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Thames Star, Volume XII, Issue 4037, 6 December 1881, Page 2

Capital has been made by the friends of Mr Speight that Mr Sbeehan does not hold Liberal views in the matter ofdealing with the lands of the Colony; while Mr Speight does. The latter speaks of what he would like to do in land legislation, but when we can refer to what Mr Sheehan has done it is eurely better evidence. Anyone who can remember the doings of the Provincial Council of Auckland in 1874 will know how well Mr Sheehan fought for the settlement of the people on the land by the adoption of the Homestead system, which is in force in no other Provincial District save Westland. In 1878 he succeeded in incorporating it into the Land Act passed by tbe General Assembly. Under it the settler makes no payment for the land, the only cost to him being the expense of survey. On the fulfilment of conditions—which are, five years' residence, the erection of a house, and the cultivation of one-third of the selection if open land, and one-half if bush land—the Crown Grant is issued. Each person of the age of eighteen years or upwards may select from 75 to 50 acres, according to quality of land, and a person under eighteen years of age, 30 to 20 acres. Provided that no family or household shall have more than 200 acres of firstclass or 300 acres second-class land.