OLD THIRTY YEARS IN NEW ZEALAND.

Globe, Volume XXI, Issue 1714, 18 August 1879, Page 2

OLD THIRTY YEARS IN NEW ZEALAND.

SIR GEORGE GREY’S LIBERALISM. The following letter appeared in this morning’s issue of the “ Press TO TUB EDITOK OF IBS ?BBSS. —I do not think that the opponents of Sir George Grey need waete their energies in trying to persuade hie supporters that he is not to be trusted. They sve already persuaded of this. Neither party believes in bis truthfulness. We have it from the mouth of the president of the Liberal Association that he at least docs not believe in his honesty of purpose. 1 confess I have been greatly puzzled la discover what it is that Sir George Grey has done to deserve the support of the largo number who appear desirous of supporting him. liis policy has never, as far as I can see, been of a. liberal type. On the contrary, till very lately, not only his actions, but also his word* have been in exactly the opposite direction. His lard laws have not favored the men of small means, but on the contrary hove thrown vest estates into the hands of tho wealthy. He has persistently opposed, whenever ho has had the opportunity, the grant of Itpj

franchise to the people. As Governor ho, on Ilia own authority, suspended tho constitution which had been granted from home, and now when a large extension of tho franchise might have been obtained, if ho had only raised his little finger, he deliberately brings tho whole strength of his party against that extension. The very measure which ha himself had introduced for giving the frachiae to those who wero entitled to it was thrown out at his instigation. I presume that tho self-styled liberal party approve of this anti-liberal .proceeding. , , _ , Now, with regard to tho land laws, I ask wherein does tho liberality of his action consiat ? He is very for.d of abusing tho land laws of Canterbury; but it appears to mo clear that whatever the iniquities of our system may be, it has at all events been successful in two ways. It has produced a largo revenue, which has enabled us to undertake larger public works than c.uld bo undertaken .at the time by any other part of the colony; and it has been tho means by which a greater number of small farmers have been settled on the land than anywhere else. If any of Sir George Grey’s supporters have Jvisited tho districts where his regulations have been in force, they will, I think, agree with me that there tho men of small means have had i-yery little chance. I think results afford » fairer test of tho value of a law than all tho declamation about serfdom. Dr. Turnbull, the president of tho Liberal Association, pointed out very forcibly tho unfair advantage which Sir George Grey’s ten shilling an acre system gave to the capitalist. I think I can support Dr. Turnbull’s argumon by quoting another clause in the regulations >by the same friend of the people. “If any intending purchaser, other than the holder of the run, shall apply to the Commissioner to purchase land forming a run or portion of a 1 ran ... and which, upon the application of the holder of the run to such Commissioner, shall be certified by him to be, from its hilly and broken character, or from some other cause, unavailable for agricultural purposes; such run or portion of a run shall in that case bo disposed of by public auction at the upset price of five shillings per acre. ..... But such sale shall not take place until after three months’ notice of tho application to the Commissioner to purchase such land has been left at some station on tho run.” Bor the sake of brevity, I have left out three or four lines which do not affect tho sense. Now, up n this I remark that practically any runholder might get his land classified as laud not adapted for agricultural purposes, and then no outside purchaser could got an acre of it without the runholder’s consent. As a matter of fact, tho runholdsrs of Hawke’s Bay have as a body, under these regulations been enabled to monopolise some of tho finest land in tho colony at tho paltry price of five shillings an acre. They are, I am told, selling it now at piices varying from £4 to £lO. Knowing these things, I cannot believe that it is Sir George Grey’s liberalism that recommends him to tho liberal parly, and I have come to the conclusion that the secret of the support which he

obtains here is that ho is considered a good figure-head to rally round, and that he can be made to serve a temporary purpose. I should be very glad to hear from his followers what he has done, not what he has said, which recommends him to their favorable consideration. I presume that anyone ashing such a question as this at one of his meetings would be instantly put down, and quite rightly too, for it is intolerably annoying to hoar two sides of a question. Yours, &c., A. 8.0.