THE GORDON SETTLEMENT.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 237, 14 January 1888, Page 2

THE GORDON SETTLEMENT.

(TO THJS EDITON.) Sir,— There haa heen lately a good deal of carping «nil pecking n t th« Gordon Special Settlers bo'}>b/ in the .Piako County Council Chambers and in the Press; They have been chorgad with lan i sharking aad I do not know ivhat 01 her enorniitiei. It, is with the Gordon Settlers at ifc is with other sections of the community. Circumstances will ari^o neoessitat inn some of th«m 10 part with their sections. What then; tha 'aw of the land has wisely and righteously made provision for «uc)i contingencies. Why then should it be carped at as if it wUre a ••rime ? What signifies to the Goyemtneftt or to the community at large, whether a section is ocoupied by a De Vcre or a Hodge, by a Thane O'Neil or a f ''om Finigan, co long as it is properly occupied, and the required improvements carried out. But to shew those sume oarpors and others the boua fideB of most of the settlers, perhaps you, Sir, will kindly give me space fur a few hurried jotting*, shewing what has been done, and it doing in the Settlement. To begin with the pioneer of the Settlement, Mr O'KeenV : He has broken up 8 acres, 2 aores of which are fencad «nd in crop. His nsxt neighbour has fenced 20 acres and has 2$ in crop. The occupiar of xfcdon 18 in the same block, Mr Tackary, has fhe material on the ground for fencing 30 acre*; the greater part of which is drained and luid down in grass. M- ssrß Morgan and Brady huve fenced, and drained the whole of their respective section* — the former having laid his section down in grass. Meaer* O'T »nd Poughey h«ve also the material on the ground for fencing *he whole of th< ir sections and hay« effeoted drainage to a coiwderob.e extent. Toward the end of the Settlement every occupier, with one exception, has carried on more or less improvemen s. Among .h«.n I may men* ion Mr R McLeod who lias Moarly completed the fencing «>f a 50 ai-re )'idflock, an r l ha-< about 2 acres in crop. Tl»e maize crop looks very «e ; l so far; the potatoes owing to the laf t-ness of the Beason bifore ihey could be cot into the ground, are not looking bo well ns could be wished, but that i« parch owii-g to the hurried manner in which Ihtf ground wa« worked. The result however shows that the soil is of fair quality and I am confident that, in apite of the detraction of croakers, the settlement will be ultimately a tncces*. '1 he Settlers huve in the agregate about 250 head of cattle.— l mn Ac. James Muxno, Chairman, Gordon Spe. Set. Apaociation.