The Temuka Leader TUESDAY, JULY 20, 1880.

Temuka Leader, Issue 271, 20 July 1880, Page 2

The Temuka Leader TUESDAY, JULY 20, 1880.

T«e price of land in the Middle Island is at its lowest, A bad harveet, after a period of wild speculation, has brought Is cure with it, The weak ones have had to succumb, And the strong ones \ are changing their tactics. They now find that indiscriminate oppression of the poorer class of husbandmen will not do, consequently more liberal terms ai\> now offered by large lan 1ow;:i.t; for occupancy of the land than .has ever b.-tore happ?n"d in this Island, The Government though seem still tied to lerdiug strings, and we regret that we cannot point to any yen,! liberal measure for settling the land from that quarter. It is now, however, plainly seen by capatilists that land will continue to. decline in vain?, and that the hij,h heap of walfch built up in shape of land will ' speedily diminish, unless population can be induced tosrttledown upon it j hence the effort that is lv.ing made in almost every pait to draw mm of the light sort to our shores, hence the increased enquiry for land, and the improved rates that now prevail. There can be no question that the agricultural lands in New Zealand, in favourably situated localities at least, will considerably advance in price during the next few years. Than the present season no worse could happen, A high price psid for land, a high pyice paid for labour, an 1 a high price- paid for almost every needful article swell the bills of the farmer to an enormous extent. So mu-h so, that before many of them could turn round, they found themselves beset on every hand. Storekeepers pushing, grain merchants pushing, landowners pushing for rents and interest ; and in the face of all this, ana 1 in the face of an unprecedentedly abundant crop of grain an 1 grass, prices suddenly receeded to a point never reached before. Prime wheat at 2s 9d to 3s • prime barley at 2s Gd to 3s Gd ; prime oafs at 9d to Is ; prime potatoes at 25s to 3os per ton ; cheese at 4d to 5d ; and butter at Gd. Who could stand against these rates and pay LGS lo L7o a year for labouring men. The veßult of this su .'den reverse is as might have been expectei, the sudden collapse ! of the agricultural interest. As if this j were not enough, an imbecile Govern- i ment were weak enough to stop all public works, just at a tiirn when more mouths were required, and more yellow boys'to buy thewerewi'thal. Our Government certainly have not exhibited a plethora of administrative ability. The weak Yacelating policy pursed by Mr flail and his party shake confidence in the country. It has been proved over and over again that indi vidnals or firms have carried en a business for ten, fifteen, or twenty years, and when the principle died, it has been found that the individual or firm has not left a penny in (he world that could be claimed !>yh"!s relations as their own. Now, it will be asked, how is this, and was it right a ud just ? We reply as to the how, that the individual or firm were rigidly punctual in their payments, and they also posessed another valuable requisite. They kept their own council, and so. long as they paid their just debts no one enqu'red how they stood, and had as litt-e business to do so. With the Hall Government the ense is , quite different, A weak Treasurer, bent upon humiliating his nents cares not for the creel't of the colony. Instead, he Uiuntl}' blu.ts out to the wliol' world, where our most vulnerable points are and what is the resu't ? our credit is ignored, our gie-iit n ; >me as a grand field for immigration*has been completely buried in oblivion. Popu'ation shuns our shores now as it would do n plaguo,and all

this because *ve hnve been w< h'< enough to expose our naked tiess, .and the win le world lias s"en it. "

If a ked how all this effects our land speculations, out* reply would be because ifc deters small capitalists from coming to settle amongst us. With crops unsaleable, land sinking in valuation, taxation staring us in the face, who would be foolish enough to settle down amongst us. In leaving the Old Country to come to New Zealand the people would naturally exclaim—" Out of the frying pan into the fire." When a man leaves his native home it is in the hope o* bettering himself; but it would be difficult to convince any one that he i would do so by corning to New Zealand iat the present time. Nevertheless, we [ assert that things are improving, and when men set themselves in earnest to ! put an end to waste, a sound state of prosperity will soon be the order of the day. Enquiries, as we have said, are again letting in for our lands, chiefly by those who have some means ; this cannot help having a salutary effect. Next year's orops will also, there is every reason to believe, pay better. Short comings in the wheat crops are spoken as likely to lake place in many parts of the Continent of Europe, and also of America, Sometime ago it was pointe \ out in these columns that Russia would be short. Tnis statement is reiterated in the Some News, where it is stated that Russia will be short 9,750,000 quarters or nearly 60,000,000 bushels. France also will be short. Australia also is spoken of as being in a doubtful state. Who will be bold enough to say the same surplus will happen in New ZealanJ ? Here, then, we have a clue to the reason that thinking men arc egain on the out-look f>r land. Our supply of this commodity is limited. Almost every one likes a bit of land, and ■when every one is supplie.l there will be little left fir ou'siders. The nol ; cy Ox selling our Crown J>r> !■; U <t mw price, because wc lieei a little money to carry on the public husines, is a rotten policy. Retrenchment : nothing but retrenchment is the order of the day. Cm we trust the Hall Government to carry this out. It is very doubtful if they will do it.