TWO SIDES TO A QUESTION.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 268, 25 April 1874, Page 3

TWO SIDES TO A QUESTION.

The' ' Wellington Independent' has a leading article on the teleg.am of "Mr. Holloway's speech in Dunedin, in. which it takes that gentleman to task for staiincr that he would ■ not advise iiis friends to come here unless the land laws were altered, The writer says, in the course of the article: —" It is a"inisfortune for the colony, in the opinion l 'of men like Mr. Holloway. that the- squatting- interest should be eo strong. But suivly there is ' something to be said on the other side ot the question. Had ther« been no'squatting, Xew Zealand '\vqiild have been in the hands of the Maories to the present day. Squatters are ever pioneers in the work of colonisation. Many of them have, gone into the bush with their lives in their hands ; and, very much,' to the disgust of farmers and laborers who have come after them, have obtained possession of magnificent estates. Whilst thus doing they have, as it-were, created an export and import trade for the young colonies, the value of which will remain long after they are forgotten/ . Mr. Holloway, look-' ing only at the fact that they have estate* wculd not advise laboring men from England to come to Otago. Whilst admitting his right to advise"them to remain in a state ot. semi -destitution m England, as. long as he and. they may think proper, we may express a hope th/.t.he will give' ihem a true statement ot what he' has seen, and then we shall not have any fear of the result. Where, we should like to ask, would he advise them to go, if not to Otago? No person acquainted with the facts will say that they would be better off in either Canada or the States. Knowing something of the state of things in every | colony in Australia, we havu no hesitation in saying that the. laboring classes are' in better circumstances in New Zealand. I Land, it is quite true, is advancing in ' value her*, an) this tendency may be .viewed bv a friend of emigrants with alarm. To us it appears a natural consequence of the prosperity of the colony.- As public .works are constructed, so land will became valuable We grant »hat it is likely t-» be übtained on easier terms in ! \ustralia, hut there is no comparison to 1 he inttitu'ed between land in New, Zealand thai wili cany a iMzhi sheep to the acre; a-1! that-in. Australia which will half-starve' one."-. ' '.' ''