The Temuka Leader. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 31, 1881.

Temuka Leader, Issue 808, 31 December 1881, Page 2

The Temuka Leader. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 31, 1881.

In a recent issue we drew attention to the underhand way in which the Government were dealing with the pastoral leases of Canterbury and Otago, which will expire in March, 1883. and pointed out that their mode of proceedings bore on its surface evidence of a determination on their part to put a good thing in the way of their friends before their power to do so had ceased. To summarise the conditions on which the leases are to be sold: a buyer must wait 13 months before he can get possession ; he must pay 12 months’ rent in advance, and also the value of the improvements made by the late lessee. Of course such conditions as these put the land beyond the reach of men of small means, and will limit competition at the forthcoming sales to rich speculators and the present lessees. We have already pointed out these facta, and we arc glad to find that the Liberal papers throughout the colony coincide with our views, and denounce the action of the Govermnem as most iniquitous. If any more evidence were needed to show how persevering the Government are working to shut out competition at these sales, it will be derived from the following pnragraph, which we clip from the Mount Ida Chronicle : —“lt is a strange thing that

no information can be obtained by the general public as to the manner in which the different runs are to be cut up. Any ordinary person applying is informed that the maps are not ready. Yet we have reason to know that many runholders have seen maps showing the manner in which their runs are affected, and we have no doubt that they are equally well posted. We should like to know why information that is given to the lessees is withheld from the genera! public. Within two months’ time the runs, it is advertised, wil be sold. Nevertheless it is impossible for intending competitors, oilier than the present lessees, to obtain any parti' nlars to guide them in determining what sections it would suit them to compete for. This is not as it should be —The fact that these maps, showing the subdivisions of these runs which are advertised to bo sold on the 11th of February next, are being kept out of public view, while the present lessees have access to them, taken with the extraordinary conditions of the sale, must satisfy anyone whose mind is open to conviction that the aim and object of the Government is to give the present lessees every facility they can to release their present holdings at the lowest possible rentals. The Let that squatters have held these lands at numb al rentals for many years is not sufficient, but they must now be protected from outside competition, and given every assistance to acquire new leases. We have no objection to giving tbo present lessees fair play, and there is no reason why their interests should not be considered as well as any other class, but it is a monstrous wrong for the Government to try to shut out competition in such a cunning underhand way for the purpose of giving the squatters an opportunity of releasing their present holdings at whatever rents they choose to give for them. Here we are now within six weeks of the date of those sales, and the maps showing the manner, in which the runs have been divided have not yet been given to the public. A private individual who had: out up his land for sale in small allotments would have made maps showing how his property had been divided and giving the fullest infor. mat ion to. the intending purchasers,'much sooner than six weeks before the sale. And here are about b,000,000 of acres in which every man in the colony has an interest and has a right to the fullest information with regard to thorn, going to he sold in a few weeks and only the favored few are let into the secret of how the land is divided. The way things have been managed is obvious. Previous to the election the Government had no intention of dealing with these leases, and consequently had not prepared maps, but as soon ag the result of the elections became known they came to the conclusion that the new Parliament would not allow those lands to be handed over again to the present lessees in the way they would wish, and that the best thing they could do to benefit their friends was to deal with them before Parliament had placed any restrictions on their actions. They have quite ignored that pledge they gave the late Parliament, not to deal with these lands until the new Parliament had bren consulted, and seem to bo quite regardless of public opinion so long as they can carry their own views into exe. cation. Such scheming as they have resorted to has scarcely a parallel but the day of retribution is not far distant, when we hope to see them paying the penalty by being ousted from fhe Treasury benches, In the meantime, however, it is the duty of every one to try to prevent them from perpetrating a great wrong. Already two meetings have been hold in Dunedin, at which resolutions were carried calling upon the Government to delay dealing with these lands until the new Parliament had been given an opportunity of expressing its opinion as to how they ought to be disposed of. The whole colony is interested, and more especially Canterbury whore there are 3,000,000 of acres to be dealt with and wo think that every community ought to take the matter up at once and bring such influence to hear upon the Government as will induce them to postpone the sales until after next Parliament has decided as to how they are to he disposed of. If this is not done in another few weeks, the patrimony of the people will be handed over again to a few, and wa shall never hear the end of the squatter difficulty. I