Manawatu Herald. THURSDAY, APRIL 35, 1895. Mr March's Mission.

Manawatu Herald, 25 April 1895, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. THURSDAY, APRIL 35, 1895. Mr March's Mission.

These is some oommenfc being made on Mr March being sent over to Australia to report on the land settlement schemes in those oolonjes, ;It ; appears to be a wise decision, and: may be accounted for by the lack of interest excited in the labourers on the Levin State Farm in the eo-oper*-tive farm proposals made )t>y the Hon. Mr Beeves on his last visit to that peaceful abode. It will be remembered he informed his hearers, that he was anxious to carry out a scheme he noticed in his travels and though the labourers need not agree to the proposals, yet if they.iii^Wt, their tenure would be short and they would be treated as casuals. The, three week's ■ grace ?has nearly ex^ pired? and, yob ithe ungrateful la* 1 baorert do --oot- seem gartifjularly I anxious \q entertain the whome* I

This of course ia unfortunate, and the Minister may have come to the conclusion that he has overlooked some important point and Mr March is to be despatched to find the miss ing link. The idea of turning "failures" upon the Levin Farm into co-operative farmers is audacious enough, but the intelligence of the men have been overlooked. Farmers have no opportunity of enjoying the times a State labourer has, and the labourers have got sense enough to know it, hence their disinclination to try the Minister's theories. Mr March having to go for details directly after the Minister has returned makes it clear that the enquiries made by Mr Reeves were very super* ficial, yefclie was prepared to plunge the colony into a large expense to try an experiment in which he was not thoroughly versed.