The Pemberton Settlers

Feilding Star, Volume XI, Issue 72, 5 December 1889, Page 3

The Pemberton Settlers

The. following letter to the editor of th,e Wanganui Herald is referred to in our leading article Sik,— At a meeting of the. Pemberton Small Farm Association, hell on Wednesday last, Mr 0. H: Field was brought to task for writing to Mi Marchant, ' Commissioner of Lands, unknown to the 'Association, and he (Mr Field)," being^secretary, at the «ame time,'- wrote Mr-Marchant thai the members on the .Block would no take their sections up again if they bad to pay any more monies, as they were all poor uaon' aud had no money iifow, Sir, there waß a list of names put before the meeting on Wednesday last that they were all willing to tak - up the- land aud pay for it over again excepting two, Mr Fielu's son-in-law {Mr Pemberton) and Mr Task. " How Mr Field could concoct such a story I cannot understand, and, I think he ought to explain'/ himself., S^tue twelve months ago we sent a petition down to Parliament in care ' of Mr Field. I saw a paragragh in the Herald as Follows : Mr Field did not -• present the petition, as it was untenable and the work of a Feilding solicitor." A few of the members, after seeing this paragraph, put' their heads together and sent the chairman down to Wellington to see that the' petition' waß duly presented. The" chairman with Mr Bruce, M.H E., went before the WasteLa nds Committee, and their report was, in consideration of. the heavy dosses, the Government be requested to exercise every possible leniency in dealing with the unfortunate settlers. 'As regards the town and suburban^ sections, the Govern-' ment has not allowed us one shilling. They wrote saying they would allow us to take the land up under the Tillage Settlement conditions— that is to pay £5 per &o*o for town sections and £3 for suburban. , That is the concession., the association -has received from the sympathetic Minister of Lands, the price the members paid is i,\ per acre and survey fees. Woull any man give £0 per acre in a dense • bush, 32 miles from a railway and no road, when they can get land adjoining under "the perpetual leasing system, for five -pence- per acre? Curl's clearing was put up by auction, and the price paid was 17s 6d: .Mark, r theTe is no bush in this land, and it adjoins "the, Pemberton Association land. That is how the Minister of Lands has treated 7us and how he has treated the poor members with laTge families, which I "consider the bone and sinew of the* country. Would it be done in any other country ?— lam etc., " ' • .» A' Member of the Association. Wanganui, November 29th, 1889