Manawatu Herald. TUESDAY, MAY 19, 1891. Special Settlements.

Manawatu Herald, Volume III, Issue III, 19 May 1891, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. TUESDAY, MAY 19, 1891. Special Settlements.

♦ Mr McKenzie, the Minister of Lands, had an interesting conversation with the representatives of different Special Settlement Associations, at Palmerston, the other day. We regret to find that the Minister was determined to adhere to the amendment he had made in the regulations, without the advice, or approval even, of Parliament. We fear that the Minister is not wholly alive to the importance of the representations made to him. The present Ministry have made much profession about aiding the working man to acquire land, but oddly enough, directly he is shown how he can assist three hundred of them to do so, he is emphatic in refusing their requests. It has always struck us that the present Ministers only understand a working man to be one who lives in a town, who is loud in talk, and forms, now and again, an out-of-work deputation. These men are described differently by the real working man. Mr McKenzie was informed, and if he doubted the statement he could have sought the proof, that one of the Associations was formed chiefly of the sons of small farmers. Could any Minister, really desirous of seeing the country progress, have a finer body of new settlers ? They would take with them a thorough knowledge of their work, and succeed where new chums to the life would starve. These the Minister would do nothing for, "go and buy land if you want it," said Mr McKenzie, he wanted ' ' bona fide settlement. ' ' The difference between a special settlement, and taking land where the Government has it lor sale, appears to be this, that a number of young men, well known to each other, by forming a special settlement, are able to secure being together, and thus able to help one another in the wort of carving out a home in the bush ; whilst in obtaining land under other conditions they stand the chance of other purchasers taking up land between them, and thus upset all their plans of working their properties, for a time, conjointly,^ and therefore economically. It is evident that the present Minister of Lands knows nothing of the life in the bush miles away from market or roads.