The Evening Star FRIDAY, APRIL 23, 1875.

Evening Star, Issue 3795, 23 April 1875, Page 2

The Evening Star FRIDAY, APRIL 23, 1875.

Sir F. D. Bell’s proposal to sell Provincial pastoral lands at ten shillings an acre, and to lease the remainder of our agricultural unsold land, has at least the merit of not beating about the bush. There can be no mistake as to his meaning, and still less to the clear perception he has to the interest of his class. We dare say he has a multitude of plausible reasons to urge in favor of his plan. He tells us the area of arable land left unsold is very small, and therefore considers it would find ready occupiers at a fair rental. We think this part of his plan a very good one. The arguments in favor of leasing land appear to us unanswerable, always provided conditions of occupation and improvement are attached and enforced. But precisely the same arguments apply to squatters v runs jis to agricultural blocks. There is no more reason for selling the one than for alienating the other. Each is utilised in its way, although thus far the squatters have had the best of it. It is, however, time that a third party, the public, should be consulted on this subject, and on their behalf we unhesitatingly say that both.squatters and farmers should hold their leases subject to putting land of both classes to the best possible use. The simple meaning of Sir F. D. Bell’s proposition is that ten shillings an acre for the freehold would involve a loss sum in payment of interest than the rent of the run and the assessment on stock : for it must be remembered that stock depastured on freehold land is not subject to assessment. But there is another and very potent inducement leading him to seek for the adoption of so suicidal a measure to the Province. Tip to this time the pastoral runs of Otago have not been improved to any great extent. As little as possible has been done at them. It is possible that on some few, English grasses have been ®own, and thus the depasturing capabilities have been increased. Very rough and rude are the methods adapted to increase their feeding power. Sometimes a match is applied to dried tussocky grass; it is burned, and from the ashes sweet tender juicy feed is evolved ; or occasionally the squatter or overseer fills his pockets with seeds, and scatters them here and there on bare places. But further than this very few have thought it worth their while to trouble themselves. Most probably were systematic and well directed efforts made to improve the pasture, twice as many sheep, or even more, could be fed in Otago than now stock our runs. This would be of immense advantage to the runowners, and indirectly to the country ; but it will not do for the public to be deluded by the argument. The land is there and is equally capable of improvement when held under lease as under a freehold tenure. It will be replied there is not equal inducement, for when a man owns land he is more willing to invest capital in increasing its productive power than he is when he holds it for a term of years. This sounds fair, but is only true under certain conditions. If the lessee has no security that improvements will be profitable to him he will not make them. That which a man puts into the soil is his, and unless under special circumstances, whatever fcir interest he has remaining in it on transfer or termination of his lease should be refunded. The probability is, therefore, that, with the certainty of receiving a fair valuation for improvements, there would be no hesitation oh the part of lessees to take runs on improvement conditions. It has always been so in England, even when firms have been occupied on the flimsiest tenure. Tenants at will have never hesitated to farm high, although they had but the honor of their landlords to depend upon that they should not be ej eeted next year. It seems to us that all the advantage to the country could be secured by subdividing the runs as the leases fall in. Lessees would then find it necessary to find means to feed the same number of sheep as at present on One-half the area of country; they would concentrate their attention within more limited space. In all probability agriculture would be profitably, combined with pastoral occupations as at Home, and the Province would be improved in revenue and productive , power. This

would, almost to a dead certainty, be the course of action adopted by the runholders, if they became runownera, and in selling the land the country would raise a territorial aristocracy similar in privilege, though not in name, with Great Britain. Even now the farmers and runholders rule the country, and their rule has not, on the whole,proved the wisest. It would have been even worse than it was, had thjy been united instead of opposed to each other. The evil of large territories being held by individuals or companies is apparent where it is allowed. In America, railway companies monopolise the best land of the country, and rule the nation. In Victoria, runholders are buying up farms, and reducing once settled districts to a wilderness. And now Otago is gravely asked to sanction a similar .system. It is a cunning move, but will hardly succeed.