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Otago Daily Times, Issue 314, 22 December 1862, Page 4

A debate such as that which took place •on Saturday, concerning the proclamations of Hundreds, cannot fail to exercise a most demoralising influence on the House. The declaration of any run into Hundreds of -course affects the interests of the holder, and ■when the Council was asked to come to a decision without a scintilla of evidence being afforded it, the whole merits of the case were resolved into a personal question. Most unfortunately the holder of the run chiefly affected had a seat in the Council,.and on the same principle that "a lawyer is a fool who has him.self for a client," he madea sad mess of his advocacy of his own case. The stress winch he laid upon the injury which would be done to the particular runholders affected was quite foreign to; the <:ase, arid merely played into the hands of the Government, whose darling object it is to bring into odiunithe; runholders as a class.: We may as well take, this opportunity of making a short explanation as to the position which the runholders really occupy, although it involves a digression from the main subject of our remarks. The runholders of Otago were attracted down by the „ desire of the Government to settle the interior lands of the Province. The conditions on which they were to be the pioneers into a country which was before scarcely deemed traversable were sufficiently defined. . They were granted leases for a term of years upon conditions laid down which were considered' not unduly favorable to them, amongst which was that they would have to relinquish their lands when required -for settlement. It appears that, generally, they Have obtained the best of the bargain; that is to say, that their occupation has proved a profitable one, and experience has thus justified the foresight which induced them to invest their time and means in opening up the back country of the Province. In this position they are like many scores of people in Dunedin, who, having sumcientjudgmenttoforeseetheprogressoftbetown, secured long leases at low'rates. But what

would be thought if the landlords of the fortunatelesseeswereto say, you have obtained town sections frotn us very cheap, it will j therefore be our object to injure you as neighbors in eveny possible way we can. Such is the position this Government takes up; in nurabeiless ways it subjects the runholders to unnecessary annoyances, and especially does it strive to make them the subject of class hatred* by comparing them to the squatters of Victoria, whereas their terms of possession are entirely different. The Victorian squatters claimed all sorts J'6f rights under the vague authority of Orders in Council, .whereas the Otago runholders have no rights or claims whatsoever but those which are clearly defined. Amongst these as we have said, is the well understood one, that their lands are to be relinquished as required for the purposes of cultivation.

Following this explanation it will be seen that Mr. M'Master was most ill-advised in even referring to the hardships that particular runholders might, or might not sustain. No personal consideration should have been obtruded. If the Council were to consider the illfortune of some runholders it might just in the same way discuss the good fortune ofothers. The question was simply this, was the land really required for agricultural purposes, and was the selection judicious. If Mr. MeMaster had addressed himself to this branch of the enquiry the case might have worn a different aspect. No doubt large tracts of land should be avail • able to purchasers in the vicinity of the new diggings, but has the selection been made with this object. Mr. Dick stated in general terms that the Chief Surveyor considered the proposed Hundreds suitable land, but he did not say that he considered them the best that could be selected. Why was not Mr. Thompson's ' report brought up? Why was not the question asked—did the selection of these Hun- ' dreds come from the Chief Surveyor? We ] believe, and we have good authority for < thinking so, that the Government marked out i the Hundreds, and asked of Mr. Thompson a mere endorsation, to the effect that they were i not unsuitable. At any rate the Council should have desired to see Mr. Thompson's report,, and, if necessary, to have called him to the Bar of the House for examination. As it was the Council, without a particle of evidence, was asked to decide a most important question, and naturally the discussion took a personal turn. From what we have heard, it seems that the most suitable land has not been selected, that Mr Thompson was expressly not asked to point out the land he considered best, and that the land selected is too devoid of bush to make it generally available to the agricultural purchaser. These, however, are questions which unless Mr. Thompson be allowed to speak, it is impossible to decide on. All that we have now before us is that the land already selected includes a c large portion of a run belonging to Mr. M'Master, who, for reasons to which it is 8 not necessary now to refer, is held in personal disfavor by the powers that be, and that these have themselves selected the Hundreds. That it is more or less a measure of retaliation we believe few people doubt, especially as it is so much of a piece with the other proceedings of the Government. We must not be understood to express much sympathy with Mr M'Master. He has = not taken up a stand on the land question such as he should have done. The report of the "" Committee of which he was a member, is anything but creditable, and nothing can be ld said too severe of the-manner in which the !t inquiry was conducted. Besides Mr tt" Thompson's, only the evidence of persons whose opinions were known beforehand was t taken. We are told that, in the most shame-

less manner, written queries were addressed,to other persons, and when the nature of their replies was found not to be in accordance with the views of the Committee their evidence was not called. The result

arrived at amounted to practically stopping the sale of land altogether, for it was proposed to raise the upset price, and to retain and give legal effect to the cultivation clause. Everything connected with the report is discreditable, and Mr M'Master is so much to blame for lending it any way the sanction of his support, that we can scarcely feei pity, for the retaliation which the Government had evidently prepared for him by declaring his run into Hundreds. He was first made use of in the Committee, and then was punished for his past offences.

The Council has endorsed the recommenda-^ tion of the Committee for the retention of the Improvement Clause, and that legal significance should be given to it "by the penalty of an alternative taxation. To-day effect is to be given to the recommendation by the last reading of the Ordinance for imposing a tax on Unimproved Lands. It is perhaps useless raising a further voice in warning, but still we cannot forbear entreating the Council to pause in its headlong course. If the General Government assented to the Ordinance, incalculable injury would be effected. All faith in Otago, as a place for the investment of capital, would be lost. If land, that cost 10s. to 20s. an acre, were to be subjected to a yearly tax of 35., what reason would prevent its bang raised to ss. In fact, the proposal shows an utter disregard of the rights of persons who; have obtained property, atid is so clearly a piece of class-legislation that it must entirely destroy all confidence in the good faith of the Government. Commercially the proposal would be ruinous to the Province. It woujd cause a great quantity of the land already sold ■ to be thrown into the market for less than its value, the Government land sales would be proportionately affected, nnd the public estate would be sacrificed, BdsSdes this there would be the reduction in absolute value consequent npon the imperfect title with its concomitant restrictions. We consider that the real value of the land is less by a pound an acre, with a title fettered as proposed. But we believe there is no chance of the General Government assenting to the Ordinance. Its provisions are so' clearly an infringement on the validity of Crpwn titles, that it cannot possibly be permitted. Absentees and persons holding under trusts, as well as those on whose behalf trusts are held, would be so damaged by it we cannot conceive that it will be for <. moment enter-, lamed. Se far then it may be said no positive injury will be done, by the passage of the Ordinance. But there will be an indirect injury of a -very serious kind effected., It will show the tendency 4 of the Government of Otago to exceed its powers, it will show' that the Province ia unfitted' for aeif-govemmeiit

and that the only safeguard against; injurious ' ' legislation is in the Central Government. Not alone is Otago affected, "but the whole colony suffers from the odium which one Province draws down on it. This is well put by the Lyitelton Times, in an article which we reprint in another column. The remarks concerning the futility of the attempt to control and direct by ''ingenious dodges" the ' employment of capital, are peculiarly apt at the present time. However, the following extract refers to the injury done to the rest of the colony by Otago:— "It would be but a narrow view of self- " interest which could induce this Province to " rejoice in the blunders of its neighbors. It " is true that at the present time we are reap- " iug an immediate and temporary harvest '" from the unpopularity of the Otago Waste "Land Regulations, and that if they are judi- " ciously amended, a great deal of money " may be invested there which would other- " wise be spent in the purchase of land within " our boundaries. But it is equally true that " a mistaken and blundering policy in the " province affects the whole colony, and more " especially the country immediately adjacent " to it. No doubt far more money leaves New " Zealand altogether, in consequence of the " obstructions put in the way of land pur- " chasers at Otago, than is invested in other " setdements of the colony, and the objections "commonly made to the land policy of the " gold-producing province, are elsewhere " quoted as applicable to that of all the " others. We cannot and ought not to wish " to separate our interests 5 every year draws " our boundaries closer to each other, and we " cannot afford to look on indifferently while " there is any risk of suicidal policy on the '' part of our neighbors."