VILLAGE SETTLEMENTS.

Pahiatua Star and Eketahuna Advertiser, Volume 1, Issue 28, 10 September 1886, Page 3

VILLAGE SETTLEMENTS.

We take t ie following debate on the vote of X.j MH> to Village Settlement from Hansard• Mr Ifillance said the v were now openi-! • up eoiae parts 6f Canterbury, where t • land wa* available for village settlements ; an l tine was to enable the laud to I cleared, and cottages w> be built. For r • ar :n{ the l.’i»h i.'2 10« an acre wae al I •' I and i'JO for the erection of a collage upon the laud. Mr Itolleelon asked whether tho expen. t ir. v. ould extend be,v>>nd thia vote. Mr lLllance said that not more than k'o.(NII) would l*e etjiendtd thia year. This system had been commenced in i minus | aits of tho colony, and it had I u attended with great aucceaa. He believed that a largo number of people would be settled upon the land, and that tin system would revolutionise the whole i.. ~i of Uie aelMeiuent of land. He * mid have liked to ask for 4120,000; but f o a .in of i‘sooo would enable the sya--1.1 i to .*• thoroughly tested M nor \tkinvn wished to know what i, :it ty of land was given. M* Hills e replied, from five to fifty I I . • .r front Ava to twenty .n ■» according to the quality of the Major Atkinson asked if this system i be tried in the Taranaki District. W dance replied. Yes, it would bo Iris 1 * ther< At Wairarapa they had <q>ened twelve hundred acres, and the lv <1 hr. t bteu taken up at once; and ho I.H ird from a gentleman there that i v were at work in all directe ns. Ho f iv r-t ain In it this scheme would be infit itey superior to tho " homestead" e- .t on. which had failed entirely. Mr Kolleston wanted to know upon what principle the assistance was given. Mr Ballanre said that the regulations ha I been prepared, and that monthly j >y incuts were made oil account of busli . t J down, the amount being capitalised, t* • rate of interest to be 5 per cent. If j i e settler* did not iiay lip, they would for- ; f it tner laud ; and, as the land was in , c so p vanity to srtUeincnt, and tho i \ due of what was expended was left, I •here would be no difficulty in realising j what had been (>aid. Mr K lie-ton agreed that it was dosir- i ir ( r tiie Uovuriuneut to build the cot- j • . . 1 'dr Montgomery wished to know if t' re w a price put on the land, and if -l of the cottage and the i.'i 10s an j. were added to that. Mr 1> d unce. -Yes ; and the 5 per cent ! v is pool uu the whole amount. The i , »y ,ts w re made progreasivaly, and a ■■tv\. 1 * f Village Settlements reported m f the month upon tho amount of w..rk lone. Vr M t minery thought tho systoiu w II * failure. 'fi 1 - co supposed the Minister of I ' pooU-il to get advantage from | t . stum because it provided people | v i . o 1. when they went ou the laud. , ight he an adx lotnge ill that v . he did not think the system was g l< succeed. A little while ago he | i ,1 hesrl a good deal of talk about three a - n.l a row. This meant a good , . i re than that; it meant from j t •-.to fifty acres a~ id enough to buy I half >i dozen cows. That would be all x<*i\ well if the system w ere going to be I ir •• i tairlv ; but the experiment was not a ■or one. So I ng as they got peoplo in 1 >n to give them the money to be laid out in this way, and the proceed* > • o the ri venue, that was not a fair w.i. if making the experiment. Mr ii.in ii ce said the honourable genii in i realised the position, or I it c rioctly. That they borrowed i. .a Loudon for the ptir|>oae. and l t i!i interest was put into the current r■ x it. . v true; but that was perfectly ! I* t it' I he interest on the money I . , i it, and that was paid into th i . t revenue. The case was prer .naiagout to the railway system. M llryce said the diiTureiice was that "i '.hi i- nice the proia-rty passed into private hands, wlieriai in the caseofrailw . :r werka ware the property of the «olouy. Mr Hoi 1 oner said the property of the settie r wa as much the property of the I..it v as a railway was, because the c.i.uiu w .lild derive the interest. Impi v einents, ou which interest was land, w. re ma il'OU property m one case, and ir tlic oth»r a railway w:xs constructed, Ml t ,n bnai caws the colony was bene f■ it. 1 There was no difference at all. It d | n. ■ matter how the monev was mi's: t . long as interest ujion UM inv. ti.."ill was drawn; and the money lent i< th, ett.ir would produce s jier cent. M i Bryce could not understand how the I. s ic gentleman could say that, w i ti. experience of the district railw ■ b' ore them, and the pressure f- to bear to be relieved from rates, r rein his ebserv atom of these hush-farms, h. knew tliese people would have a hard si. .. ;le for existence, and they would I i le to make Wilt a vary affecting alorv v i they applied to be relieved of the Mr ltallaiiee sail that was another • stion altogether, and he did not think ■ a ould be any pressure brought to e it So get relief, because of the great • oqwliUna there would be for these hoi. bugs. Major Atkinson was quite willing to see i . xperiuient tried The only thing ho f. »red was the same evil as already « i-.wt in connection with deferred. | -IS. 1 ■; . i.id, pregielual leasing laud, and j . .1.1 al L .d held bv UvisjiUof the Crown. Die htxli wax always cudeavouring to get liMjr* ml of its tenanu lluui It was .• 'I.- f r them to nay, and lie wa* a' v i. rt fore, that wo »e people would not iv able to pay 6 |vr cent. He did nut ti ink that any oreaanre would be i>tx>iight l bear to b« relieved ol laiwlilie* so lung ms iusi hid a fair margin to live upon. I’l e « e li'b 'litV ~t present arose fr m tl e Tr. I. l-ui i!.,rd busioaaa on the 1 *rt f the Slate. U would be absolutely n isstrx l" ap] nt a tnbunal to fix Mir rents fr»u i tune to tune in accordanee **’ f 1 J.roduce. Ho w i died to caution I V -or t lint he would not gel A jeir <- it. Irom bush farms. Mr ! 'la did not wish at present to i »c » i question of a tribunal; but he wool i p u, t nut to the honourable gentleman that the failure of the present s . >t_m arose fr.un peopb paying too much for land in coinfie utilMin at auction. M»,or Alkins*i:i said the honorable gn.: wuan was mistaken as' to the auction system Hr knew luanv men who had boil,‘’it the Llld from those who had hong. t al auction, who wore Lung rained. Mr ftolloMon aid he wa* hhns. If anxious t*. w" tb * experiment put mio sucii a *ll4 e -Milt ;t w u d b. sit, . ' siul. It Was near iv fitts-nu h„ t.,od this sx*;ein ar.d a i -.ded, the firearrt Anw irmi* kiwrishir . the res’ilt. Thu aysteu mu. * .. . i: .; wets

lunitfsl to providing men with comfortable residences, but if the Jfii:i»t<-r tried to make a commercial tranaaction of it bx'Vor.d that ho w mid fail. Mr Macarthnr said the Minister stated that if the people left the land, the land and improvements would be there; but tie could say, from liis own knowledge, that if these bush-sections were left un•coupied for any tims they would get 'overad with scrub, and all the improvements would vanish. Then again, these settlements were to be near towns, and it would be ini|x>aHibl<» to get the land at so low a price as the honourable gentleman mentioned; and if the price was higher than the honourable gentleman stated it xvould be imjiossiblc for those nun to pay 5 per cent, on a farm of fifty acres.