LAND MONOPOLY.

New Zealander, Volume 9, Issue 733, 23 April 1853, Page 3

LAND MONOPOLY.

To the Editor of the New-Zealander. StR, —As a member of the "Auckland Land •nd Building Association" I hailed Governor prey's New Land Regulations with pleasure, and with thankfulness. I thought I could see in the new system that which would benefit the man of small "means, and enable the farmer's labourer to become at no distant day himself possessed of a portion of the beautiful land of his adoption. The Land Association was set a-going when the prospects of the Colony were very gloomy indeed, but since then a great and wonderful improvement has taken place. At first the single twenty pounds shareholder who drew his lot could find in the town a piece of property, either belonging to the Crown or in private hands, of considerable dimensions, for the amount of his share ; but now the Government allotments are all bought iip. not orily in the township, but for miles around it, and the > more recent lucky drawers can procure nothing worth having for their twenty pounds. The New Land Regulations seemed to open tip a more preferable mode of investment to the shareholders, whereby they might become possessed, on easy terms, out of their weakly savings, of a forty acre farm at no great distance from Auckland, instead of merely of a few perches in the town itself. But it appears this chance has been removed by the old monopolising party, who have been the first at all times to pounce like cormorants on the best lands of the Colony, whether belonging to Crown or Claimant—and "who fain would dispossess the natives also, to serve their selfish ends. A Jack-of-all-trades firm, well known to many of the old land claiments, put in extensive claims at the Commissioner's office on Saturday last, No less than about one-third of the whole land open for selection in the district under the New Regulations has been applied for on behalf of the man, and his connexions s whoso disinterestedly aims at being our ruler. I understand that Governor Grey, who is daily expected, is likely to remain here for some time, and that he is immediately to turn his attention to purchasing large tracts of land from the native proprietors in the neighbouring districts. I trust this ruinous land monopolising system will not escape his notice—and that he will see the propriety of interposing in some way between the class of crushing monopolisers, and the well meaning bona fide cultivators. He may yet introduce some clause unto his regulations to afford Associations enrolled under the " Building Societies Ordinance" an opportunity of securing blocks of laud to the extent of the shares enrolled, to be paid for by instalments as the shares are drawn, and only conveyed to the Association in lots as the money is paid off. These Societies, if so encouraged, would soon increase, and the labouring class would become in reality the bone and sinew of the land. Having but small holdings they could with their own hands cultivate and improve them, and thus the country would soon bloom like the rose. The men of but small means at the outset have been the most successful here. They have worked and toiled with their own hands, and hence their success; the capitalist is more apt to squander his means in the luxuries of the town while others are left to superintend the work which should be done under his own eye. Having called attention to this, I trust an effort will be made by the Committee to secure to the Association some advantage from the reduction in the price of land. Depend upon it, let the land once get into the hands of these jobbing monopolisers and it will become more difficult for the poor man to get any than it was under the exploded Wakefield system. One of the Shareholders the other day was obliged to pay three pounds an acre, for land that cost the original purchaser only one pound an acre some months ago.—l am, sir, yours, &c., Axti-Monopolist.

To the Editor of the New-Zealaxder. Si k.—l congratulate the Southern Cross and its readers, on the addition to the literary staff of that paper, which the leading article of this morning betrays,—but, there seems to be something in the atmosphere of that establishment fatal to the existence of ordinary courtesy,—a stranger cannot breathe it even for an hour and escape. It is very satisfactory that in an article of three columns, no one has been charged with burglary, manslaughter, or arson ; for the rest, one is not disposed to quarrel with the Cross for a little ebullition of ill-humour, under the very vexatious circumstaaces in which it is placed. The writer assumes that Colonel Wynyard has sought or is seeking the office of Superintendent. The requisition, this day published in its columns, decliirjs that it is at the special and earnest request of .506 electors of the' Province, anxious to save |it from the calamity of being ruled by a faction, *Hat he consents to be put in nomination. But, says the Cross, the 50CJ electors are bought, #4O are pensioners and discharged soldiers, and therefore, I suppose, have no, right to the privileges of citizenship—and the rest are Tag-rag—no-bodies. Now, sir, the Southern Cross has been for years declaiming, in season and out of season, about liberty and free institutions, and the horrors of tyranny and oppression, and yet now in this first hour of our freedom it comes forward to declare that a body of men, as industrious, as thriving, and as useful as any other in the Colony have no right to exercise the privileges which the New Constitution gives them—unless they are prepared to vote for Mr Brown. The Cross evidently inteq>rets liberty to be " power of doing what you please yourself and of controlling the actions of others." Had it not been for the presence of the body of enrolled pensioners in this Province, our condition would have been' different indeed from what it is at present —they are the working people, and I regard the man "who adds a sack of potatoes to the public stock of food as being just as useful a member of society as the man who spins columns of stuff for a newspaper. Why should not a pensioner be entitled to call upon whom he pleases to represent him, and who has,power to prevent him. Ah, I forgot, there is to be an election parade on Sunday next.— Fix bayonets, vote—for—Wynyard ! to be sure. The Cross contemplates the possibility of a pleasant election-riot, and the contingency of the military force being called in to quell it. The supporters of Mr. Brown have, it is true, even thus early, begun to display their pugnacity, and two of our most respectable citizens whose namas are affixed to the address to Colonel Wynyard, have been assaulted in the streets; but I feel quite sure that our excellent Police Magistrate will be aVe to deal effectively with ail}' little " difficulty" of this sort that may occur. It may, however, be as well for us to bear the hint in mind. The concluding paragraph is a " funny" one. What is the meaning of " despotism " in connexion with election by suffrage so liberal as ours! How can "yet unborn liberties" be handed over to any gentleman ! Just imagine, my dear friends, the terrible scorn of the "surrounding colonies" if you presume to elect the man whom you think most likely to promote your interests, and above all things dread the laughter of the Southern Provinces. Hark !—the five provinces laughing. Oh, don't laugh gentlemen! we will send .you Mr. Brown! we will not disturb the " arrangements" you have been so kind as to make for our freedom ; all the gents, you have nominated for the General Assembly shall be duly forwarded—but don't laugh at our poor "garrison town." Oh, pray don't laugh !—I am, sir, &r,,

To the Heditur of the New-Zealander. Mr. Editer, —My wig, sir, if that ere chap Blaze, in one of your last papers that I have jist seen, has'nt astonished me.—l did'nt wonder a bit to see now and then in the " Old Growler" (wich I alers thinks a properer name for yer kuntempereri, than the celratuil name erery sailer respects, which they have the imperence to call their rag) a snarl or two at the Guverner's servents, while shewing' his teeth at the Guverner himself—for its hard to tell where perlitical hanimosity will bring-up when once afloat in some fellers minds, —but I couldn't help thinking that it was mane and low of a ge'mman for whom I used to set a chair down there in the Council Chamber, to carry his spite into the kitchen, and accuse the gals of burning Guv'ment house when they bad no chance of saying a word in their own defence; —but then again I consoled myself whem I heard the towns-folks say, " Never mind him—nobody thinks worse of you for all he says—the Guverner may thank himself for making so much of him who was only a perlitical cobbler at the best." And so I made every allowance and thought no more of it. The " Old Growler" has said many a bitter thing since about the Guverner, and I have been alers blaming the rong man, because I'm no way 'spicious. Even when I he'rd the Candidate hediter say on the hustins at the last election, that " he had'nt the honor to be the hediter of the Cross," I sung out —" O, that's all gammon my boy." But, my buttons! -it now turns out to be that chap what used to sail about in the Calliope long ago, during the Wanganui troubles, who had the soft side of the good-natured skipper, but was never noticed by any one else on board. Well, I've seen some sarvice in my day,—obsarved a good deal in the China-seas-bluster about the opium,—but among all the Dutchmen, Turks, or Chinamen I ever crossed hawse with, I never met with such downright bingratitude as Maze bas diskivered to me. My eyes! if this isn't enough to make a man sick of shore-going, I'm a shark. And if any body knew or if Blaze knew as much as I do about the Maori Messenger and the Guverner's good-nature to that body who his editer of it, my word wouldn't they be as hindignant as I am at him for trying to make the Guverner out a house-burner. I'm not given to mention much of what 1 sees or bears in my sitervation; nor, mind ye, I'm not the man to chime in with every tune Sir G plays or skip to every jig he dances, but I hates hingratitude, and I likes to have a chance to show up some of the tricks of these long-tailed gentry who I have had a good opportunity in my sitervation of obsarring bowing and scraping to him when they wanted a faver. Well, one morning, the Guverner and I happened to be about a very partickeler job in the library—packing up all the newspapers in the colony to send them off home to Herl Grey by a vessel that was going direc—when a hasty knock comes to the door and I ran to see who was in such a hurry to get in, when there stood the old Calliopes favorite before me. " Hallo," says I, not to be heard, " What billet are you arter?" He looked at me as if be would look me through, and says he—•'Good morning —; is the Guverner engaged V* " Good morning," says I, " Yes, he's vetj busy—do you want to see him?" *' Oh yes," says be, "I'm very anxious to have an interview ; please say Mr. is here." In I goes and delivers my message. " Bid Mr. step in,'' says Sir G , '* and return to finish our job, ." " Walk into the library, sir," says I, and I followed close to his heels, and there he stood all honey and but* ter before the Guverner, who did'nt seem to relish it quite so thick spread, but asked him to take a chair. " Yer Excellency," says he, " my immediate business with you this morning is to acquaint you with what, I am sure, considering the more than friendly interest you have taken in my welfare—awe—awe " '• Go on, Mr. , I shall be glad to hear of any thing good that may have happened to you." " I know all that, yer Excellency, but what I was going to state to yer Excellency was that I have had a proposal made to me, quite unsolicited, yer Excellency, which, if yer Excellency cannot see any objection to my accepting of it, although the work would be very distasteful to myself, would, at least, enhance my income perhaps considerably." "May I ask, Mr. • —, what the nature of the proposal may be." " Excuse me, your Excellency, you know my salary on the Maori Messenger is £IOO a-year, and you are also aware that the duty does not take up the whole of my time : now there is a newspaper in Auckland which I know has been very much opposed to you—the tone of which every good man that knows yer Excellency must deplore. Now, the proprietor, wishing to he relieved from so much of the editorial work as interferes with bis business, has offered me the office of his deputy in that department, and I only want to know from yer Excellency whether my acceptance of that office would interfere with my holding the one yer Excellency has been kind enough to give me in connexion with the Government Maori paper." "By no means, Mr. ——, the Maori paper comes out only once a fortnight, and you have a right to fill up your time as profitably as you can." " Yer Excellency is very kind to me indeed ; although 1 ventured to consult you on the matter, 1 can assure you it was with little hope that you would so readily agree to any person under salary from yer Government having anything to do with a paper that bas been so extremely scurrilus in its personal attacks upon you. But I have confidence that my connexion with it will have a beneficial influence in this respect. I'm sure I feel greatly indebted to yer Excellency, and I will take good care, in whatever arrangement I may make with the proprietor, that nothing that would cause your Excellency the slightest pain of mind must be expected from my pen, and if ever your Excellency should be attacked again in the Southern Cross you may acquit me of any part in it." " Thank you, Mr. , but let your arrangements, whatever they may be, have more reference to remuneration for your own services than anything respecting me—leaving enough of your time free to give due attention to the native paper." " Assuredly, Sir G , assuredly. By the by. your Excellency, you may remember when I had the honor of shaking hands with you on my leaving Adelaide, that I remarked tl>e next time I should have the good fortune to meet you, I hoped to be able to address you not as Captain G but as Sir G— , which would be but the first step of a grateful country to a fuller recognition of your great merit.—Good morning, Sir G ———. Haw, baw, haw." And away he went chuckling from tbe door, as I banged it nearly on his heels, for I felt disgusted at the leer of his eye when he got into the hall. Now, Sir, I writes you this, kaae, 'kase I 'bomnably hates hingratitude—l do indeed. Ancient Mariner. Aperil 19th.