SIR GEORGE GREY AND THE BARGE LAND HOLDERS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIV, Issue 5734, 15 August 1879, Page 5

SIR GEORGE GREY AND THE BARGE LAND HOLDERS.

The following letter has been addressed by Mr. J. Valentine Smith to the Wairarapa Daily, and as it throws some additional light upon the actions of Sir George Grey towards the large land holders in times gone by, it will well repay persusal, etpecially by the working men of the colony : “ Sir, —It appears that out of 87,000 property holders in the colony 67,000 have come out free from the land tax. Whether the number of large proprietors can be considered out of proportion to the smaller ones is a point for future discussion ; and if the question should be decided in the affirmative, it can be shown that (he present Premier, Sir George Grey, is to a great extent responsible for it. The land regulations of March, 1853, subject to certain reservations fixed the price of agricultural land at 10s. per acre, and of pastoral land at the auction upset price of ss. an acre. Those regulations have always been known as ‘ Sir George Grey’s land regulations,’ because they were framed wholly by him, when Governor of this colony, previous to the introduction of representative institutions. “Immediately after Sir George Grey proclaimed these regulations, he left Wellington on a trip to Auckland, overland, passing through the district of Wairarapa and up the Coast to Hawke’s Bay ; the whole of which country then belonged to the Maoris. I was one of the party which accompanied him, and during the journey he asked my opinion of the above regulations. My reply was to the effect that in the wild, rough, and inaccessible condition of the country it was hard to say what the land was worth. Sir George then asked me this question—‘ Do you not think it will be a good thing by these regulations to enable gentlemen with capital to acquire extensive blocks of country, and so take up a position in New Zealand similar to that of the lauded gentry in England ?’ “ The question struck me at the time as a remarkable one, and I remember it as distinctly as if I had heard it only to-day. I have since found that the same question was put by him to others. “There seems no doubt therefore that in making the above laud regulations, Sir G. Grey had two leading objects in view ; one was to enable persona of limited means. to acquire freeholds of any size, not less than 40 acres, and another was, avowedly, to establish a distinct class of large landowners in this colony. It can also be shown that one effect of these regulations was to force many persons to become large land;hol lers, even contrary to their wishes. Concurrently with the above regulations for the sale of land, pastoral regulations were issued, under which blocks of land, varying in extent, were let as sheep and cattle runs. But as any one could at any time buy land in these runs, it became evident to the holders of them, some of whom would have preferred to hold them on proper leases instead of having to buy the land, that to carry on their business they must acquire the freehold. Those who could not do this had to give way to others who could. Some persons traded on this state of things, and bought patches of land in the runs for the express purpose of selling them to the holders of the runs at a profit. A surveyor, not now living, used to operate, it was said, upon some of these runholders, as so many milch cows. When he became hard up, which was pretty often, he would trouble them for a cheque, and thus received continuous bribes not to give information of their vulnerable condition to speculators. “ Some think it would have been better both for the State and the sheepfarmers in this part of the country, to have given the latter regular leases for a term, aud then cut up the runs for sale ; but whether the system pursued was a right or a wrong one is not now the question.The present condition of things is the natural result of the land regulations, and it seems to accord with Sir George Grey’s notions of justice now to lose no opportunity of abusing a class of settlers who have been brought into existence by the pperation of his own laws ; many of whom, as the pioneers of the colony, settled in the midst of a native population, not always too friendly, for many years without any protection whatever from the Government ; who have undergone privations and hardships of which new comers have no conception ; and who, for several years past, owing to the low price of wool and other produce, have had quite as hard times to contend against as any other members of the community. “ There is little likelihood, however, of New Zealand politics ever being unduly influenced by a class of large lauded proprietors. As soon as a demand for it arises, many large properties, suitable for the purpose, will be cut up. for sale ; but no such demand exists at the present time/’