DEPUTATIONS.

Globe, Volume XXI, Issue 1827, 30 December 1879, Page 3

DEPUTATIONS.

WAIMATE PLAINS SETTLEMENT. A deputation from the recently formed company for settling a number of persona from Ohristchurch on the "Waimate Plains, waited upon tho Minister for Lands, the Hon. W. Rolleston, at the Provincial Council Chamber, yesterday afternoon. There were six or seven gentlemen forming the deputation, which was headed by Mr J. W. Treadwell. Mr Treadwell said that they were encouraged to visit Mr Rolleston because they had seen in his speeches that he was in favor of settling the people of the country on its lands. The Waimate lands, they saw, had been bought and paid for, and tho only trouble was the claims of the friendly Native?, which might bo arranged by the company by payment or by reserves. The company desired to get settled on the Waimate Plains in preference to any other part, but they would not object to settle on any land whioh might be required to be settled by the Government. They would, if settled on the Waimate Plains, be disposed to take the contract for the railway at 10 per cent, less than the lowest tenders for work of a similar character received by the Government.

j Mr Rollestoa asked if the company desired ! to deal with the Natives themselves. Mr Treadwell said they did not; but desired to lay their proposals before the Native Minister to oarry out, either by money payments or reserves. He would read to Mr Rolleston the memorandum of the proposals of the company. [Mr Treadwell then read the proposals.'] They desired to reserve 10,000 acres out of the block of 80,000 acres for cemeteries, parks, &o. By accepting the forms offered by the company the Government would receive a quarter of a million of money. They desired to pay £IB,OOO after the first orop. Mr Rolleston inquired what was intended to bo paid down ? Mr Treadwell said that the first payment would be made after orop. Mr Bolleston said that he did not think the Government could do this as it was against the law.

Mr Treadwell went on to point out that the amount paid by Government for railway works would come back as purchase money, and that the defence of the block would be cariied out by the company. The whole company would be worked as a large co-operative store, and they desired the Government to hand over to the company the supervision of the schools, surveys, telegraph, post office, &c, the company depositing with the Government the plans, &0., under the Act, when they would be entitled to a Crown Grant. [Clause of the Act read.] Mr Rolleston said that he thought this clause did not refer to the special Eettlement at all, but to the sections of 320 acres taken up on gold fields on deferred payments. Mr Treadwell said that this was a plan which they wanted to lay before the Government. The company would provide their own police, enrolled and armed, and the Government would be asked to employ the postmasters and telegraphists out of the members of the company. If there were also schoolmasters in the company, the Government would be aßked to employ them. The younger branches of families were intended by the company to be employed in ploughing up the land to be occupied by the members of the company, whilst the elder members were engaged in carrying out the railway works. He would lay before the Minister the proposals of the company as read by him, and ho trusted that the Government would see their way clear to accept them, and so enable the Waimate Plains to be settled by a happy and contented population. Mr Rolleston said that, respecting the matter of the occupation of the Waimate Plains, it was better that he should state at once, and plainly, that this was a question in the settlement of which was involved the peace of the whole colony. It was therefore obvious that the Government could not deal hastily or immediately with such a proposal as that now submitted. Even supposing the proposals to be within the meaning of the law as now existing, under which the Government were bound to act —and he felt bound to say he did not think they were—the grave questions of the difficulty with the Natives and the possible endangering of the peace of the whole colony would prevent the Governmeat from committing itself to these proposals at the present time. Besides, this was a subject upon which the Government would like to have the advice and concurrence of the Legislature before taking such a step as this. The Government had no intention other than to open the Waimate Plains for settlement when the proper time arrived, not putting the lands into the hands of speculators, but throwing them open to the publio on the deferred payment and village settlement systems. To speak plainly on the matter, he did not think that the Government could entertain the proposition of the company as now put. That was his individual opinion, and he gave it, as they had waited upon him as an individual Minister and member of the Cabinet. Still, as he thought they were entitled to an official answer, he would lay the matter before the Government, and they would receive an answer sfficially. They would see that this was a proposal to deal with a large tract of country through one company on certain conditions. This of courao was a monopoly to a certain extent, and thus was opposed to the law, which contemplated throwing the lands of the people open to all, bo that all might be enabled if they desired to acquire land upon the conditions laid down by the legislature, by which the Government were also bound to act. There were monopolies of all kinds, and this to his mind would be to some extent at least the granting of a monopoly, as well as if it were granted to speculators less in number. The proposition as to giving public works and handing over the supervision of the telographs, surveys, &c. to the company, and securing these to certain persons connected with the company as distinguished from the general body of the people who havo equal rights in the matter, meant of course a monopoly and nothing else. The plain truth was that in the present position of affairs on the West Coast, the Government cannot consider the proposition now put forward. The Land Act passed in the recent session gave the Government great power, which they intended to use freely in the direction of the opening up and settlement of the countiy. They intended to open lands in various parts of the colony, iu such blocks and under such provisions as would give every inducement for the settlement of the districts by bona fide settlers. What they intended to do was so to use the powers entrusted to them so that the land should pass into the hands of settlers who would open it up, and not into the hands of speculators. Already steps had been taken by him to carry out the system of village settlements, in which he had always taken a deop interest. He had already been in communication _ with tho Crown Linds Office here with a view to the opening up of village settlements on the deferred system cf payments. These would be formed along the main lines cf railway, and they would open land for sale |for settlements of this character very shortly in the p-ovince of Otago. These, of courso, were under tho deferred payment system, ai.d the people would have to deal with tho Government individually, and not as members of any company. If Mr Treadwell would read the Act he would see that tho classes of lands dealt with wore divided into three. In the first was that proposed to be sold generally under deferred payments, which purposes to deal with tho people of the colony all alike. The second class was that of village settlements, which dealt with individuals, not companies. This system was proposed to be worked in connection with their railway?. By this, it was proposed to put down people in such a way as would enable them to pursue their ordinary avocations, and yet at the samo time to open up and settle the country by the formation of villages, the land in which can be obtained on easy terms. He (Mr Rolleston), as he bad said, always took a great

interest in this system, and there were some blocks of good land near the Rakaia which had been reserved, and which the Government purposed to throw open shortly under this village settlement system. Then there were the special settlement clauses, framed mostly on the agreement made by the la'e Government with theKati-Kiti settlers. This was only a limited area of some 100,000 acres, and the idea of the Government was that these special settlements should be dealt with in an open manner, so as to enable all to avail themselves of its provisions. What he thought was—and it was very much the best way to speak plainly—that the proposals now made by the company did not come within any of the three classes he had mentioned, nor did they appear to him to have been in any way contemplated by the I egislature. He would go carefully through the memoranda of the proposals, as stated by Mr Treadwell, and return a formal answer so soon as he had had an opportunity of consulting his colleagues in Wellington. At the samo time he desired to express a hope that the members of the association would turn their attention to some scheme of settlement which could be met by the Government. So far as the proposals now submitted, they were not practical, nor such as the Government under present circumstances could in any way entertain. This was his individual opinion. Mr Treadwell said that tho company was open to all except those disabled either in body or mind. Tho block could be taken up by the company, and the wholo of tho remaining land could be taken up by any other settlers. The fact of the monopoly being

necessary was due to the Native difficulty. He wished tho Government to consider that the company proposed to put 8000 people on the block,and have 20,000 acres under crop the first year. They would also make the land adjoining valuable by settling the block. What they desired to do was to assist the Government in the excellent policy they proposed now to carry out in settling tho land. Mr Rolleston said that he did not wish to evade the responsibility of saying that the proposals were not practical, nor were the Government able to deal with the matter under the laws as at present framed. Besides the Government could not devolve upon any body of the people the dealing with the great questions spoken of by Mr Treadwell, more particularly under the present aspect of Native affairs.

Mr Treadwell said that they could individually take up their fifty-acre sections and then throw them all into a company, so that then it would come under the deferred payment system. When this was done tho land could be worked on the ten years' payment system. The Native difficulty could, he thought, be easily settled by the Native interpreters being sent up and stating what the proposal of the oompany were. They wanted the Government to take them up and to use ttem to settle the land.

Mr Bolleston said that he would return a formal answer to the company. So far as he saw there was nothing in the law which would enable the Government to deal with their proposals. They were met at the outset by the Native difficulty preventing the Governnment from dealing with the subject; besides, the proposal was outside the power given to the Government by the Legislature. Mr Clements—Could wo not got any other block : say the Broomhall block, for instance ?

Mr Kolk'ston said that there was a very strong feeling in the Uouso about this settlement of Mr Broomhall's. The Government had paid some £3OOO to be off the agreement with Mr Broomhall's company, and there was a very strong feeling against the absorption of any large block of land like this. So soon as the Waimate Plains and the Broomhall block were thrown open, individuals could nuke application for them and have sections in contiguity. Mr Tread well said he desired to point out tht.t when these men went on to the land there should also be some public works to employ them. It was useless for men to go on to land with their labor only, unless there were public works carried on. In reply to Mr Kent, Mr Bolleston said that with regard to any other block of land the proposals of the company were not such as could be accepted by the Government, nor could they promise any public works to any company of individuals to the exclusion of their fellow citizens. The Legislature did not contemplate this being done at all, and therefore the Government had no power to give public works exclusively to any portion of the people when the law said that they should be for the benefit of all. Mr Kent wished to know, putting the question of the proposals of the company on one side altogether, whether they could get any block of land on deferred payments. Mr Rjlleston said that the Government were now getting several blocks of land ready for settlement on deferred payments, and that of course it was open to every individual in the colony who desired to do so to take up what he wanted. The deputation having thanked Mr Bolleston then withdrew SYDENHAM MATTERS. A deputation, consisting of His Worship the Mayor of Sydenham and Councillors Joyce and Charters, yesterday waited upon the Minister of Lands, Hon. W. Bolleston, to urge upon him the necessity of establishing a Petty Sessions Court at Sydenham. Mr Bolleston received the deputation very courteously, and promised to consider the matter carefully, recommending the Council to bring the matter before him again officially. Cr. Charters asked Mr Bolleston to ascertain when the Crown grant to the Borough's reserve at Ohertsey would be given, and to urge the immediate issue of the same. Cr. Joyce asked Mr Bolleston whether, in revising the Justices of the Peace list, he would consider the question of appointing Mr George Booth a permanent J.P., on the ground of his being first Mayor of Sydenham. Mr Bolleston having promised to consider both matters, tho deputation, after thanking him, withdrew.