THE LANDLESS

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2033, 19 March 1907, Page 1

THE LANDLESS

VAIN Pj LG .1U MAG ES. (Wellington Post.) ‘■Go on tho land, young man,” is advico which is notoriously often offered to the new generation, but the young men themselves may regard tho counsel as merely flippant. Many-are anxious enough to take up land, and.show their desire by going to tho ballot time after time, but they fail to draw one of tho lucky numbers.

Among tho army -of tho disappointed is Mr 11. Knight, who has boen vainly trying for some months to secure a Crown section. “f should like,” be writes to the editor, “to draw your attention, and that of the public generally, to what appears to mo to ho a most . unsatisfactory method of disposing of Crown lands. 1 refer to the ballot system. - Last’ Thursday, 28th February, a large number of people received a severe shock on arrival at the Land Office to find that there were 814 applications for the two sections (7 and 8, Block VII., Pohangina)—J2o for the former, and 394 for the latter. Of course, there were 812 disappointed ones. Now, I think we are quitp safe in saying it would cost each applicant, on ail average, 30s; thus ail outlay of £1221 is accounted for. and I am informed on good authority that it costs the Government as much as they are worth by the time they are disposed of. Within the last four months I have myself applied for five sections, and it has cost me on an average £5 each. There is ono redeeming feature in regard to tho disposal of these sections by the Government —the descriptions. As far as my experience goes, they are reliable in every particular. At the meeting on Thursday all appeared dissatisfied with tlie system, and expiressed themselves very freely in favor of public auction in preference to the ballot. Special settlement associations were also very favorably spoken of, and an association could easily have been formed on the spot. I was officially informed, however, that the Government is not prepared, at tho present time, to set aside land for association purposes, though tho reason was not given me.” The land question is so important that it, was considered advisable to ask Mr Knight to amplify his letter. He stated this morning that in his search for land, at the ballot, lie had been through the Auckland district, and as far south as Oamaru, and was unsuccessful in all tlie lotteries. At Auckland there wore GO applications for three or four sections; 293 for one at Gisborne, and over 600 for nineteen in the Plunket Settlement, Oamaru. As far as he could see, a man might- go on for ever, and never draw a section. He had been occupied in his pilgrimage for about, four months, and bad been put to considerable expense. Ho liad met twenty men in a similar position ,nnd ho was sure there wero hundreds of genuine settlers unable to got a piece of land under the present ballot system. “ I have seen a great deal of speculation in Crown lands,” be remarked, when questioned on this subject. “I told the Commissioner of Crown Lands at Christchurch what I knew hacf taken place, and I said to him that if I was subpoenaed as a witness I would bear out my statements before anybody. I know a gentleman, a J.U., in the Forty-mile Bush, and lie said to me, ‘Why don’t you.do tho same as I do? I have nineteen or twenty applications (made by various friends) in for different sections.’ The commissioner told me he knew this was going on, but it was difficult to stop it.”

Mr Kniglit considers that by auction tho poor man .would have a better chance of getting a section than ho has now. He contends that under the ballot the speculator often grabs the land, and perhaps the poor man buys it later on it an Increased price. Referring to settlers’ associations, lie stated that one had been informed that the venture had not been successful. The chief clerk in the Auckland office told him that lie thought the probable cause of tho failure was that the settlers were not of a suitable class. Mr ICnight gave an assurance that ho had no doubt whatever that ho could find enough competent men to form an association.

Section 4 of the Lands Improvement and Native Lands Acquisition Act, 1894, provides that j‘any number of persons composing an asso-. ciation formed in accordance with the regulations made under the Act may, by agreement witli the Minister, settle upon any Crown lands for the purpose of clearing or otherwise improving• the same, upon such terms as to advances or otherwise as may he agreed on, and the Colonial Treasurer may, when authorised by Parliament;, make all such advances out of moneys available under this Act.” Section 5 states that tlie area must not exceed two hundred acres for each member of the association.