The Dunstan Times. FRIDAY, JANUARY 31st, 1868.

Dunstan Times, Issue 301, 31 January 1868, Page 2

The Dunstan Times.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 31st, 1868.

Beneath the Rule of Men entirely jvst, the pen is mightier than the sword.

The determination of the Provincial Government to sell the leases of the “ Wakatip Euns” appears to have roused the ire of our friends at the Lakes’ district, if the Queenstown Ora cle the “ Wakatip Mail ” is an unprejudiced expression of public opinion--11 owe ver, we, at a distance hold different wiews on the matter of the “ Euns ” question, being decidedly ot opinion that the public estate should be made the most of, and that no Government is doing its duty, unless its acts tend to this result. We are well aware of the advantages of every community of people, lot their numbers be great or small, having a sufficient commonage for depasturing their cattle upon, but like many other good things, this may be considerably overdone, let alone the real object in view being entirely per verted, this, appears to us to be about the state of affairs at the Wakatip. The thousands of acres which the Government have paid heavy compensation for, to the squtters, let alone the many thousands more, which have never been taken up; all now are occupied by a class of persons, who, although sotting themselves down as minors and farmers, are in reality squatters to all intents and purposes, actually making their living by the breeding and rearing of sheep. Every resident on the goldfields has an undoubted right to depasture stock, sufficient for his personal wants or that of his family, and this is what we should imagine is the limit to which the privileges of free commonage could be legitimately applied, but where we find people keeping sheep by thousands, or cattle by hundreds, it is squatting to all intents and purposes, and they have an equal right to pay for the country they occupy, the same, as any other squatters, and we look upon the clam or kicked up by those parties ns mere iy a means to appropriate to their own especial benefit large tracts of count rv free of cost.

Everyone who ; has acquired the slightest experience in the management of stock, knows full well, that where aTarge flock of sheep is kept running, nothing else will live there, and that to all intents and purposes the owner of the sheep is in undisputed possession of the area which comprises his feeding ground. The runs proposed to be sold by the Government at the Wakatip, are really not suitable to the larger squatter, but are especially so to the agriculturists and persons of small means, and we should like to see these in possession, -and from what we can learn, the Govern' ment are disposed to forward this end - The leases of the “ runs ” being sold at Queenstown, will give even local in' habitant a chance to purchase, and if the present occupiers are wise, they a ill not hesitate to do so, when they will find their position considerably improved, and by being legally in possesion of their runs -will be enabled to command the facilities of the money market, and transact their business upon equally advantagesus terms as the large squatter. It is a well understood fact/ that the land which com. prises these “ runs ” is utterly unfit for other than pasturage purposes, and if such is leased in small parcels as proposed by tire Government, with sufficient commonage reservation fertile genrrral public, both the lessees and the country will be mutually advantages. We believe that the question only needs a proper explanation, when wo shall see our friends at the Lakes equally as desirous for tiro sale of the runs as they now arc that no sale should bo made.