San Francisco Mail News. "THE CROFTERS ARE COMING." MR W. L. REES PROPOUNDS A PROMISING SCHEME. London, September 7.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 309, 20 October 1888, Page 6

San Francisco Mail News. "THE CROFTERS ARE COMING." MR W. L. REES PROPOUNDS A PROMISING SCHEME. London, September 7.

After a fortnigho of seeing people ana turning things over in his mmd generally Mr W. L. Reess Co-operative Colonisation Scheme has crystallised into a definite plan for the settlement of 2,000 Crofter families in the Cook County by a company to bo called the New Zealand Native Land Settlement Company. The following is an outline of the scheme as set forth by Mr Rees himself. It is proposed to locate 2,000 families, say 8,000 souls, in five settlements or colonies, upon land in Cook county, cedtd by the native owners to the New Zealand Native Land Settlement Company, Limited, for the purpose of settlement. Having in view the ordinary habits of the Crofters, the sites of some of the settlements will be contiguous to the sea, which, upon that coast, offers facilities tor fishing and for an export trade of dried and salted or tinned fish. The climate and soil are excellent. It is a good sheep and cattle country, and all species of fruits of temperate climates grow in great abundance. An Association will be formed under the Joint Stock Limited Liability Act for the purpose of pi*ovidiug the necessary capital, and of managing the business upon a commercial basis. The necessary capital will be provided, say £500,000, partly by share capital subscribed in the ordinary way, and partly by loan guaranteed by the Government at 3 per cent, (or in default of this, upon debentures issued to the public and secured upon the property of the Association, not including the home allotments hereinafter specified as given to the Crofter settlers). The capital raised from shareholders will be £200,000 ; from Govern m en t or the public on debentures £300,000. Of the £200,000 to be subscribed as share capital, the former native owners will take £50,000, thus leaving £150,000 to be subscribed. The Association will purchase for these special settlements 111,000 acres, of which 10,000 acres will be allotted to the 2,000 families in allotments of 4, 5 and 6 acres respectively, while the 101,000 acres will be farmed by the Association upon a large scale with combined labour, and upon a defiuite plan for the greatest production of marketable commodities. Each settlement will comprise about 400 families, and will contain a township, possessing all the simple elements of civilisation, a church, a school, a store, mechanics' shops, surgeon, minister, etc., etc. In all the settlements the hotels or houses of accommodation will be the property of and managed by the Association, who in the interest of the settlers will keep entire control of the liquor traffic in the different localities. The cost of transport say, on the average £40 per family, will be debited against the families respectively, and will be a charge, together with the cost of buildinsr and fencing, etc., against the homestead of such family, for which interest at the rate of 4 per cent, per annum will be charged until payment ot the principal, when the homestead will become the absolute property of the family. The settlers will have provided for them by the Association a cottage of two rooms aud shed, together with proper and suitable furniture, the cost of wfiich will be added to the cost of passage and the price of the homestead, say at £2 per acre. This would not apply to single men or women, for whom suitable accommodation would be found until they married and commenced housekeeping for themselves. Of the nominal 2,000 families, threequarters, say 1,500, representing 3,000 men and women, would be married people with an average of three children to a family ; while the 500 would lepresent 250 unmarried men and 250 unmarried women. The passage money at £12 per head adult, taking this average of married and unmarried, would amount to £69,000, and the cost of buildings and furniture, not including labour, at £40 per family, would amount to £60,000. The cost of all other buildings at £6,000 per settlement would be £30,000. Thus for transit and actual settlement there would be expended the sum of £129,000 The ] ,750 men and 250 women being employed by the Association would be engaged in the work of clearing and cultivating the 90,000 acres of land belonging to the Association round the settlement, say 16,000 acres each, in dairy farming, etc., etc. The wages to be paid would be at the rate of £1 per week for men and 12s per week for the unmarried women. This, however, would be subject to the deduction for men with families, of los a week for -full rations for themselves and families, for single men 12s a week, and for single women 8s a week, thus making the wages in cash payable to the settlers say £600 per week, or for a year £31,200. These wages are not up to the average colonial wages, but the settlers are to participate in the profits and increased values of the whole estate beyond their wages. The approximate cost to the Association of rations to be given to the settlers would be for meat, £120 per week at Id per pound, for groceries £250 per week or £13,750 a year, or &ay £14,000 ; in all £20,000. Potatoes, oat.s, maize, corn, would cost only the seed, because the labour and the land are already provided for. For the first year no results as to profit or income would be calculated upon, although with such an immense mass of labour it mighb be fairly expected. But the whole property would be vastly increased in value from two causes :—: — 1. The settlement upon it of 8,000 or 10,000 people. 2. The labour of 2,000 people in combined and organised fashion for twelve months. During the second year, however, at least 100,000 sheep could be maintained unon the Association's properties, and 5,000 milking cows, the cost of obtaining which would be 100,000 sheep at 6s a head, £30,000, and 5,000 milch cattle at £4 per head, £20,000, making a total of £50,000. These are quite full average prices in the district at certain seasons in the year. The interest upon the £129,000 would not be deducted from the wages payable to the persons employed, but would bo debited against the respective families each year until the first triennial valuation of the Association's property was made, when the interest and a portion of the principal, (viz., the average sum of £90 per family and £12 per head for the unmarried people), would be paid out of the cash profits and increased values accuring to each family respectively. The balance remaining upon 'these home* allotments, if any, would be

paid by instalments at each triennial valua lion of increased values, as above, when finally the allotments would become the absolute free properly of the families. Should, however, any family desire to pay for its allotment, it would be at liberty to do so at any time. These allotments are not to be mortgaged to secure debenture moneys. The settlers would not be necessarily limited to those areas or conditions, but in every individual case the local managers could make suitable arrangements. It is proposed to find a market in Glasgow and other cities for the produco of the As sociation, comprising mutton, beef, hides, wool, fruit ot all sorts, tobacco, flax, hops, butter, cheese, and all other products of a rich soil and temperate climate The stores to be conducted on the cooperative principle, making the purchasers partners in the wealth created. The capitalist shareholders would be entitled to interest at 5 per cent., and a share of the profits and increased values. This, like the labour, is not up to the average interest on money in the colony. The settlers would be entitled to their wages and a proportionate sharo of profits and increased values, and the customers to their goods and a share of the profits and increased values. It will be seen that this plan contains an entirely new system of colonisation. In the place of each individual or family having to shift for itself, to rely entirely upon ths head of the household, and his capability to adapt himself to new circumstances and to display considerable cleverness and ingenuity, it places the system of mutual help, skilled guidance, civilised associations, the transplanting of whole communities, including the natural leaders and teachers of large bodies of people taken from the same localities of townships, and the providing the most favourable markets for produce. Instead of the individual and almost hopeless system of emigration it gives combined and co-operative colonisation under circumstances so favourable ns to be altogether beyond comparison with any plans hitherto attempted. The uncertainty and the fear, and the loneliness now surrounding the departure to a new country would be altogether obviated, each party of colonists being accompanied by duly qualified guides or leaders until finally settled, and life with all its old associations would be recommenced under conditions full of reasonable hope. Although the proposed area for this Association is restricted to U 1,000 acres, yet if it be decided to take in the other 140,000 actes of the lauds now in hand this could be done by raising another £140,000 by share capital or debentures, of which another £50,000 would be taken by the vendors. Mr W. L. Rees and Wi Pere, the Maori chief, who have come from New Zealand for the purpose of inaugurating this new system of colonisation, and whoare entrusted with 250,000 acres of fertile land which touches upon the sea in many places, including the harbour where Captain Cook careened and refitted his ships, will shortly address meetings to be called in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverne 3 s, and the Highlands and Islands, upon this subject. At Edinburgh, as the capital of Scotland, a committee will be proposed for the purpose of carrying out the plans here specified with a view of enabling the crofter and other families who desire so to do, to find new and prosperous homes for themselves and their children in the beautiful colony of New Zealand iinder circumstances which with ordinary industry will enable them in the future to become comparatively wealthy. Mr Rees has already seen Lord Knutsford, the Secretary for the colonies, and the Marquis of Lothian, the Secretary for Scotland, both of whom were pleased to express themselves in favour of the proposed plan so far as explained to them. Mr Ree3 has been officially recommended to prepare the details of his scheme to lay before a Parliamentary Committee in November. Under these circumssances, it is reasonable to suppose that a public national expression of approval from the Scotch people of a system which promises great relief to all classes of the community, would be certain to influence for good the decision of Parliament, and of the Government in the matter. It is fecarcely necessary to point ou6 that if this scheme of co-operative colonisation proposed by Mr Rees be successful, the question of thesettlement of thesuperabundant population and the unemployed industrial classes in Great Britain is satisfactorily answered for once and for ever. In the solution of this great problem, Scotland may take the lead.

The above receipts and values are under the average prices and values of such pro-

perties to-day in New Zealand, as any per- ! son acquainted with fchab Colony can substantiate. Any information required will bo readily given on application to Mr W. L. Roes, 11, North Crescent, Bedfordsquare, London. I called on Mr Rees on Wednesday, and found him just on the point of starting for Bristol, to attond the meeting of the British Association. He will, from what I understand, exploit the Crofter Scheme there and also read a paper on " Colonisation the Salvation of the United Kingdom." Mr Rees was very busy (as in fact he always is) and could only give me a fow minutes' interview, but, 1 learnt pretty much what I wanted from Miss Reee, who acts as her energetic parent's secretaiy and has his business at her fair hnger-tips. The Scotch landlords have jumped at Mr Reess proposals as they will jump at any scheme which showed a fair prospect ot ridding them of their " old man of the sea," the crofters. It remains tobeseen, however, whether they will puttheir hands verydceply in their pockets. Mr Rees goes to Edinburgh shortly, whore he will address meetings and whore a central committee will be formed of landlords and persons interested in pushing the scheme. Subsequently Mr R. proposes to "stump " Scotland and in November Parliament and the Croiter Commission w ill bo tackled, ThabMrßees's scheme in its present form will be accepted either by a public company or by Parliament 1 don't ior a moment expect, but I do think it quite likely an expoi'imental special settlement of crofters on a smaller scale than the one proposed will he the eventual outcome ot his mission. Mr Rees, you will notice, proposes that half the loan £500,000 (a lordly capital isn't it?) should be raised by loau guaranteed by Government at 3 per cent. The Chancellor of the Exchequer, it appears, can do this and without consulting Parliament. Mr Rees has not seen Mr Goschen on the subject, but he propounded his scheme to Lord Lothian (Secretary for Scotland) and to Mr Milnei (Mr Goschen's private secretary), who were, he avers, "very much interested." Lord Lothian even went the length of speaking to Mr Goschen before he left town about the guarantee. The cautious Chancellorseemed to think there would be a difficulty in finding a tenable precedent Lord Lothian, however, opined the case of the Southern railways for which Government guaranteed a loan, would be on all fouis with the Crofter Colonization Settlement. It was as expedient for the Government to facilitate the formation of one as of the other. In any case Parliament will have to be consulted, as, even if approved it, Gos-chcn is not the man to take such a step on his own responsibility. Till we know for certain that the Crofters will turn out satisfactory settlers neither the Government nor the public are likely to invest in a Colonisation Company on an e\" tensive scale. That is why I think Mr Rees may presently have to sing much smaller. Parliament will say, " As the land and the people are there, by all means let us try an experiment, and sco if this means of shunting the crofters answers, but it must be only be an experiment." One thing thatstruck rnein Mr Reess outlined plan directly I read it was, " What guarantee will the Company have for the Crofters remaining on the block after their passages out have been paid, houses built for them, etc ? ' They are according to Mr Rees to accept less than the labourer's current wage and participate in the profits on the co-operative piinciple. Supposing, however, the prospect of profits is not at first promising and the men find they can get far higher wages elsewhere, how are they to be prevented from levanting ? A gold rusn in some part of New Zealand might easily tempt a number astray. Clearly the settlers will be one ot the Company's most valuable assets, and it will be necessary to attach them by agreement to the land for at least a term ot years. Whether the scheme goes through on a large or on a small scale, it will certainly benefit the colony in general, and Mr YV. L. Rees in particular. The precise part the last-named gentleman is to play in the new settlement has not so far been indicated, but I should fancy it will take the form of "the Company's local director and general manager." With the Board sitting in London or Edinburgh, this will practically mean dictatorship. Altogether a rosy prospect both financially and politically for W.L.R.

ROUGH ESTIMATE OF COSTS AND EXPENDITURE. RECEIPTS AND VALUES. FOR TWO YEARS. C(1) Initial cost of capital permanently sunk — Costof land, 111,000 acres, at £1 per acre £111,000 Passages 60,000 Dwellings . .. 60,000 General buildings, etc 30,000 Sheep, 100,000 at 63 .. .. 30,000 Cows 20,000 Tools, machinery, fencing and other stock, seed, etc 20,000 Etceteras .. . . 10,000 Total £550,000 EXPENDITURE-FIRST YEAR. (2) Anmial charges — Wages ... £32.00°, Rations ... . . .. 20,00° Salaries, taxes, and expenses of all sorts 30,00" Interest noon £300,000 at 3 per cent. . . 9,00° Interest upon £200,000 at 5 per ceut. . 10,00^ Grass s^ed, etc.. . . .. 20,00° First year .. . 121.000 Total expenditure to end of first year 471,000 Balance, carried on . . . . . 29,000 Total £500,000 EXPENDITURE SECOND YEAR. Wages £32,000 Rations . .. .... . 20,000 Interest .... .. 19,000 Seeds, extra machinery, and stock . 10,000 Salaries, taxes, and expenses, etc. . 15,000 50,000 sheep . . 15,000 5,000 cows . . 20,000 Total expenditure, second year £126,000 RECEIPTS AND VALUES- SECOND YEAR. Wool from 100,000 sheep, 51b per sheep, at6dnet £12,500 Wool from 60,000 lambs at Is . . . . 3,000 50,000 sheep exported frozen at £1, including skins, etc., sold in retail shops 50,000 Dairy produce from 5,000 cows at £6 . . 30,000 Crot-s— oats, Indian corn, bailey— s,ooo acres at £1 per acre 5,000 Balance brought forward 29,000 Total 129,000 Balance carried on to next year.. £3,000 VALUE OF PROPERTIES AT END OF SECOND YEAR. 80,000 acres of land in grass, capable of carrying 2£ sheep to the acre, worth £5 per acre £400,000 Securities over colonists' houses and lands .. . 139,000 Interest on same at 4 per cent, for two years .. 10,300 150,000 sheep 45,000 10,000 cows at £4 40,000 4,000 calves at £1 4,000 Machinery, hor&es, and other stock . . 15,000 General buildings in settlement . . 30,000 5,000 acres of 3'oung orchards .. .. 50,000 10,000 acres arable land under cultivation at £10 per acre 100,000 5,000 acres in and around townships at £20 per acre 100,000 Total £933,300 Balance brought forward .. .. 3,000 1,000 acres reserves Total 936,300 Deduct capital 500,000 Balance to profit £436,300