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Southland Times, Issue 1158, 3 November 1869, Page 2

Oub contemporary seems to have been in a very captious mood the other/ day ; in fact, displaying quite the "dog in the jaanger " style. His pet re-union scheme •threatens to beignominously defeated, and he indulges in feeble attempts to throw

discredit upon those who have cotne forward in opposition to this Very question-able-means of escaping from the difficulties of our position. The acknowledgment is made' that .the reriinion party have but "onej ; idea," 50 ..-that the people .of the* Province need n6t expect muih from men who are, otf their own confession, so narrow-minded and Illiberal. What a sorry exhibition^ the Provincial Council of Boiithland ? w6uld f have been if there-union party'Kaa 'goTltair'^heir own wayi" and men of " one idea " had composed that assembly ! From a multitude of such counsellors no wisdom could be expected, and we must congratulate even the most ardent supporters of the annexation j scheme upon being spared such a calamity. Mlu.ch stress has been Jaid upon the assertion that it would be the interest of Otago to " develope our resources," and that, therefore, they would be safe in her keeping. If the method she adopts for" develbping the resources," and " encouraging the settlement" of her present outlying districts is the one to be applied to us—as certainly it would — when re-union takes place, we will leave our readers to judge fromthe subjoined how far it is likely to be either agreeable or successful. In writing about what is called " The Island Block," the Tuapeka Press of the 23rd ult., remarks : —

*■* This block, about which there has been so much discussion, is at last to be brought to the hammer, having been surveyed into sections containing each from 70 to ]00 acres. The entire area of the block is about 3000 acres. It appears that our representative, Mr J. C. Brown, being in Dunedin some days since, was, with his usual alertness in. matters affect ing the welfare of his constituents, making some enquiries about the land and the sale, when he discovered that the latter was to come off in Dunedin ! We need hardly wonder at his surprise, and I certainly do not blame him if he felt ] somewhat wroth at such au unheard-of absurdity. Mr Brown immediately waited upon his Honor the Superintendent and the members of the Executive, and represented that as there were living near the Block upwards of fifty persons wbo had applied for portions of it, and who consequently might be looked upon as buyers, it would be exceedingly unjust, to say £he least of it, to put them to the trouble and expense of going to Dunedin to bid ; whereas, on the other hand, it was not likely that more than three or four buyers, if as many, would be found in Dunedin, and these would be speculators. Mr Brown further represented that an ordinary visit to Dunedin could not be undertaken under a cost of £20,. and that the Government had no right to put fifty persons to such an out* lay in order to convenience a few speculators. . These most unanswerable arguments were~admitted by His Honor and the Executive to be correct, and Mr Brown was promised that the sale should be held in the most suitable place obtainable in the immediate vicinity of the Island Block.

"Mr Brown ia certainly deserving of thanks for the promptness with which he acted in this important matter ; arid we trust that henceforth the ; Government will see the advisability of having all land sales conducted near to the laud which is to be sold — that is to say, where any population is located in the vicinity. If settlementreal bona fide settlement — is the object, this is the course to pursue. If speculators, who will buy large tracts with but little competition, and then fleece the unfortunate settler, are to be encouraged, i.whythen selling in Dunedin, or even further away, is the plau to be adopted j but we have confidence that the present Executive will see the matter inits proper light. • '-

" [Since writing the above article, we perceive by the G-azette of the 20th inst., that his Honor the Superintendent and his Executive have broken faith with Mr J. C. Brown — that after all the sale of the Island Block is to be held in Dunedin. A more dishonorable piece of business we never heard of— just the Macandrew policy all over. Sell it to the speculators, and deny the struggling settler a chance. This breach of faith — this practical lie — will in tio wise serve the present Executive.] "