CLOSER SETTLEMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVIII, Issue 81917, 22 January 1907, Page 3

CLOSER SETTLEMENT.

VALUATION "RIGGING." CHARGE AGAINST NEW SOUTH WALES GOVERNMENT. London January 2(1. .Mr 0. ]). Parker, presiding at a I'cri River meeting, said the company's oiler ol' 78,000 acres at 105/ per acre seemed to the Hoard to be meet ing tin; Government's wishes in a wry handsome way, but as the Govern', limit declared the offer j uu l been withdrawn, and ivco»iiisinj; the ne'd for elo.scr se.tlcmenl. th-e'Hoard proposed to sell direct to the public in the future on a larger scale than here tofore. 31 r t'oghlan, New South Wales Agent-General, in a letter to the Dailv .Mail, refuted the statement made ii\ a letter by Air A. 1\ Thomson, a shareholder, accusing Mr Ashton, New South Wales .Minister for Lands, nf saying with, brutal cynicism that in dealing with the properties be ex propriated every means must he taken to undervalu-- and depreciate them. Sydney, January 21. With reference to Mr Thomson's statements at Peel River, Mr Ashton said no such statement iu thai, attri buted to him by Jlr Thomson was ever mad.! bv him. It wa<° quite possible that the statement was drawn from a portion of his speech made m introducing the Closer Settlement Rill ■last sessionl, when tie,' pomtej! out that the present system put the Government in tiie position of having to depreciate properties if it wanted io acquire them, and later on of having to make the best of them if the Go vernment wanted to sell them. Some statement of that character was made, but nothing of the character attributed to him by Mr Thomson. The Government, according 'io Mr Ashton, will probably resume the estate. That, ia a matter which .will be decided tip on by the Cabinet as soon a the Premier comes back. Mr Cairiithers (Premier) had already stated that unless he gets a reasonable offer the pro visions of the Closer Settlement Act will be put into operation, and thai statement still stands good.