The Dunstan Times. FRIDAY, MARCH 13, 1874.

Dunstan Times, Issue 621, 13 March 1874, Page 2

The Dunstan Times.

FRIDAY, MARCH 13, 1874.

Beneath tho Rule of Men entirely just the pen is siloiiTiEß than thes word.

The Wakatip Huns are at last to be sold. It must be nearly eight years since the Provincial Government first signified its intention of leasing these small blocks to the public ; and notwithstanding that it was repeatedly pointed out to them by the Hon. Julius Vogel (then Provincial Treasurer'of Otago), that they could not possibly be managed unless the de. pasturing rights were clearly and definitely settled, the Provincial authorities have always halted between public clamor—or what is generally understood on the fields as the voice of a noisy few—and a common-sense arrangement beneficial to the whole of the Province. Wei by no means believe in the blocking up of country from the people ; but we thoroughly object to a small and insignificant section of the people occupying a large extent of it to the detriment of others, which has always been the case with the socalled, Wakatip Pams. Under the guise of commonage these runs have been stocked_)with sheep for years past, the owners’of which have not paid assessment on one half the stock depastured,'while they ‘have so overrun the great cattle cannot find subsistence except during the the most unfavorable seasonsjandfrom what we can glean from the local papers and'l correspondents' letters, miners ’ arid farmers experience as ranch difficulty in depasturing their stock ’at the Wakatip’as in the Dunstan District,‘where there is scarcely any depasturing rights at all. Wo do not wish people to infer that the whole of this country is suitable for great cattle ; but where large flocks of sheep are kept untended they overrun every place, and the fine grassy gullies and hill-sides, which the farmer f>r miner considers as rightfully his to depasture his stock upon, are rendered worthless, the sheep having spoiled all the feed. So far as we can learn, the extensive commonage rights at the Wakatip have only been so in name. They have virtually been the property of some dozen sheep-owners; and these being largely interested with some of the business people, have kept up a constant cry against the sale of the runs, which has been mistaken by the Government for public opinion. The Hon. Mr. Vogel said that Provincial Governments were too easily approachable, and we quite endorse bis opinion in that respect ; and had this reasoning been listened to, these runs might have been sold long since, and much trouble and vexation saved, let alone the enormous benefits the revenue might have derived. Whether the runs to be sold on the 16th instant will fetch much it is difficult to say, as the leases will be very much hampered up by existing rights as well as the privilege of miners and others to depasture a given amount of stock which their miner’s rights or mining leases entitle them, while the ground may also be taken up by agriculturists under the leasing system, let. alone the right to mine on any portion of them, cut timber, &c. No person living at a distance and unacquainted with the locale of the runs, is likely to com pete, and we are almost inclined to fancy that present holders will obfai n

them at a very moderate price. As each purchaser will be entitled to enter into possession on tho 10th of April next, a great injustice will be perpetrated on persons already legally depasturing stock and not being purchasers. This will come very hard on sheep-owners, who cannot possibly remove them at such a short notice, especially with winter staring'them in the face, and they will be compelled to dispose of their stock at a ruinous sacrifice. We should hardly imagine that the PaovincialjjGovernment, in doing what is right, will inflict a grievous wrong, and we should hope that, however beneficial the sale of the runs may be to 'the interests of the Province at large, no single individual will be made to suffer.