The Temuka Leader TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1885. VILLAGE SETTLEMENTS.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1438, 8 December 1885, Page 2

The Temuka Leader TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1885. VILLAGE SETTLEMENTS.

Thk author of the Village Sett emenf System thought, no doubt, that he had s dved a very diffi u't problem when he conceived the idea of sett ing people on the land in the manner contemplated by his scheme. He le t the necessity of giving working men a home in the cuniry ; of rooting them as it were in the soil, and, with the best intentions, no doubt, he bit upon the Village Settlement Scheme as the best possible way of doing so. We are willing to admit that be was animated by the most humane intentions, and that be meant well, but experience shows that the system has not been so sncees-ful as was anticipated. The principle of giving working men an opportunity of hui'ding far th< mselv-s a home is si-nnd, politic, and beneficent. Ewry man b«s a right to a In me in the land in which he labors, but b-fore the Village Setthment Svst-m was inaugurated this principle was m-t recognised. A section in town would not suit all working men, and besides, town sections w> re raised to a fictitiovs value by speculators; there was no chance for a poor man in the rural districts, because land xas cut up into blocks too large for him to purchase. Ihe Village Settlem<nt System was devised to supply the want, hut it has failed. It is true that men have taken up Vi lage Settlement sections and built liom-s f-r themselves on them, and that they are better off perhaps than if the system had never been brought into existence, Bui after all no great success lias been achieved. We have frequently pointed out the great defect in the system, and suggested tbe remedy. In Village Sett ements large numbers of workingman are handled together on a small area of land ; th y have mt enough land to live on, and must seek employment elsewhere. It i* impossible for all of them to get work wiihin easy distances of their horans, and so they must shoulder their swag* and absent themselves from their wives and children whenever they are Incky enough to get work. This is not calculated to make (hem .happy or contented. In fact, to crowd large numbers of working men into one spot is the best wbi to promote agitation and discontent. Proof of this can begot in R*kaia now. Near that town is a Village Settlement—which is known by ihe euphonious name of Sod Town—which has been the scene of a great deal of discontent lately. A correspondent of the Ashburton Guardian gives the following account of the condition of some of its inhabitants :■ —

“No one was actually deprived of food, hut several families were subsisting on the charity of neighbors and the liberality of tradespeople. The Bufferings of the poorer class weie very great, and promised, if relief were not forthcoming, to bt come greater. Women, mothers of families and young wives, wete going about batless and shoel-s-, their bodies covered by rags which barely satiefi d the demands of decency. Children were born without the attendance of a professional man or a skilled nurse ; the little ones were allowed to perish, and the parents felt grateful for their release. The men did not care to leave their homes, and had taken work under the Road Board at prices which yielded not more than 2s or 3s a day. At least 25 men were out of employment, earning nothing, and it is estimated that the settlers owe the tradespeople of Rukaia fully £1000.” The correspondent intimates that though this N the account tin villagers themselves giv a of their condition, his own observations led him to conclude things were not altogether so bad. We trust it is not. We sincerely trust the destitution is n't so great that parents feel grateful for being relieved hv death of their chi'dren. However, even though they may be well off, it only prov s more forcibly the folly of huddling so many p< or people together on one spot. It shows that to do so has the effect of fomenting agitation and breeding discontent. The remedy for all has been so frequency pointed out in these columns before that it is scarcely nee saary to mention it. It is that instead of being huddled together they ought to ho distributed at regular distances from each other all oyer the country, so that each of them would be within an easy distance of farmers who would give them employment, If this were done the mi n could ’ be always at home, they could aff .rd to work cheaper, tlw-T woijid always tic. away from the influence of agi’ators, they would be more contented and more prosperous, and the cry of the “ unemployed ” would be Completely bushed.