AMININISTKATION OF EDUCATIONAL RESERVES

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1849, 24 May 1888, Page 2

AMININISTKATION OF EDUCATIONAL RESERVES

The member for Walmate, Major Steward, raised on Taeaday a very Itnpori tant qaeatida m tbe House by aßklng the : Miuletera of Lands " whether the Government will e*riy m the aeaaion submit any proposal to the Legislature to oeoure that educational and ocher reserves shall b^j bo administered as to afford facilities' for settlement Instead of proving' a barrier thereto 1" The Premier replied that the matter waß under consideration, bat Major Steward, we observe, has given notice of motion for leave to bring In a Bill for "the i administration of endowment reserves (a the Interests of settlement." There would , seem to be no question bat that some auoh measure was neoeasary, since Urge tracts of country vested m publio bodies as reaervea for endowment purposes are pratloally looked up from occupation, In many instances forming prolifio breeding grounds for rabbits. The Land Act of 1885 provided specifically that endowment reserve! might be made aubjaot to its provisions— i «., be opened for disposal by sale or i otherwise, but this wan clogged by the proviso that auoh courae should not be taken except at the request or upon the > recommendation of "the body or person ; m whom bucu reaervaa are vested, or ; who have the administration of the revenue arising therefrom." The present \ Ministry were S3 impressed by the desirability of action being taken to throw open the extensive areas reserved, that they proposed m the Laud Act Amendment Bill, introduced last session, to repeal the provisos referred to, and thus : take power to the Executive to declare by proclamation any endowment reserves to be subject to the provisions of the. Land Aots. The Minister of Lands In. moving the second reading of the Bill expressed 1 himself strongly on the subjeot, asserting that m the past endowments had been held and dealt with m a manner injurious to settlement, and stated his Impression that this power being given would prevent the necessity of interference, "I think," he said, "it will be. a aomewhat similar ca^e to what we are all vr ell Acquainted , with — that of a horse whioh will scarcely move without a whip, but if you have one m your hand it goeß well without any application of the whip. I think the Government having the power to Interfere — if endowment reserves are required for the settlement of the country — will prevent the necessity for any interference on the part of the Government." The Souse, however, when the Bill was m Committee, declined by a large majority to oonceda each powers, there belag t* very general feeling among the Southern members that there would be considerable risk of the reserves being eventually swooped up altogther under circumstances of financial exigency which might arise, or at all evonta, there were no sufficient safeguards for securing the capital value or the annual revenues to the purposes of the endowments. There is no doubt whatever that the North has long had a hungry eye towards the valuable endowment reserves m Canterbury and Otago, and the contingency has to be faced of a Northern Ministry being at some time m power. It behoves, therefore, that those reserves should be jealously guarded against every possibility of the future. At the same time it must needs be admitted to {be expedient m the general interests of the colony that there ahould be some means of putting the sorew on the bodies or persons m whom they are vested, so as to prevent the lands being closed to settlement when required. This ia what we may presume Major Steward, who is himsolf a strong Provlncialtst, seeks to effaot, and wa cannot see that there would be any insuperable difficulties m the way, A short discussion which took place m the House last session by Mr W. 0. Smith, the member for Woodville (Wellington provincial district), evoked expressions qf opinion from several members as tq en? do wment reserves being a block to settle; ment, and the Wellington School Oqmmissloners were especially blamed for their | apathy and laxity m dealing with the lands vested m them. — " Ocago I) My Times."