MR. PERSON AND HIS OTERAMIKA CONSTITUENCY.

Southland Times, Issue 943, 1 May 1868, Page 5

MR. PERSON AND HIS OTERAMIKA CONSTITUENCY.

Mr Pearson met his constituency at Woodland's, Long Bush, on Saturday. 1 Having explained the motives of his 1 conduct during the last session of the Council, he proceeded to inform them of bis intentions at the ensuing session. ■ He stated that during the recess he had '■ written a letter to His Honor the Super- ; iatendent on the subject of initiating an ! Immigration scheme, which he read as > follows : — Invercargill, 29th February, 1868. [ His Honor the Superintendent, Sonthland. l Sib. — Understanding you are about to proceed ; to Wellington, 1 would submit for your Honor's consideration the following scheme for obtaining \ a fund which would enable a constant stream of immigration to be introduced into the Province. I believe that land to the extent of 40,000 or , 50,000 acres would be purchased by persons ut . home interested in the welfare of the Province, for the purpose of forming an immigration fund, were it distinctly understood that the funds so ! derived would be applied to no other purpose, but ' form a perpetual fund for the introduction of ; nominated, and under careful supervision, assisted ; immigrants. Hitherto, in most Provinces, the variqus immigration schemes have failed, owing to , the political element having been introduced. Thus the liability of the surety to the Q-overn-L mant advancing the money to introduce his friend ! has been excused to serve a political purpose. , In fact, any Government desirous of securing support has not dared to enforce the liability, such action on its part ensuring the hostility of > the person compelled to liquidate his just debt. > I would suggest that to obviate this a Board of s Commissioners, Bay three, should be appointed, in no way concerned in politics, to administer the funds derived from sales of land, as previously 1 mentioned, and sue the surety should the money I not be forthcoming at the proper time. Unbiassed , by any political feelings, untrammelled by any j political gain, they could vigorously and justly perform a duty which experience has proved, not ' only in this Province, but in every other, is a most ! difficult and unpalatable one for a Government. ; The monies derived from such a fund, I would submit, should be placed in trust in the names of r the Commissioners, and reinvested by bringing out [ more immigrants, as circumstances permitted, by ! which a constant and steady flow of immigration would be secured. \ I need hardly point out to your Honcr the ; advantage of establishing such an inalienable fund . in the Province for such a purpose, particularly in the present political conjuncture of affairs, J when the possibility of a change in the form of ' Government stares us in the face. As, however, i such purchases would be included in the land ; fund, the authority of the General Government, under the present financial arrangements, would probably have to be obtained to the money so derived being diverted from the ordinary ohannel • and paid into the immigration trust fund. !> Feeling it to be a matter of such vital importf ance to the future of the Province, I have ventured , to trouble your Honor with these suggestions. — ' I have the honor to be, Sir) your Honor's most obedient servant, L Waxteb H. Peabson, 'Ttf.P.o. , Mr Pearson proceeding, said, that ii the -, Government was not prepared to take 5 steps for the initiatien of such a scheme, l he would introduce it in the Council > himself. He also stated that if we were • to have democratic institutions, it was absolutely necessary to educate the ; people. To prevent taxing the land he j thought it would be advisable to make 1 i large reserves of land for educational i purposes. He had called the attention - of the Government to the advisability of j altering the reserves made prior to the • " Southland Waste Lands Act, 1865," > — for purposes of sheep travelling— into . Educational Keserves. There were already i upwards of thirteen, thousand acres f reserved for Educational purposes ; these, . with the fifteen thousand acres of sheep [ reserves added, would make a very handi some endowment for educational pur- ; poses, which, while it would relieve the people from taxation, would also enable the rising generation to obtain a sufficient education to enable them to bear the . responsibility of the present form of Government. He intended also to propose ', a large reserve for an Athenaeum. Children of an older growth required [ education as well, and perhaps more, [ than those of a younger formation; and a properly conducted Athenaaum would '. conduce materially to the moral and ' material advantage of. the community. He also intended to propose an alteration in the land regulations to the extent of shutting up from sale for fourteen years, the unsold lands at present held by the pastoral tenants in the Province. The balance of the unsold land in the Hundreds was 506,381 a. 2r. 26p., exclusive of 70,000 acres in the Longwood District, presently reserved as a goldfield ; thus, there would be a sufficient quantity of Crown lands left within the Hundreds to satisfy the agricultural requirements of immigrants for many years; not to mention the large area of that escheated from the Crown — which could be purchased second-hand, or leased from the present holders. He found that out of upwards of five hundred thousand acres sold, less than sixty-two thousand acres were under cultivation, according to the last census returns. It had taken upwards of ten years to achieve this, he thought therefore, that the balance of unsold land in the Hundreds, together with the unused purchased lands, was quite able to' satisfy the demands of agricultural settlers for the next fourteen years.; , .Governments were like private individuals, they must

have a fixed income wherewith td tatty on the functions of Government, before they could determine their expenditure. Under the present system they mighfe he in funds to-day, and have nothing torn orrow. It was useless to talk of paying the interest and sinking fund of the dehthyland sales, as wellas develop theresources of the country by the construction of roads. A million -of acres of pastoral lands would yield at .9d an acre £37,500 a year. This would amply suffice to pay our interest and sinking fund on our debt and leave a surplus of from fifteen to seventeen thousand for road-making. The squatter could, with a certain lease, afford to improve his country by laying it down in artificial grasses, which at present he dared not do. The Province at the end of fourteen years, would come, into possession of an improved estate, and I at the same time be provided with means j to carry out the ordinary and most im- | portant functions of colonisation. He ! thought that by providing a means of educating the people by large educational endowments, by providing a perpetual fund for immigration, and obtaining a certain instead of a fluctuating revenuefor paying their debts and making the roads, taxation on the lands would be avoided; and of all taxes it was the worst which could be imposed in a new country. Mr : Pearson then stated he was prepared to answer any questions. In reply to one on the abolition of provincial institutions he stated that what he proposed was simply to deprive the Council of its legislative powers and confine it to purely municipal ones. That every shilling of revenue derived from the Province should be expended Jforjts. benefit, and that all patronage in it should be excercised solely by thei advice and consent of its representatives in the G-eneral Assembly. If the people did not choose to return good men, to. the. Assembly, they ought to suffer for it ;. it was a matter which rested with themselves. Immigration, education, arid a sufficient revenue for our wants secured, legislation might safely be left to a distant legislature. : . ; : A vote of thanks to Mr Pearson for his past conduct as representative of the Oteramika District in the Provincial Council, and his explanations of. his intentions for the future, was carried with acclamation .