POLITICAL NOTES.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1879, 13 October 1913, Page 8

POLITICAL NOTES.

HAURAKI LANDS.

SOME FACTS ABOUT THEM.

Tho lanßs to ■ which tho clause beinj hold up in tho Land Bill debate applies comprise practically tlio whole Coromandel peninsula, and the lowest estimate of the area is 250,000 acres. Ui this hugo stretch of country only ; small portion is at present occupied Ik®l only tenure on which it is now offered is a twenty-one years' license, which is muoh less satisfactory to the holders than ordinary Crown leasehold, and foi some years there has been an agitation by tlio. settlors and tho local bodies in tho district to have tho lands thrown open on the same terms as ordinary Crown lands, the right to all minerals to bo reserved to the Crown. A deputation which urged this alteration waited upon the I'nmo Minister at Thames in January last, and it is worthy of note that on that occasion Mr. T. W. Ilhndos, M.I 1 ., who introduced the deputation publicly, stated that lie was tho holder of ono of the pastoral liconses, but that tho tenuro was not satisfactory. . ' Tho official description of the block taken up by All - . Rhodes as appearing on the Lands Department's poster when the land wis oponed for selection was as follows:—"ltougli,. broken forest country, eight to eleven, miles. from Coromandel, and nine to twelve miles from' Mercury Bay." ; 'Mr. W; C. Kensington, fIX-Under-Secretary for Crown Lands, has described tho block as follows: "I know tho country very well. It is so broken'and such poor,clay soil in most parts, and being only .pastoral laud, I do not. - think ;the area excessive." ' '. Tlio fact seems to bo that tho land .is just about worth while for a settler if lie can got the freehold of it, and secure. his improvements boyond all risk, but not worth whilo under any otlior tenure. It will not carry tho best English grassos, - but it would tako and hold • fairly well somo grasses that, would feed slreop. Tho estimate.. ;•<«{; the , carrying' capacity of tho district is about a sheep to tho aero. As to the risk of tho isettlement interfering with alining in future, it may be mentioned'tliat the wholo peninsula has been prospected fully. It is the olclost field in New Zealand, and miners and mining geologists are of opinion that,thero are no more Waihi reefs to be discovered thereabouts. All through tho peninsula thero is quartz, but most of it does not contain a spcck of gold. In other word 3, a very largo percentage of tho lands is not auriferous. It may be mentioned that Air. T. W. Bhodos is not the only member of tho House who has a piece of this land. Air. H. Poland, member for Ohinemuri, has had a piece for some time, but he has converted his 21 years' loaso into a 66 years', .lease. By this '.tho land has been merged in tho national endowment, so that if tlio new clause Is passed, it will not benefit Air. Poland. He cannot convert his leaso into freohold, becauso no .tenant can get freehold title to any endowment land. GOING ON WITH THE BILL. Tho Prime Minister informed a roportor yesterday that he proposed to no on with the Land Bill until it was through. No other business would bo takeu until it was finally disposed of. DISSOLUTION AND LOCAL OPTION. It was suggested some time ago, when at least one prominent Opposition journal was advising members of its party to concentrate ou forcing a dissolution during tho .session, that one of tho objects of the agitation was to ensure that no licensing poll would be taken at tho general election following. The law is that in the event of a general election occurring within two years of the last local option poll no local option poll shall bo taken at that election. Now, however, if tho Opposition, by refusing to pass tho freehold Land Bill, were to forco tho Prime Alinistor to appeal to the country to ask for a dissolution,'they would not achieve the object so earnestly desired by some of their eupportors—tho avoidance of a local option poll—becauso it is now so near to tlio date of the last general election, December 7, that the Government could easily defer the next election until after that date, and so ensuro_ the taking of a lccal option poll. It is improbable that Air. Massey would ask for a dissolution until after at least a fortnight more of obstruction, and after that the Appropriation Bill and an Electoral Bill would navo to bo passed.. This would occupy the House at least until November 1, and it.would not bo out of order for tho Government to fix. election day for six Weeks lator. t

END OF THE SESSION. It is admitted now on all hands that tho session will not end before December, probably until the middle of the month. And with the holding up of the Land Bill disappears the last chance of an adjournment for tho opening of tho Exhibition. Such at any rate is the opinion of members whose judgment is worth consideration.

Mr. David M'Crao is moving his mattress factory from Jolinsonville to Parish Street, 'Wellington (near to his-warehouse, B Parish Street), where he has two floors, each 50 by 40- ifC-t;. tho machinery is placet! on the top floor. The firm intend showing at the Auckland Exhibition, and liioy propose '.manufacturing- in each cen'tro shortly, bedding bqing too bulky to ship by boat by measurement. They make beds in hair, kapoc, cocoa fibre, and, flax, in all sizes, from a cot to a full-sized bed; also import direct for tho trade.felt pads for laying between tho wire wove and the mattress. They get the kapoc from Sarnarang direct, and they also import their own ticking, giving .their customers the benefit of whatiis.save'd from thio middleman. Mr. M'Crao will be pleased to supply the trade generally, and solicits new, and a continuation of all old customers' trade. , The spring cattle fair will bo held at Sol way saleyards on Tuesday, October /28. Tho Associated Auctioneers advertise in this issue the entries Teceived up .to date. Messrs.' Milburn and Co., Auckland, describe elsewhere in detail a good exchange proposition. It is 2200 acres of the best "Waikato land, situated only six miles from two.important townships. Messrs. J. Harris and Sons, Marton and Marton Junction, have 190 acres of Sandon ryegrass country for sale. Messrs. J. K. Perry and Co., Peilding, have a general store, an a flourishing district, for disposal. Tho owner will sell or exchange for farm. • Messrs. J. T. Horn, Ltd., 'Wellington, ndvertiso that they hfvo a Nelson orchard (bearing) for sale.' Last year's crop was 3200 cases, which produced ,£9OO. A lecture on "Municipal Accounts and Finance" will be delivered by Mr. John S. Barton, F.E.A., before members of the New Zealand Society of Accountants at tbe Lecture Hall, Accountants' Chambers, Johnston Street, on Wednesday evening. The Sol way sale is to bo held on Wednesday, October 15, when the Associated Auctioneers will submit a good entry of cheep and cattle. The various lines of sheep and cattle which will bo sold at tho Palinerston North stock sale, to bo held ou October IG, will ha found Jn another column. Tlntries recoived for thq Upper Hntt ttock salo aro inserted by Messrs. Dal-r-otv and Co., Ltd. Thursday, October 10 'is the date of to salo. Messrs. Williams and Kettle, Ltd., Napier, describe'in anotner column a 4000-acro leasehold form, which is m their hands for disposal- The land is about ofl miles, from Gisborne and winters 10,000 sheep and 800 cattlo. For Children's Hacking Cough at Night, Woods' Great Peppermint Cure, la, Gd.*