QUEENSTOWN IMPROVEMENT COMMITTEE.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 140, 31 August 1864, Page 2

QUEENSTOWN IMPROVEMENT COMMITTEE.

A Special meeting of the above body was held at. Bracken's Hotel, on Monday evening, the 29th inst. Present—Messrs Bracken (chair) Byan. Carey, Angus, Bradshaw, Cochrane, Weaver, Campbell and Manders (hon. sec.) Upon the minutes of previous meeting being read, the secretary was requested to state what action had been taken in regard to the resolution passed at the previous meeting. -- • • • - Mr Manders—None, beyond merely transmitting a copy of it to the Superintendent; but no petition had been framed as directed. The resolution in question was as follows : " That a petition be sent to his Honor the Superintendent urging upon him the necessity of the agricultural lands'that are surveyed in the Wakutip district being at once put up for sale ; and respectfully request that no further agricultural leases be gran ted by the wardens of the district of such lands as have already been surveyed by the Waste Lands Board." Mr Bradshaw said the Committee had no power to interfere, and that they could not do away with the Act in force. The Committee were exceeding their powers, and dictating what the law should be: besides, they should encourage settlement as fully as possible. Mr Angus said when he moved the resolution it was with the intention of preventing people from picking out the best of the land only and leaving the other untouched; besides, it interfered with others settling down, as they hai to take up their ground irregularly around these small patehes. He wanted to see large blocks taken up—not a few choice aeres here and there. Mr Bradshaw—Settlement does not follow upon the sale of the land, but sale generally does follow upon settlement. If the land on the Frankton and Arrow flat was put up for sale by auction probably four or five nfen would buy the whole of that splendid tract, and then would charge high terms, and thus be the means of driving the population to another part of the Province in which they were interested in making .settlement. It would be taking a much better position to have the areas extended, and induce miners and others to cultivate them, rather than trying to rush the land into private freeholds on a large speculative scale. He maintained that improvement should precede purchase, and that therefore the system of leasing and taking up occupation blocks was better than selling the way the resolution suggested. That was the objectionable feature in it, and it would not permit, even if such plan could be carried out, the land being properly settled upon. People should be allowed to freely settle as they liked in the district: there was plenty of room for all. Mr Carey thought leaseholders and those who took up land should have power to purchase. Mr Bradshaw thought this would follow upon occupation, and that they had belter encourage population in that manner than by selling the lands. Die parties who took up land were paying a fine rent in the 5s per acie charged them, and if the lands in Otago could be tenanted like this the Province would have a fine rent-roll. Me thought that sum would be a sufficient protection against people rashly taking up these parcels of lands, and that those who did do so evidently meant to settle down and erect a homestead. If people liked to pay these high rents it was not likely the Government would refuse them.

Mr Carry—lt is the price of a fee simple in my country, and they, I find, have lately introduced a bill called the «' Homestead Bill," in which the land is given free in quarter sections to those who will cultivate and improve it by settling down upon it. That is what we should advocate. (Hear.) Mr Cochrane—The resolution would prevent people settling down or population coming in. Mr Angus repeated that people were going about and taking up small blocks of 10 to 18 acres of choice ground, and planting it with polatoes. They could afford to pay £1 per annum for this land, an acre, as they would exhaust it in two or three years. Let them take up 100 acres. Mr Bradshaw—But people who go upon the lands are bound to improve and build houses, and they cannot run away to a fresh block every two years. Besides, no one could be prevented under the leasing clauses of the goldfieids acts taking up these ten acre sections, and all the ground had been so, and £o, or 10s an acre, had to be paid for their survey. The fear should lie in the opposite direction—that the ground would not be taken up. He quite agreed with Mr Angus that he would rather see farms than cottiers' holdings taken up. Mr Ryan—The present system of laying out the lands here, and charging enormous rates, is just sinipU government land jobbing. The Chairman—lf the land is put up for sale we shall pel hips see the Superintendent and his friends purchasing the whole lot. He saw the error of passing the resolution under discussion when too late, at the last meeting. Mr Haughton desired to inform the committee that the impression that any number of those ten aero blocks could be taken up and amalgamated together was an erroneous one: none had been obtained in that manner as yet, though numerous applications had baen made. He thought it would be advisable to urge having the lands in the district in sections of 80 acres, and not into market gardens and building allotments. * Mr Bradshaw—-The people can go and take up land in defiance of these cramped laws. The Hon. Secretary—On the Shotovei, above Shellback Beach, there is a fine iarra of upwards of 60 acres in full cultivation, and the land is not surveyed or purchased. Mr Angus—My principal objection against these fivi> and ten acre lots is that they spoil those who want to take up 80 or 10} acres. Mr H-itig'iton—But the Frankton Flat was i! 4 i out for ii as<s of ten acre blocks. Mr Any.u4—Lit people take up the farms like M; t ui];rs mentions; but these men who were everywhere picking out small patches only in-

j tended to plant potatoes, raise a crop or two, and ! then leave the ground worse than ever. He had always been abh to import potatoes cheaper than those who grew them here last season. Mr Weaver thought they were rather inconsistent in passing a resolution atone meeting and a contrary one the next. What between sale, settlement and survey, he was quite in a fog, and should like to hear more on the subject. The discussion was continued at considerable length by Messrs Weaver, Bradshaw, Carey, Angus, and finally Mr Bradshaw proposed the following resolution iu regard to the objectionable minutes, which Was seconded by Mr Cochrane and carried, " That the resolution passed at last meeting, requesting that the surveyed agricultural lands iu the district be put up for sale, be not confirmed." Mr Carey had no objection to the sale of lands, but people should be permitted to select them, he should suppport the amendment. The Hon. Secretary—lf the new resolution is accepted, the other one, together with the whole subject could be« remitted to a public meeting. Messrs Angus and Weaver, as the proposers of the resolution at the h>t meeting, could do this, and it is really more a subject for the public than a town board committee. The chairman thought the sale of lands by auction indiscriminately, would lead to land speculation by men like Big Clarke and others in Victoria. He desired also to call their attention to the fact that these surveys have been taken out of the hands of Messrs Wright and Millet, the mining surveyors, and placed in the hands of Mr Barr, who knew nothing of the auriferous nature of some of the land applied. He thought the committee should pass a resolution on the subject. Mr Haughton, Mr Carey and other members expressed similar opinions, but nothing definite was done. The resolution amending previous minutes was then carried. It was next proposed—" That the Government be respectfully requested to survey the passes between Lake VVakatip and the West Coast, with the intention of opening up an available route with the ascertained auriferous country in that direction ; and that the survey would be of great value, in the opinion of this Committee, to Otago, by opening up an auriferous country within the boundaries of the Province." Mr Bradshaw supported th.3 resolution, and pointed out the advantages of a to the West Coast by the Greenstone Valley. At present a great rnanv were leaving for the new country by the Wanaka Lake route, and by that means got into the Province of Canterbury. By opening up this line Otago would reap greater benefit, besides the probability of discovering a rich mineral as welt as auriferous country. The Otago Government should therefore, for its own satisfaction, ascertain which report was correct. Mr Hacket had inform' d him that the road to Maori Point presented twenty times as many difficulties as the road by l)r 'Hector's route to tha West Coast. If the mining surveyors were capable of laying out so excellent a road to Maori Point, they should be able to form a correct Judgment whether Dr Hector or Mr Arthur was correct. Mr Carey said they made good roads over the Sierra Neveda, iu California, and he thought no groat obst cles would be found in opening up even partially this promising and,so far as known, rich mineral and gold district. Mr Angus remarked that it was once said to be impossible to travel beyond Maori Point. Now, with the aid of a few cut sidelings, they actually went nine miles up Skipper's Gully; and there could not be a much worse road than that. Several members strongly supported the resolution, which was carried. Proposed— u That a pub'ic meeting be called for the purpose of requesting the Government to extend the present system of occupation of the agricultural lauds in the district." Carried. Before this resolution was carried the question of the advisabiiitv of the surveys being conducted by Messre Wright and Millet was again mentioned, but the subject was left over for discussion at the public meeting.