The Feilding Star. SATURDAY, MAY 23, 1891. Tyranny

Feilding Star, Volume XII, Issue 142, 23 May 1891, Page 2

The Feilding Star. SATURDAY, MAY 23, 1891. Tyranny

♦ The Crown Land Bangers are either exceeding their powers or, if they are tictiug under the authority of their superior officers, the Government are apparently desirous of still further encouraging- the departure from our 'shores of the "best class of settlers. The following instances of either iu justice - or tyranny have been brought under our notice. At Levin, a settler on land leased from "the Crown was bullied' by a ranger because he had sheep or cattle running on his grassed laud, such stock being the property of another settler who 'paid so much money per week for the jtgistnjent. .- The settler was cold that ; 1 this was cbntiury to, the regulations, /and he mut>t therefore discontinue the practice, -or forfeit hia land. The same thing, we have- beeu informed on excellent authority, has occurred on some of' the~ uew ■ settlements near LFeilding so that all. the rangers are, apparently, acting under clearly de fined instructions. It is a uew thing 1 to learn that the glass of a man's. own sowing is not his property, and j that r in consequence, he may not sell to his neighbour who wants it, and is I willing to pay for it, but must rather let it rot on the ground unless he can afford to put his own stock on it to eat the grass down. We are aware that these Crown Lands Rangers have not been selected because of their possessing any special aptness, or knowledge fitting them to perform their alleged duties with satisfaction to the public. It has been said— 1 wickedly no doubt — that one of them could not tell the difference between a dog— leg fence and a poly bullock, even although he had graduated as a y hod carrier, taken his degree as a bricklayer, and afterwards achieved fame as an election canvasser. Still any ignorance a man like that may display on the subject of bush farming, is not to be laid at his door, but rather at the door of the Government who made the appointment. The German's say the position gives the brains, and ' what applies in one case may surely apply in the other. What strikes -us most forcibly is that, at a time like the present when the colony cannot spare a single man, the Government should be doing their very best to drive settlers out of the country. It may be that their intentions are good, but the results promise to be disastrous. -Of course the nitunbers of the Ministry should kuow that ■those nieu who go into the bush to clear it and make homes- for themselves, must possess high courage, great physical strength, energy, and perseverance. These are the characteristics of the men who have taken up land under the various systems on this coast, and their very qualities of enterprise are those which will cause them to pack up their belongings and clear out of this colony if t'iay are to be harassed and worried on all sides, whether by Liberals who want to put the whole weight of taxation on farmers, or by Crown Laud's Ranger's who make themselves a nuisance in order to justify their existence. We have one word of advice to give the Minister of Lands which is — send" out a ' circular to the Rangei s explainiug the meaning "of the word " agisted. "