The Herald. Alexandra, Thursday Feb. 12, 1903. THE MOUTERE RUNS.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 353, 12 February 1903, Page 4

The Herald. Alexandra, Thursday Feb. 12, 1903. THE MOUTERE RUNS.

Our Clyde contemporary takes us to task for the statement, made in our last issue, wherein we said that evidently a mistaken impression had got •broad that the Mdutere runs were to he absolutely locked up for 14 years, if the runs are re-le»sei as proposed; and the same journal goes on to say that we evidently took but a cursory glance at the petition rehired to, otherwise we would have known that the desire of the petitioners was not that the term of the lease should be reduced, but that the sale should be stopped and the land sub-divided immediately for sett'ement. In the first place, we may state, that, prior to' penning the remarks taken exception to by the " Dunstan Times," we had not had an opportunity of perusing th* petition, nor have we had since. Our surmise that there was feeling prevalent in Clyde that the land would be irretrievably locked up for the full term of the lease was based chiefly on the remarks made by our contemporary, in its issue of last week; but apart from this we had good reason to know that several, at any rate, of the requisition ists were under this impression, until j the matter was explained by us last week. But we will let this phase of the question drop meantime, and endeavor to ascertain by what process of reasoning the Clyde branch of the Railway League arrives at the con ; elusion that there is a genuine public demand for the outtingup of the Moutere runs for close, settlement. The " Dunstan Times " (which is, we presume, the mouthpiece of the Clyde League and the requisitionists), iD dealing with the matter in its last issue, says :—" Were the land cut up " for settlement we are confident " every section would be applied for." Is the " Dunstan Times," or are the requisitionists, aware that, as the result of a dimilar agitation in 1893, an area of 5000 acres on Moutere run was cut up for settlement into thirteen sections, with the result that there were absolutely no applicants for the land ? But such is the inexorable fact. About three or four years aeo. however, one of the sections (No. 121), comprising an area of 318 acres, was taken up by a settler, but of this sec tion so far less than 20 acres is fenced and under cultivation. Of the remaining sections, four have been thrown back into Run 221 c, for the reason, we understand, that they are not suf ficiently watered for agricultural purposes; whilst the other eight, com pris ing a total area of 3800 acres, are still open to be taken up by those who are anxious to settle on this land. As 'these sections, presumably, comprise the pick of the available agricultural land in the neighbourhoodj it is passing strange that the landhunger which, according to our contemporary, has recently developed to a degree of such amazing intensity, was not manifest during the ten years that this portion of the run has been ly ; ng open for selection—waiting patiently for the settlers who have never come. It will be seen on reference to the mar that these s«ctions are excluded from the pastoral lease; but, as a matter bf fact, Mr Jopp has been allowed a grazing right over them, on payment of a small rental, until tbey are applie-l for by agriculturists. As the " Dunstan vTimes " has /quoted Mr M'A Strath-Clyde example of tbe quaUty_nf_fli«'iand, it might further be mentioned that the sections referred to adjoin Mr M* Arthur's holding. In view of these facts, what becomes of the argument that if the whole run were cut up " every section would be i applied for" ? And if there be a genuine desire to settle on the land, why, we should like to know, has the exfr nsive area already opened been allowed to go begging so long? In conclusion, we might say that we are quite as solicitous for the welfare of this district, as is our Clyde friend ; but we respectfully decline to go into hysterics over an agitation that appears to us to be based on a chimerical foundation.