HYDE.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume VII, Issue 407, 11 January 1877, Page 3

HYDE.

(From our own correspondent.) ■I Lave purposely tefrained till now,' from enteric# into details of the late ap- i plications ior sections ■of • the' deferred payment block, proc• aimed on Mr. Main's fun, Strathtaieri. It is not necessary togive the history/ of this heart-sickeniiig hope deferred land business, from the beaming—;yoii "know it too well. Since the I time it .•was first deemed fit to provide , land ont3ie S rath for settlement, disaster, j delay, attd disappointment have beset peo- I pie whose objeet for years has been to make abiding places iu -the locality for them selves and children, and to try to secure , a provision in land for their descendants, ' whom it is not good to see driven from their birth, place. After the usual amount block having to be proclaimed ttvicOj the first proclamation being set aside, presumably, at the instance of Mr. Main/ M'lio alleged its alienation to be illegal—applications ior sections thereof were received for dealing with on the 20ih December;'now past. 1 Owing to the j bungle in the. first proclamation, the long | journey connected therewith* fruitlessly | made to N aseb.y, with its) concomitant ex-1 pense, and the impounding raids on Main's t part, which, then-began-and yet continue, I many applicants withdrew, and others I were deterred from applying. But a few, i determined not to be intimidated, still, j held on to the 'chance of getting land for homes 'and 'settlement ;■'and with their ; claims- the District Land Court—H- ."W. i Hobinson, Esq., presiding—was occupied 1 on theday stated.Theat'endanee'waslarge, everyone hereabouts, bona fi.de settlers, being anxious to see justice meted out between squatter and Hyde land applicant. Mr. Main was also in Court taking active part in the proceedings. Richard Smithson, a- Hyde settler, applied for sections. His application, being neither opposed nor contested, was granted—l may' here-observe all 'Hyde applications were advertised in. two issues of the ' Chronicle '- the. opinion being that the deferred 'payment Act required that this shouldbe done to give themlegal standing; Advertising, too, • has been always exacted by the Court when similar applications came before it. Wm. Mustell, a station hand in then employment of Mr. Main applied for section of deferred payment . block. His application ■ was not advertised, and was objected to by Messrs. Laughton, M'K.ay, &c., but, as he was the only applicant, it. was granted. . Mr. Harvey, a wool classer in Mr. Main's service, applied for sections. His application, as Mustell'a was not advertised, and was objected to, far that reason. There being no other applicant to contest, it was granted. Messrs. Laughton's and Nolan's .applications for the same sections were contested by Mr. Chisholm, Mr. Main's sta-tion-manager. It was shown that Nolan and Laughton had duly and legally advertised, and that Mr. Chisholm had not done so. Mr. Main and Mr. Robinson . were of opinion advertising was not bmd'ing by the Adt. The point was strongly urged against Chisholni, and the District Land Officer referred it to the Waste Land Board for decision. Mr. Prendergast's application was contested by Mr. Davie, a young man attached to Mr. Main's establishment. The circumstances of Davis being as those of Chisholm, the matter was; referred to the Waste Land Board. , Mr. Hector M'Neil Campbell contested M'Kay's and Sharkey's applications for the same section. He did not advertise, j and was objected to. Referred to Board ! ■ for adjudication Mr. Campbell is Govern- " ment Scab Inspector, now appointed up Clyde John-'M'Lean lodged applications for sections .of block. He asked the District Land Officer if it were now [ necessary for him to advertise. Mr. Hob- . inson said he-would advise him to do so. i The Disti'ict Land Court closed. The 3 proceedings were of anj interesting and excitable kind. : Poor people, real settlers, saw their liope of getting a footing on the soil gradually vanishing from them, arising from.the opposition.and persecution "of squatters and their servants. They thought an appeal to- : the Waste Land Board, asking , for investigation in this business, might have the ; effect of causingtlie suspicious circumstances attending' - these non-advertised applications to be sifted on their merits thoroughly. To this end a memorial, entering fully into the facts at issue, was prepared. It showed that from-tho bfginning Main, directly and indirectly, by objecting to the proclamation, by harassing their cat- ■ tie was doing. his best to deter settlers. It showed, that at all other times advertising was considered legally requisite, and that it was only in these particularly dummy-like instances it was ever sejt aside. It .went on to say, if the suspected applications had been so notified, objections ' would have been raised, and sustained, which .would have put them completely out of Court, and, to sum up, it strongly suspected that, from the general surroundings of the applications coming from Main's side, bona fide settlement was not the object of those persons. It requested, the Board to do justice between man and man, in these matters —matters ini which so miich of their woe or weal was virtually at stake. I have not yet seen in the public prints any thing to show that the memorial has been entertained, pro or con, although three weeks hare elapsed since it was despatched, nor has any answer been sent, to the persons signing it. It had the signatures of all the Hyde land applicants, and its spirit is endorsed by every resident in the district, except those whose sympathies are with the wool gatherers. People begin to fear the question may be shuffled off, cr shelved in some way, it has been so long hanging, fire. It is time action were taken with regard to the memorialists by the Board. The subject i 3 of too serious consequence to be let go to the wall quietly. The future welfare, not only of Hyde but of the country as well, depends on j the impartial administration of the Land Acts. If squatters can twist these laws as they please —rather, if they can so evade their provisions, as thereby to . frustrate, and throw back settlement, and . thus monopolise the waste lands for theraselves—retrogression is upon us. The close of settjlement is at hand. For Hyde it may be said, finis I But surely this will not be permitted. Surely the facts here set forth, and the vast interests of which this settlement is the beginning, so disastrously jeopardised, will cause theindependant press of the Colony, to indignantly denounce such attempts against the rights of tlie people and their common welfare. Surely you, sir, will ring out your loudest note against any barefaced or insidious robbery of the people's herii. tage ; Will attempt, at least, to have justice, simple justice, done. Official inquiry ' should ba -naked, for, to search well the

nature of these. ( late, Jand applications. There is a time wiieii "silence bbcomea a crime," This is such a time, and, feeble though my. efforts be_. I yet shall cry alomd against oppression, whether of squatters or others —oppression -which, iri_ this instance, is possibly conjoined with I illegality. ' ' . ! Yesterday a mob of horses belonging to : settLers, were taken to pound by Mr. 1 Main's agent, Stanley. The people are gradually being ruined. This is the eighth cattle-impounding raid in seven weeks. They have cost the people close on £'4o direct,loss, fees, &c. The squatter seems to have declared wa,r to the knife. I must conclude this long and painful subject, but beg to say that I should not have so far trespassed were it hot that I am of the people, for the people, and with them against, injustice and tyranny, and know that therefore you will tolerate my prolixity for the sake of the right. The annual election of the Government School Committee took place on the Bth inst. The old Committee were re-elected, the Rev. H. Fiamank, Wesley an Minister, Chairman; Mr. H. Reid, Secretary; members - Messrs. Annett, Bruhns, M'Kay, Ramsay and Matheson. Educa- ! tional matters don't look too flourishing anyway, and a new schoolhouse, and other improvements, are much needed. Subscriptions to the Convention fund, for Macandrew and Grey's trip to the mother country on behalf of Otago, have been made,- and will, i suppose, be sent to the Treasurer by the Hyde delegate, Mr. Matheson—something near £2. The list is still open. The wea,theris very changeable—violent, hot winds, followed by heavy rainfall , and cold weather. Last Sunday night the j ;downpour continued for four hours. ' I hear the crops at Macraes are very fine, though rather backward. Deepdell j ; Station has hundreds of acres of Moon- i light Flat sown in turnips this year—they lenow how to utilise M'lLerrow's report. Notwithstanding, some of the best fatted ; mutton I have seen in New Zealand .was raised off this turnip land last year. Are all the public works now to lapse until the Council meets in March ? A portion of the Provincial Appropriations, I have good reason to believe, is yet unspent. What is to be done with it ? Our coads want making and repairing. • Road parties are at work in Shag Valley, set on Monday. Shearing is over at Main's and Deep ,1011