The Temuka Leader. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 1878.

Temuka Leader, Volume I, Issue 95, 13 November 1878, Page 2

The Temuka Leader. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 1878.

."Ik a-shor=fc paragraph in our last issue we made.some observations upon tlie way in ....which-the sections in the private township of Temuka have been withheld from ..sale. These r.miarks originated in a dist.cu.ssion that-took place at a late meeting .of the Temuka Road Board. We are now induced to return to this subject from . thinking ovr a decision recently errived at by the Government to proclaim townships at short distances from ea-'li other along the lines of railway. One instance is that of the South Rangitata, where the Government are abont to survey and open for sale a township of a mile square. We do not quarrel with the Government for deciding to have townships along th n line, but we must, in the interest of the public, demand that certain conditions be attached to the sale of these townships. In looking over the map of the Aro-

whenua (a Government township) we find that there is not a street but has reserves marked off along it. In counting them up we find there are 104 quarter-;.ere sections reserved in the portion already s rveyed. In some streets from hvo to twelve in one block, most of them cor ier sections, are reserved. Now we naturally ask, what is the Guvcrnment going to do with these reserves? T!iey cannot all b. required for sites fur prblic bui'dings Does the Government int/n 1 holding on to them until, to use the now fashionable term, they are enormously enhanced in value '-y the growth of the unearned increment ? If so, wo s'y it would be a most unjust act. Applying this principle to all Government townships, what would he the result 1 We would have a multitude of povertystricken Government townships all around us, to be in time converted into munici-pa-i'ies. and what then ? We are all nwnre that subsidii-s *o municipalitief will henceforth bo erased from the estimates, and every township, laru-e or small, will be left to shift for itself as best it can. Now, what we wou'd insist upon is this, that of every township offered for sale by tl e Government 20 per cent, of the sections should be reserved as an endowment for the township. If this course were adopted and the se fcions res' rved were selected in the same proportion of important sections as is done in the case of Arowhenua, provision would be made for drainage, forming of streets, and pavements, providing water supply, and other necessary expenses inclined in connection with growing townships. We would have these sections held by the Municipal Councils in perpetuity, leasing them out on short leases. By doing so a large revenue would very soon accrue from these sections, and it cannot be thought unreasonable to demand one-fifth of the land which costs the Government nothing —which, in fact, is the people's, and which the Government ought not to make so much of deriving revenue from so much ns to make them a provision for the many settlers end employes at factories, roads, bridges, harbors, and the like. We would even go a step farther and siy the Government ought to make the same conditions with all townships offered for :sale to the public. It is a common occurrence in all parts of the eolonj' for owners of favored spots of land declaring a township to reserve, as in the case of Waliingford, or Temuka, the most important s ctions from sale. This is not fair to the public. The owner realises from 100 to 1000 per cent upon the purchase price of the land, and leaves the poor deluded purchasers to provide the needful protectives of health, etc., by taxing themselves to provide the whole amount, whereas if the suggestions we have thrown out were acted upon, the person who had made so much by the cutting up of his land won 1 d be obliged to contribute towards the works. It is not unreasonable in this more than in the case of the Government townships for it is wed known that promoters of town settlements, even in the largest cities in the colony, such as Christchurch, have made enormous fortunes by cutting up their sections into quarter, or even one-eighth acre plots, selling them to the highest bidder, and then retiring with a pocketful of unearned increment, leaving the Municipality, or the Government, or the country, to dip their hands deep into their own or somebody else's pockets in order to secure the community from the ravages of disease often engendered in the back slums from which the original owners have had their pockets well lined. We trust we have said enough to stir the r>eople up to take some steps to secure the endo "menfs referred to before the country is swamped with a swarm of theae unendowed townships. No more unjust form of taxation can come about than taxation to improve publie or private townships, especially the latter. These have been too x'eadily recognised by the Government, and if more stringent conditions were made by Act of Parliament it would be a boon to the public. It is even an act that the public are entitled to as a right. We hope other journals of greater pretentions and wider circulation will take up this subject before it is too late to bring the boon to that portion of the colonists whose welfare every colonist ought to have at heart.

To-day the question of the adoption of the County Councils Act will be virtually settled. The five candidal -s for Temuka Riding are, we understand, hard at work. We will not venture even aguess as to who will, or who will not, be elected. All we wish is that those elected will give the Act a fair trial. In connection with this subject we were rather surprised to learn that Mr Postlethwaite at the nomination for Geraldine Riding stated that he had no know'edge of Mr Hardcastle'a intention to become a candidate until Mr Wilson told him so at Temuka on Saturday As this may mislead some, and cause them to think Mr Wilson has been tampering with the electors in the Geraldine Riding, we are instructed by Mr Wilson, that Mr Postlethwaite's statement is not founded on fact, as Mr Wilson had not spoken to Mr Postlethwaite for six months, and only knew of Mr Hardcastle's decision to stand by his reply Lo Mr Barker at a meeting of the Temuka and Geraldine Agricultural Association, when Mr Hardcastle, in reply 1o quest'ons from Mr Barker, admitted

that he had consented to become a candidate. Now, we do not for a moment eiuertaai the thought that Mr Postlethwaite is ab'e of lending hims"'f to palm a falsehood upou the public, but ns this g n mg abroad might operate against Mr Hardcastle's rere! uvu, it is but scant justi e for him to contradict the statement. It was but natural that the e ectors of Geraldine Riding- should nre p er one of themselves to represent them to a stranger, and that stranger a member of the Temuka Road Board. If is n"1 to b,; wondered at that Geraldine should rally round one of their own setil rs. Mr Hanlcastle, we believe, is too honest to be swayed by any one to say or do what is not right. With MiBarker we have no quarrel, and do not wish to write a word that would injure him in any way, but we must tell him if he expects to become a public man, and especially a politician, he must chalk out a course of his own and abide by it. If he pins his faith on another man's coat tails he will assuredly suffer for it. We cannot understand why Mr Barker should seek election at Geraldine. Although beaten in the last contest at Temuka, he should have tried again, and we do not see but tha f he wmld have stood a good chance of being elected this time, even if he is opposed to bringing the bill into force. If consistent he would have found many friends, but to say that he is willing to submit to the wishes of the majority of the (lectors shows a wa it of decision which we wou'd like to see Mr Barker overci me. To be vacillating is to be open to flattery. This leads to frivolity, and this again to a neglect of principle that in the end culminates in the party being incapable of becoming a true friend to anyone. In a young man we like to see decision nf character, and we say to Mr Barker be firm, be true, and your very enemies will praise you ! Oscillate from one side to the other, and jour very friends will mistrust you 3 Regarding the mode of the election the electors are still left in the fog. The telegram published by Mr Postlethwaite enlightens them not. We would draw attention to a letter in our to-day's issue which confirms our statement that we are still in the fog.