THE NEW SOUTH WALES LAND SYSTEM.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3707, 2 June 1883, Page 4

THE NEW SOUTH WALES LAND SYSTEM.

Forcnmst among tho matters to be taken in iv tho next session of tho new South Wales Parliament will be the consideration of the land question. It Avas upon this point that tho Parkos Government was displaced on the appeal to the country, and the Stuart, Ministry Avill be called upon to justify their claims to succeed, by submitting i'u thecoursoof the next fcAV months a woll-dovised amendment of the present system. As a preliminary step, Mr Stuart, as far back as January last, appointed Mossrs Augustus Morris and _ George Rankin to "conduct any inquiry into the state of tho public lands and the operation of the land laws. These gentlemen, after a very exhaustive investigation, have presented to tho Government a report containing valuable material for subsequent use. Tho report deals at great length Avith the operation of the land laws, and strongly condemns Urn effect Avhich they have had on tho settlement, of the country and the and the alienation of the public estate. Tho irresistablo operation of the system of free selection before survey has been to placo tho squattors and selectors in irrcconcileable antagonism. In tho coast and older settled districts, whero conditional purchases were able to cultivate the soil undisturbed by conflicts with lesseos, settlement has proceeded satisfactorily, but the result has bcon different in the pastoral districts of tho interior. There the squatters, to protect themselves airainst a species of blackmailing, carried ou under the system of free selection, havo been driven by every means Avhioh lay in their power to secure control of tho land. Speaking generally of the land law, the report snys that the history of its wliolo operations for years has been an "unintelligible chaos," and the chief points of the policy now apparent are " huge pastoral freehold estates accumulating in the best of our grazing country." The great north-western pastoral districts, distant so far from settlement, have as yet escaped this disastrous antagonism between lessees aud selectors, but Messrs Rankin and Morris point out that unless a change of system be adopted tho time must soon approach vhen tho snino evils will have sway there. Vast sums of money over £4,ooo,9oo—have been spent by the pioneers in tho conservation of Avater and the improvement of the country, and yet they have no protection from tho land laws.