The Invercargill Times FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 1863.

Southland Times, Volume 2, Issue 105, 23 October 1863, Page 4

The Invercargill Times FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 1863.

In the Order Paper for last Tuesday evening's sitting, there was a motion by Mr Tarlton, " That it was desirable thist the Provincial Council be consulted by this Government previous to ihe declaration of any portion' of this Province into Hundreds," and that gentleman, with some others, in speaking to the motion, instanced the recent declaration into Hundreds of certain country in the Jacob's River district. With the substance of the motion, and the arguments : used by its supporters, we entirely concur. The interests at stake of the individual on the one hand, and tbe community on the other, are of too great importance to be left entirely in the hands of the Superintendent, and bis Executive Council if he chooses to consult them. Nor can we conceive how bringing the matter before the Council can possibly interfere with the prerogative of the Governor, as was stated by the Government, Under the definition of " Districts' Act, 1858," the Governor is empowered to proclaim Hundreda,.but, as a maiter of course, he would exercise such power only when requested to do so by the Superintendent ; the motion, therefore, is merely to the effect that, when it is considered necessary to have Hundreds proclaimed, the Governor be asked to do so by his Honor and the Provincial Council, instead of by his Honor alone. As regards tbe particular case which led to the discussion on the subject, viz., the declaration into Hundreds of so large a tract in the Jacob's River district, we fe think, after having made every inquiry ELm the subject, that it was impolitic Htbr several reasons. That' Hundreds will Ke required, as our population increases Kthd "thVXand already: open for sale is

alienated, no one can doubt,- and it would be as unjust and unwise to refrain from declaring them under such circumstances as it is to do so when the contrary is ,the case. Victoria his furnished us with an example of "both systems ; when the land> in '5\ and '52, waß really wanted, and the laboring man had both the mpney and the inclination to purchasei every acre was tightly shut up » the press took up tlie cry of Unlock the lands, and, when too late, millions of acres were thrown open for selection, and the poor man Was assured^ by placards stuck all ©ver the oountry, bearing the signature of the Hon. the Secretary for the Crown Lands, thafc a paternal Government had- provided a farm for hira, and that he had the run of millions of acres from which to select it. Satisfactory .as was this assurance, he declined availing himself of it, for the simple reason that he was poor, and did not at that moment want a farm. The land shark, however, although not specially inritod by Mr Duffy to " go in and win,'* or to use the phraseology of the gaming-table " to make his game While the ball was rolling," took the hint; in eighteen mon'hs every one seemei to be surp i<ed that, while the poor man was not benefitted, and the state lost two millions of money by having parted with the laud under its value, the colony of Victoria seemed likely to become one immense sheep run. Such is the effe< tof throw in . open land when it is not really wanted. At the list session of the Provincial Council, a report, by the Commissioner of Crown Lands on the extent of agricultural land in the Province was laid by the Government on the table of the House ; in this report Mr Pearson states ih-.it, owing to the large extent of good agricultural land in the two thousand acre blocks, he did not anticipate the disturbance |jf the run-hol lers during the currency onbheir leases, and we presume he is; or ought to be, the best judge of the supply and demand in the lind market; at any rate, the Government, by placing --hi:* report on ihe table of the Council, leaving his statement uncontradicted, virtually fithrired it, and assured the run-holders that they need be under no apprehension. Scarcely is the ink dry with which that report was written, than a conside able tract of country is declared into Hundreds, and in such a shape as to virtually destroy three runs, while purporting to take only a portion of each. The Council will, in future, know how much reliance to place on reports. In the discussion" onie or iw^gentlemen, personally and thoroughly acquainted with the management of runs, and the nature of the ground in this particular Hundred, pointed out the objectionable shape of it, and that a very iarge portion of the country thrown open for virtual agricultural settlement was not at all likely to be taken up as suoh -for years to pome, being indeed much inferior to the greater part of the open plains in the Lothian district, which, we have -ascertained, does not seem to possess much attraction fbr the bona-fide agricultuiisC. His Honor, in opening the presant session of the Council, stated that the Land Revenue had not equalled the estimates, not because there was no unsold land in the Hundreds and 20i)0 acre blocks, but because the survey staff had been engaged in other, than the special work of the department; and concludes by saying that " the maps of a large extent of land .are in course of preparation, whi< h, when completed, will permit the throwing open for sale a wide tract of count y." This establishes thefact, that a large tract of couutry withe in the market immediately, which, judging from the Chief Surveyor's report, ' is a mere trifle out of the extent of country . set aside for sale under the " Land Sales and Leases Ordinance, 1856," while the survey staff cannot survey even this fast enough. Where, then, the necessity of declaiing fresh Hundreds for the present? The Commissioner of Crown Lands, in the report we bave adverted to, speaks light of the unsold land in the Winton, Mabel, and Lindhurst districts and part of the Oreti plains, the greater part of which is unsurveyed — the survey of which will occupy, judging from the .past, the survey staff for at least eighteen months, and will probably take two years to sell. Wherefore, then, we again ask, the hurry in opening up fresh ground f But, • allowing that it was necessary to throw into Hundreds some of the land atJacob's Uiver, in deference to the; wishes of our Jacob's River neighbours, we do nofc see the necessity of declaring so large a one, with so unnatural a boundary as the north boundary is; a straight line, crossing at right angles no less than four creeks, two of which, at least, we have been assured by a gentleman well acquainted with the country, would have formed admirable natural bouudaries had their east banks been followed down. Settißg aside the inconvenience to tke runholders, the agriculturist purchasing land there will, on depasturing his cattle on the Hundred, immediately get into trouble with the runholders, for there is nothing to prevent his cattle trespassing, not only on that portion of the runs nofc I included in the proclaimed Hundred, bufc on all the runs north, along the valley of Jacob's River.. Experience has proved that large Hundreds are j unmanageable, and inconvenient to the people themselves. If this has been found the case with the Invercargiil aud New River Hundreds, we fancj the Wardens of the New Hundred, when elected, have their work cut out for them; the expense in rangers will be considerable, and what with that and the poundage fees, the settlers will fin d that they will have to pay pretty smartly for their privilege of depasturing. We would have thought the following would h ave proved most satisf act or y . Had the north boundary of the 2000 -acre blocks been extended west till" it reached the Opio Creek (a good natural boundary) following down the east bank of which to its junction witli the Otautau, thence up the west bank of that stream.

to its junction withthe North Fairburn; thence by the North Fairburn till; it j reaches the Long wood Range Bush ; ; siich a boundary would have -been morej satisfactory to the nmholders-^more workable to the settlers. A smaller , extent of oountry would have been thrown open, and the. prico realised for it better > approaching nearer to its intrinsic value. The boundary, as it stands, will be the fruitful source of animosity between the two classes* the declaration into Hundreds at the present time will have a material effect on the land sales at Winton and. other districts which are to be inferior in quality to some of the new Hundred— purchasers holding over till the new Hundred is open — the land itself, unless the upset price be raised immediately, be sold below its value, find the bona fide agriculturist not much benefitted, as we are pretty sure it w'll fall into the hands of a few large purchasers. To prevent the recurrence of a similar mistake, we are glad that Mr Tarkoe's. motion was carried j for, as that gentlet ,man justly observed, if it had no other effect than that the matter would be openly discussed, it would be beneficial ; had the Huudred in question been so discussed, we have no doubt the error as to size and boundari s would not have been committed. ———————