right to obtain the freehold through time, as I found that was the only way I could get about the quantity I wanted, whioh was six hundred aores, as I wished to be m a position to leave eaoh of my ions one hundred when we had it brought into) cultivation, and they wished to settle for themselves. I was told, however, that they had very little land to give away nnder that system, but they would have a sale of land after some time, whioh would be for cash, and I might then buy, as it would be advertised before sale ; or, if I choose, I might make application to get some of the land which was open for cash changed to the leasing system. But I was told that from the time I would make the application till I could get an answer would be four or five months; and even then there were only very slight hopes held out to me that the powers that be would accede to my request. So now you see my position after paying almost £170 for passage money, besides other expenses. I may tell you also that after the letters I had from the Agent-General I was so confident that all would be right that I brought two young men whom I had as farm hands with me, on them promising that they would work with me till they paid me back their passage money, helping to olear off the land. And now I hope you will excuse me for trespassing to far on your valuable time and space. . I will only trouble you with a few suggestions. I think if the Government meant to treat men like myself fairly, they should give them land wherever they wanted it, providing it was Crown~land, and under whatever system they might make application, only binding them to use it as an agricultural holding, or at least to be used for agricultural purposes; that they should get the freehold at onoe: that there should be no going baok to valuate ; that whatever value is put on the land, that should be final; that there should be ne charge on the land till after tha cad of the third year, as any reasonable man can see at a glanoe that no man can make anything off the land for the fisst three years at the very least ; that they should have the right to pay off the capital value of the land at any tima they wished by instalments, and so have the land their own, which would be sure to create a spirit of energy to go ahead and prosper. Hoping you will use your great influence on behalf of a olass of hardworking and indui* trious men, I am, fete,

A Would-be Fashes. Franklin Boad, August 17th, 1887.