TUAPEKA LAND LEAGUE.

Tuapeka Times, Volume II, Issue 61, 10 April 1869, Page 5

TUAPEKA LAND LEAGUE.

' A rathelr thinly tftrteiictafineeting jj>f l the Tuapeka Land- League waa held on of the Committee and elei&fifefc^Se-i bemraD w~; /'-W " v • ' v^ : - _ ; %i -Mr.' Bastrngs^ 'President of, 'the ! League, in opening the.n^e^ting, com- • mented severely on tte apathy of the; |übhc X fmch .Jje,. said .was...mart:disnea^eni agj;tp.:aJJ> ! who,were> actuated' i>j a desireilo advance the common! weal. ,. Ha thought a <pdKticaS -asaocia- j £ion like ; that founded in'Bunedin : was «equiredjto?awaken ! the pedpler ;T?h'e speaker briefly described the origin, of the' League and its progress^ and ' advocated an extension of its field of operation, sufficient to incltfdV the whole Gbldfieias. * ; ; ' The Secretary then read the following report}:^,, -\ JFEttST. BE?OBT ) OF THE TFAPEKA .LAffi) ' rEAGTJE COMMITTEE, sin APRII| 1869. ( -,_ L j _, " This meeting has r been called , in accordance with the ' constitution of the League ; and although the Committee, at .s&'- closeof the first three jaonths, should: have convened a meeting of members, to report, proceedings, still, they bM several reasons for-de-laying foß'^a-^aonth qc six* weeks. T One .of these reasons was, the memorial had not been, fully signed; and of course had not been presented ; then, jshortly after it was .presented, it came to the ears of the Committee that the ,(>inmiasioners of into the Working o f the Waste Lands. Act were likely to- visit Tuapeka, and" your Committee were of opinion that it twould be' better for the' public meeting to stand over, so that they might also report upon the' Commission. These reasons your Committee.feel srall be sufficient applogy for ihe delay which has occurred in laying the first quarter's report before you.

"At the start, it y may be mentioned <that Mr-._^een.jesigned the. office of President, -in favor of -Mr. Bastings, on the return of that G-entleman from Victoria. , No< r other , changes have {taken place in the list of office-bearers. Your: Committee have to report that jbhey have held Several meetings, 'fo €arry out the first objects of the League," "viz., the opening up of the three runs specified in the memorial* •

The Presides* pad Secretary held.pubat Tuapeka Jlat, Wether-; « Blue Spur, ;and., Waitahuna ; #ndiit each j?f these places had- well attended meetings. . and resolutions

were passed hearalj endorsing the of th[e La^ League, , and eyery*ftappbrt. -~ At Waitajiuna^Tuapeka ]*3afc and JBlue Spur, loc&Vwmmifees.yeje formed to actwjth .ihe League; arid copies of the 'memorial were freely, distributed^ The result was, the memorial-was signed by nearly 500 botia fide^ miners, settlers, and business people, all- more or less {interested in- the attainmeht of the object sought for. . . " Th^ v Deputation , ;yQu,r Committee (appointed 'consisted, of, Messrs.,; Ba,s3rowii. and, Cormack, who waited upon the .Superintendent, and were received with,the^utmost courtesy I Mr. Baitings read th.c memorial/ and addressed his Honour at some length,

placing the case before him. -in a clear strong light The Superintendent .quite agreed that ,the; opening of the land. would be a great benefit, and of opinion it would be ar paying speculation for the Grovepnfnent. Mr; Bastings, in, presenting the memorial, the only ques-,r tion . .of/ ;any moment raised , by the. [Superintendent; — ; that of compensating' the runholders. .The Superintendent : paid thg'leases of < the. runs in question iad beei. renewed; and the compensa-/ tion required would, be. somewhere. : aboulr£2o;boo; and besides, he Baid, other; dfetriets -of. the ; Groldfields that' ihad "Jio : pommonage | w;ere asiiiig for some, and it would hardly he equitable io give -Tuapeka morer and not give flometojiotherg that- had. none. He estimated the Amount required to 'provide { commons- on the Groldfields at iB70,000; aiithe rate of jbompensation -which had already heen paid^ and that sum he .considered a great monetary, difficulty in the way of opening up the land on "the .Groldfields; Mr. Bastingg

asked whether the G-oyerument wofdd,| be favourably disposed towards raising money for the payment of these compensations,, seeing the good- of the country; was involved" -to so great an The Superintendent saAd'^he. could only speak for himself, but, thought that it was yery desirable, to induce -settlement iir tho country. 3?his joint Committee- oonsider-a verjrunsatisfactory answer; as it is thebusi-' ness of fhe r Superintendent to endea- • your to devise sonj.e means to supply. Tsrhat.he confesses,. to be an all-impor-' tant want, and to recommend ths same to his Executive. Mr.- Brown pointed out to his Honour the number of acres comprised in the three Tuns, and ,ther Zf area^occupied by . agricultural., leases, and asked .several questions, all boaring upon the 'subject. Mr. Cormack, •stated that 'if these runs were thrown open they would bejrodiictive' of increased . reymuer^fourififtibs: •of., the miners" already being -possessed of pattle. Several other questions were asked the Superintendent, more or less /connected with - the r memorial, when £he Superintendent promised that an

official ! reply Would' 'be v forwarded to the Deputation. ? £TH^Jo?^ig H l&^ieply ;— . " " * * Provincial Government Offices, Dunedin, Jan. 28, 1869.

Gentlemen, — With, reference to the Memorial ;fr<»n: the Tuapeka Land League addressed to the Superintendent and the Executive Council, which was presented by you on the 21irtf instant, I am directed to inform yoii that it has been submitted, to the. Executive Council; and inasmuch as* it involves a very large question of policy, as well as a considerable expenditure of money, it has been resolved: to transmit it-tiy Message for the consideration of the Provincial Council.

I have, the honour to be, Gentlemen, Your most obedient servant, Alex. Willis, Secretary to 'the "Executive Council. Messrs. Brown, Bastings, and Cormack.

"Tour Committee, at this stage, purposed holding a public meeting, but it was thought advisable to hear what the Commissioners appointed by the G-eneral G-overnment to enquire into the working, pf . ,the Waste Lands Act had 'to say ' on the matter. Accordingly, your Committee forwarded a communication to. the Commissioners, requesting them, if they visited Lawrence, to confer with the Land League, tq, wjbich a telegraphic reply was received* stating that they would be in Lawrence on the following Saturday. A Commiteee meeting was therefore at onceWnvened, and a number of gentlemen appointed to give evidence before the Commission. The following ■named' gentlemen, members of the League, made statements and replied to questions upon oath : — Messrs. Bastings, Brown, Keen, Cormack, .Evans, Tolcher, Mcc, G-ascoigne, and jFraser. Several others, not members sof the League, were also examined, viz.: — Messrs. Mouat, Grundy, Adams, arid Nicholson ; and all their evidence was considered by the Commissioners as extremely valuable. Your Committee regret that the Commissioners would not allow the evidence to be published in any form whatever ; and although the. Secretary was permitted to take, down the evidence, it was with the distinct previso that it would not be published until the Commissioners' Eeporjt had been made public. Your Committee therefore are not allowed to make known the evidence ; but this much may be said, that everything given in .evidence was strongly in favor of opening the three runs, with the exception pf the evidence of one gentleman — Mr. Adams, the surveyor, who, from all appearance, had fully intended doing his utmost to damage any good results that might come to the district from the Commissioners' enquiry. . "As a proof of the urgency for opening the land on the G-oldfields for settlement, your Committee would »drawyour attention, to the fact that every acre of the Island Block at the Horseshoe Bend, lately thrown open, was taken up in. one day ; and your 1 Committee are thoroughly convinced that were a large portion of the G-old-fields thrown open for the purposes of settlement and commonage, under a more liberal leasing system, and at a •considerably reduced rent, a similar result would follow all over the G-old-fields; and a revenue would thus be derived to the Province which can never.be approximated by the present system. The system of taking blocks from runs as now carried out, your Committee believe to lie most injurious to settlement, as no opportunity is given for the running of stock, and the settler and miner are left to the whim and ' fancy of the runholder. Your Committee believe a liberal leasing system, properly worked, to be thereat fitted for the G-oldfields — in fuct* for all the Waste Lands of the Province, as it prevents speculation and monopoly, jjreser^es the fining interest, and encourages settlement. Wnile the .original design :of the Land League had a specific object to accomplish, viz.,- the throwing open of the three runs adjoining Lawrence, your Committee become daily more and more -convinced that as the cause with which- they hare been entrusted is one which* affects ;not "only the .Tuapeka apldfield,butali;theOtago Goldfields, the, beet means for the accomplishment of, the object for- which the' League was formed would be to make the question a general; instead of a specific' one. Ypur Committee; would therefore submit the following as the result 1 of : their deliberations,^ and' which they would desire' to have embodied in the Eeport:-^- . , That in the opinion of this League ; any future legislation that' may take place irith regard to the , .. , , "Waste Lands of the Province, should embrace the following clauses: — , 1. TKat sections 33 and 34 of the Goldfields Act, 1866, should be repealed; and, that' land hereafter required for settlement shall be taken in the manner provided by sections 16, 17, 18, 1», and 20, of the. said Goldfields Act; and that a bill be introduced into the General Assembly, to give effect to the above resolution. 2. That whenever any deed of cove- . nant has been made for the taking of land, and the same has not hitherto been carried 'into effect, the same, sljall forthwith be cancelled. - 3. That a bill be also introduced into the General Assembly, at its next session, supported by the Provincial Government of Otago, .or all such members thereof as

snail have, seats in the General

"AssemblyT-lst. To provide that . all land henceforth required for settlement, in Otago, shall, before it is opened for settlement, . be proclaimed into hundreds. 2nd. That .all such land shall be open for occupation in blocks not exceeding 320 acres each, under lease only, for a term not exceeding seven years, at a rent not exceeding Is. per acre. 3rd. That all such leases shall be subject to provisions that the lessee shall', upon having cultivated not less than, one-half, be entitled to purchase the' fee simple thereof, at the price of 10s. per acre, after honafide occupation for not less than three years. And 4th. That no, single individual shall - be entitled to exercise a right of purchase over more than one such block in one and the same year.

4. That as the occupation of a modicum of pastoral land is indispensible to success in settlement, every such hundred as aforesaid should contain a proportion of land not less than two-thirds of of the whole, of land suited for pasturage only. 5. That upon the before-mentioned bills becoming law, the Provincial Government of Otagc shall forthwith take steps for the proclamation of hundreds, of not less than 20,000 acres, in all places on the Goldfields where a population of not less than 500 shall be settled, within an area of forty square miles. "Tour Committee feel convinced that such a revision of the Act would meet the demands of all parties, and bring prosperity to the Province. " Your Committee are fully alive to the fact that it is necessary to keep up this agitation, and that petitions should be sent to the Provincial Council from all parts of the Province. By this means your Committee are assured that if such moral pressure' were brought to bear upon the Representatives of the people, the desired end might be accomplished at the first session of the Council. But to carry this laudable object into effect, a considerable sum would require to be collected ; and until this is done, your Committee are powerless to act."

A. FEROTSON,

Hon. Secretary. "Mi. Munro moved the adoption of the report. Mr. "W. G-ascoigne seconded. Mr. Keen commented in a most able and eloquent manner on the political apathy of the public. Mr. Michael commented severely on- the action of Mr. Jphn Hughes in regard to the Land Question. Mr. Vernon declared the people had equal rights, and the monopoly of land by the runholders was a crying evil. The report was then adopted. The following, office-bearers were then elected .— M. Hay, Esq., M.P.C. ; Secretary, Mr. Gk Eenwick; Committee, Messrs. Gormack, Grascoigne, Morris, Keen, Darton, Mailler, "Weir, and Bastings. A vote of thanks to the President and retiring Committee wound Up the meeting.