THE LAND QUESTION AND IMMIGRATION.

Dunstan Times, Issue 429, 8 July 1870, Page 3

THE LAND QUESTION AND IMMIGRATION.

(TO THE EDITOR OF THE DUtfSTAN TIMES. ) Sir,—Several anonymous letters touching the immigration of the working classes into the colony having appeared in the “ Daily Times” and other journals of the province. 1 do myself the honor to freely express my opinions relating to the IntUfO decadence of the colony which must take place if the administrative p >wers do not, without delay, protect, encourage, and prsmote the agricultural foster-mother of the people, and that ought to be considered the fundamental basis of a nation.

■J Up to this time protection and en couragement have been specially afforded to the Wool, *hide and meat producers, to the detriment of the agriculturist. Wiia’ ir the result 1 A gradual depression, followed by pauperism, and a considerable number of men thrown trtxt of employment. The evil which existed in Lancashire in 1862 is likely to be repeated here ; and, unless forethought and attention are given to the matter, the future prospects of the col my may befruined. The people of to-day should not be held to bear the whole blame of mismanagement, It would be manifest injustice to tax the present Government with such blame. In the first instance, a false step was taken which diverged from the right line, and the further Ve move from our point of departure the greater will be tho difficulty and the colony plunged still further into poverty, in which state her riches can never be developed.

The Government have for some years encouraged and favored immigration. What are immigrants, who are nearly all country people, to seek? Work, without doubt. Then why not provide it for them? Or rather, permit them to procure it for themselves by creating industries which can only be created by the plough ! Why permit a certain class of speculators to take the best land, thereby interfering with its culture ! The farmer could cultivate the land-, not only to his own advantage, but also to the advantage of the colony, wnich thereby made become the REAL Britain of th; Southern Seas.

There is no part of this country value’ess. The arid and marshy plains, the thick forests, the mountains and valleys of which it is composed requires on'y protection, intelligence, capital, and labor to produce from the fervid resources of the soil riches and prosperity. If the land be properly cultivated, what matters it whether it is sold at a high or low price ? It is well known that agriculture is the mainstay of a nation, and therefore, were the land more freely distributed, in contradistinction to the present system of locking it up, satisfaction would be given to all but those whose personal inte. rests might thereby suffer. This is a noble task to accomplish, and the the thanks of the present and future generations would be accorded to the Legislature who should succeed in carrying it out. Have the theories on social economy and on prosperity of nations ever done good ? No 1 Have they brought forth the means for human nourishment ? No ! What position does the farm laborer hold in conparison with an empty talker in thoCouncil? The first endures privation while he adds to the comfort and coilVeniee of his fellow man : the other drones away his time and reaps riches and power, Emigration. —lt is well known that thousands of persons have emigrated from the colony, especially from Otago, since the discovery of gold in 1861, owing to the of land on which to settle, thereby losing to the colony an incalculable sum of money, and the various Governments have been appealed to and warned on the subject for years, but "without avail. The only means to arrest the flow of emigration (still existing) are, in my opinion :

A just and imparsial division of the land, as before suggested, but upon the following basis : —That, instead of the present system of 1 asing the land for seven years at half-a-crown per acre, the period should extend to eight y n ars giving the lessee credit for those payments, and, at the expiration of that term, giving him a Crown grant as for pnrohaso-money paid, That an alternative should be granted, so that if intending agriculturists wush to puchase land they should be at liberty to do so at the rate of ss. per acre, on deferred payment for five years, with interest at the rate ef ten per cent, per annum, and granting a free passage to all such as could prove the possession of sufficient capital and skill to cultivate the land applied for and granted to them. By the above means there would be, doubtless, in a few years a settled population conducing to the prosperity of the colony.

Another class of immigrants required in this colony are agricultural laborers, vinegrowers, and domestic servants of approved character, and not the class of persons whom the policy of the Government has hitherto introduced—namely, artisans and poor people, most of whom, on arriving, havefound themselves deceived, and attained to misery.

In connexion with immigration,! consider that if a law were in existence legalising free distillation on farms and vineyards, it would be a great advantage. The question of making alcohol is of too great importance to be lightly touched upon, and agriculture ought to he considered as one of its most powerful auxiliaries. 'The cultivator makes wine and cider—why should ho not make alcohol ? Why should he not prepare potash, cream of tartar, tinctorial produce, &c., which can .be obtained from the products of hi* own

land ! Every farmer should, in my opinion, be permitted to establish a distillery according to his means. He would construct his furnaces in such a manner as to permit the combustion of such plants as would produce ashes, to bs converted into potash, The bottom of the furnaces being paved with lime stone which, when being withdrawn after calcination, would produce lime, which is necessary in forming composts for the land. The steam conducting tubes would be plunged in lees concentrated by potash, in order to evaporate them into a proper consistency.

The distillation of flowers for essences and perfumery would complete all thrt would be required on the farm by distillation, and the production of alcohol to be in its proper place, must be an agricultural one, andnotan “appanage” of the capitalist, under the existin'! Distillation Act. In connexion with the above remarks it will be seen that great advantage wou'd be derived if free distillation were granted on farms, as after the production of aleofc ol the farmer could fatten an immense nnmbi r of cattle from the residue. According to »n account given by the celebrated agricultural chemist, Mr. N. Basset, on a farm in the vicinity of Paris, the fartnof was able to keep five bead of great cattle, or thirty sheep, with the product of one hectarre (two and two-fifths acres) of beetroot, after having extracted the alcohol.

It will thus be seen that the farmer can produce meat, Wool, hide, and tallow, and give employment to a number of laborer* As it is, these branches of production art in the hands of capitalists (squatters) who are in possession of the best land, th< total number of men constantly employed, by whom does not exceed fifty for every hundred thousand acres.

The question of duty on spirits, in connexion with the remarks on distillation, might be looked upon as serious, and tin fanners may be considered to derive ai almost exclusive benefit by the concession; but when the immense advantages which would be derived by the colony are taker, into consideration it could not be considered a sacrifice.

To conclude, it is a question whether it i? not more preferable for a man who, in Europe, posseses a small capital, and deciding to seek his fortune in a new country, to go to America. On his arrival there he car purchase any 'quantity of good agricultural land at ss. per acre, with deferred pay men'ts. He can establish on his farm every industry compatible with the nature of his soil and situation. Ho cultivates his land and he is a free farmer and producer without being subjected to any absurd restrictions, and not subject to the squatting community —those enemies of progress whose sole aim is to monopolise the best lands and to create a “pseudo aristocracy.” I ato, &c., J. D. FERAUD.