THE TEVIOT LAND SALE. PUBLIC MEETING.

Tuapeka Times, Volume V, Issue 233, 18 July 1872, Page 5

THE TEVIOT LAND SALE. PUBLIC MEETING.

A. public meeting, convened by the Mayor of Lawrence, in accordance with a requisition presented to him, was held at the .Commercial Assembly Rooms, on 'Monday night. There was not such a large attendance as had been anticipated, but the threatening natui'e of the weather and the exceedingly bad state of the district roads, which renders travelling after dark exceedingly disagreeable and some times dangerous, amply accounts for the absence of many who would otherwise have been present. .Among those present, however, was a number of the, most influential residents of the district.

The Mayor read the requisition presented to him as follows '.—. —

Sir, — The Provincial Government and Waste Land Boaid of the Province of OUgo, being apparently detenn-'ne 1, in,<lefi;ince of law and justice, to sacrifice the interests of the golflfields and tlie Provmee^ generally, hy privately selling large blocks of land, we deem it our duty to >equest you to call a public meeting of the inhabitants of .this district to protest against their action, and to consider what steps may be taken to prevent their carrying out purposes so fatal to the interests of the country. To this were attached 50 signatures. The Mayor then vacated the chair, but on the motion of Mr. Hay, seconded by Mr. Hayes, he was re-appointed Chairman.

- The Chairman said no one regretted more than himself the action taken of late by the Provincial Government. That action had the effect of rousing the indignation, not only of those immediately affected by it, but the residents of /other districts. The "course pursued towards the goldfields by past as well as the present Provincial Government, if persisted in, could only have one result, that of depopulating the interior of Otago and throwing the province back for years. It was a matter of history that the people of Mount Benger and Tnapeka had been striving and struggling for years, and had taken every legitimate means in fiheir power to obtain what men desirous of seeing the country prosper — and there could be no prosperity without population — sought — the throwing open the land for, settlement. It was notorious that hundreds of men — men with money, and who desired to settle down and make their homes in Otago, had been driven away by the Government. It had been stated in the Provincial Council, and repeated frequently in the Dunedin press, that there was no real demand for land on the goldfields — that the agitation for land was got up by men who desired to have the runs taken from their present possessors in order that they might become squatters on a small scala. These statements were a base Jibel on the people of the goldfields. Whenever facilities had been afforded for acquiring land,- they had been eagerly- and largely taken advantage of. In the Tuapeka.dlstrict, he gathered from statistics in his possession, 94,000 acres had been thrown open since the discovery of gold ; of that area, 22,000 acres had been taken up under agricultural and there were 13^587 acres ploughed and cropped. The area of the runs in the possession of Mr. James Pmith and Mr. M'Lean amounted .to 66,240 acres, and the revenue received from them by the Government amounted to a total of £615 10s . per ann am . Out of that 66, 240 acres there were 22,000 acres of excellent agricultural .land, and all was monopolised by two individuals. He asked what labor was employed on those runs in comparison to that in the Tuapeka. district. The revenue yielded by the 94,000 acres ove* which the pastoral rights had been cancelled, was as follows :—4,500: — 4,500 head of cattle, L 787 10s. ; 60 horses, L10 10s ; 1700 sheep, L 459 16s. Bd, This stock belonged to 397 settlers who had made this country their home, and intended to educate their children in it, and attach them to the soil if the Government will only let them. Why, "in point of revenue alone, it is apparent that throwing the country open is advantageous. The total revenue derived from the 94,000 acres he had alluded to was. miners' rights LBIO ; business licenses L 35 4;. registration certificates L 46 7s. 6d. ; assessment on stock L 1097 13s. Bd. ; water race certificates LSO ss. ; miscellaneous, including Warden's Court receipts L 139 ; agricultural lease rents L 3105 15s. ; mining lease rents Llls 14s. 2d., making a

total of L 5719 lls. Bd. Yet the people of the goldtields were told that they wished to keep possession of large blocks of land for.no useful purpose whatever,— that land agitations were got up for the benefit of a few. It might seem out of place interfering with what was taking place at the Teviot, but it was not so. They did not know when the evil might come to their own doors, — when the Bellamy run. might become the property of a private individual, to the great detriment of the district, the goldfields and the province. He regretted the meeting was not more largely attended, but he could account lor the absence of many. The people were weary and sick of tho fncessant struggle. All present knew as well as he did, that the prevailing idea amongst the people was to sell out and go to a country where they could settle down and make homes and would not be driven away by the Government. (Loud applause.) Dr. Halley moved the first resolution — " That this meeting solemnly" protests against the sale of large blocks of land within the goldfields by the Executive and Waste Lands Board of the Province, as contrary to the spirit and letter of the Goldfields and Waste Lands Acts, and peculiarly prejudicial to the interests of the goldfields." He said that the sale of the 50,000 acre block to Clarke, and now the sale of 20^)00 acre block to Cargill and Anderson, was contrary to the spirit and wording of the. Acts mentioned in the resolution. By the Goldfields Act no land could be sold on the goldfields, unless it was withdrawn by the Governor's proclamation. If land was alienated in the manner the Provincial Government had been doing, where was the attraction for immigrants, and what would become of the great policy of the General Government? . If land was sold in 50,000 or 20,000 acre blocks, where could they .settle the immigrants? In the face of such sales, it certainly looked the height of folly to spend money in immigration. The Mount Benger district seemed to have been peculiarly unfortunate ; and it was only right that the people ofTnapeka should help them to prevent its prospects being entirely annihilated. He agreed with the teuor of Mr. Bastings' remarks. Mr. M. Hay seconded the motion. It was the duty of every man on the goldfields to remonstrate against the Provincial Government disposing of the land in the wholesale manner they had been doing. The Provincial Government were forcing the people to leave the country, and destroying the town of Roxburgh. It was 1 evidently the intention of the Government to make the Molyneux valley a sheep run. He was in favour of selling land, but not in such extensive blocks. He would go the length of allowing land to be sold in 5000 acre blocks, but no further. He drew attention to the fact that the blocks sold to Clarke and Cargill and Anderson were all valuable frontages to the Molyneux ; and their disposal rendered useless thousands of acres of back country. The manner in which the land had been sold showed that the Governmont did not care as loug as it got the money. The lease was surrendered, and the application putinandgranted all inoneday. "" The Chief had abstained from voting on these sales, because he knew that they would drive population away. Lawrence "had been gradually progressing, and would some day be a great inland town, providing facilities were offered for men to settle down in the district. Promises that the Bellamy run should be thrown open had been made for years, and systematically broken. Mr. Bastings had asked in the Pr>vi:ic a 1 Council when this land was likely to be opened for settlement. From the answers given by Mr. Reid, it might remain in the possession of the runholders for twenty .years to come. Where would there be room for immigrants if land was alienated as the Provincial Government was doing? The land would all pass into the hand of the squatters, who would not care if all the people cleared out of the country tomorrow. He hoped the resolution would have the effect of inducing the Colonial Government ,to interfere and stop these sales . — ( Applause). Mr. J. F. Herbert was loudly called for, but declined to address the meeting. The resolution was put, and <j*rried unanimously. Mr. Mouat said he had been entrusted with the next resolution. He thought they would agree with him that die sales Clarke and Cargill and Anderson were the most astounding acts ever perpetrated by a Provincial Government. To say they were evasions of the law would not describe them. They were treacherons, dishonest, absolute breaches of the law. It was with great regret that he had thus to speak of men he had been associated with in office, and esteemed, and who he had thought incapable of such acts. He, had tried to find some excuse for their conduct, to think, thai some pressing necessity had compelled them — but in vain. He could only characterise their conduct as the basest treachery. By the<" clauses in the Waste Lands Act, under which the sales had been effected, land withdrawn from runs could not be sold privately. . The Act said it should be sold in the same manner as rural land, that is, submitted to public competion. He quoted the report of the proceedings at the Waste Lands Board, relative to the Hon. Robert Campbell's application to purchase 10,000. acres, ' to show the ideas entertained by the Government selling land by public competition. On that occasion notice was given that the lease over the land had been surrendered only a few minutes were allow el for receiving applications, and as a matter of course the land fell to Mr. Campbell. Land on the goldfields was in a different position to other lands inthe province. It could not be sold until withdrawn from the goldfields, and the power to withdraw was vested in the Governor, and was a power the Governor could not delegate to any person whatever. The speaker quoted the 48th and 109 th sections of the Goldfields Act, in support of his statement. In the face of these clauses the Government had sold 50,000 acres to Clarke, and now had sold 20,000 acres to Cargilf and Anderson, although they had no more right to do so than he (the speaker) had. The knowledge that the men ruling the province were utterly dishonest, demanded vigilance on the part of the people. They did not know who next might be sacrificed. Men might embark in enterprises and build hopes upon their turning out, when suddenly an arbitrary despotic Go-

vernment might step in and destroy them. Tt they committed one illegal act, why should they not commit another ? If a man took took up land and built a house upon it, fenced and otherwise improved it, he had no guarantee thai he would be permitted to retain possession of it — that the Government would not sell it over his head. As far as he could see, no restraint either moral <*r legal existed which H would not break through. , The course it was pursuing was not administering, but breaking and defying the law. It would be deplorable if such conduct were allowed to pass unnoticed. It was a sad thing, as Mr. Bastings had said, that men were getting wearied of the incessant struggle— that they were becoming hopeless, and inclined to believe that there was no redress for the wrongs inflicted upon them. But in his opinion there was redress. The Colonial Government if appealed to, would step in and prevent their powers being defied. The utter dishonesty of the Provincial Goverment was shown by the excuse put forward for the sale to Crarke, viz., the pressure of the bank. Everyone knew that that sale was effected months previous to its coming before the Waste Lands Board. The Executive then threw dust in the eyes of the people by making the Waste Lands Board the scapegoat ; but the real culprits were the members of the Government. The Waste Lands Board had no power whatever in the matter. The Executive had not exhibited the honesty of highwaymen in the transaction and boldly avowed their act, but they had miserably skulked behind the Waste Lands Board. The man responsible for those sales, and who chiefly effected them, was Donald Reid. He had no doubt that the members of the Government had placed themselves within reach of the law, and that they were guilty of misdemeanor. The people had a right to ask the General Government to prosecute the offenders, as a warning to men who defied, not only law, but public morality. He moved—" That the aid of the Executive Government of the colony, be asked to take'the necessary steps to prevent any further sales of land in large blocks within goldfields, and to j prosecute the individuals who have been guilty of entering into the late contracts for the sale of such blocks." — (Loud applause.) Mr. J. Michael (Blue Spur), seconded the motion. 'Mr. M'Coy moved, as an amendment, that all the words after the word goldfields should be struck out. If the sale was illegal* it waa the purchaser's look out. If it was legal, then their protest would be useless. Mr. Savage seconded the amendment, on the ground that the Provincial Government were pursuing a cut-throat policy. Mr. Ferguson said if any of the Provincial authorities had been at the sale of land on Moa Flat, and seen L 4 an acre paid for land merely as an outlet for cattle, they would admit that the demand for land in the goldfields was real and earnest. The people of Tuapoka ought to-assist the people of the Teviot in preventing the sacrifice of the land, for they did not know when they might ba in the -same strait. He believed if the Provincial Kxecutive attempted to sell 20,000 acres on Smith's or M' Lean's run there would be a riot ; and he would not be backward lin taking a prominent part in it. He referred to Mr. Herbert not speaking on the I occasion, when so often called upon by I the meeting, lie agreed entirely with the resolution. It was not a bit too strong. He- was getting disgusted with the constant struggle for land on the goldfieids. It was sickening that men should have to,beg and pray that the Government would alU»w them to live. It waa time the Waste Lands Board wasdoneaway with, that those who worked the ills complained of should bear the blame. There was only one man acted at tho Board — Mr. | Keid — the remaining members were i nothing but old women. Mr. M'Coy apparently not understanding the resolution, I The Chairman explained that the Provincil Government, being in want of money, had illegally sold these blocks of land, trusting that the General Government, in order to preserve peace, would ratify them. The Chairman put the amendment first. There were only two hands held up for it. The original no ion was then put, and carried with acclamation. Mr. Clayton, (Blue Spur) moved that the Chairman be requested to at once communicate with the Coloniil Secretary on the snbject of the above resolutions. As a miner, he would like to see the mining industry flourish and not be stamped out as was being done. It was their duty to assist the people of the Teviot in their efforts to prevent themselves being annihilated. It was by mining the -up-country districts existed, and if that industry were crushed the whole country would collapse. He did not know what steps had been taken in this matter, but steps should be taken to ascertain whether land on goldfields was auriferous before it waa sold. Mr. Savage' seconded the motion. Mr. W. D. Morrison (Blue Spur), said that such a matter cropping up so often showed that the legislative and administrative machiikry were jarring somewhere. Any thing that tended to circumscribe the settlement' of. population operated prejudicially nhjfie interests of every man iv the polony. The system of selling large blocks of land to men who do not intend to spend the profits accruing therefrom in the districts where the land was situated was perre uating the system which^ Ire. land suffered so much from — foreigners owning half the land and impoverishing the country. Probably a century hence the. legislature would be passing laws to remedy the evils now being created. lie had lived in this country a number of • years and intended to make it his home. It waa a fine country, superior to many |in climate and resources. The slow progress made by it showed there was something wrong with its government, A country that had an aristocratic instead of a yeomanry land proprietary tended to make men serfs. It showed well for the interest taken in this matter when so many having a stake in the country were present — when there was such a gathering of all classes of the community. The motion was put, and .carried The Chairman said before concluding the business of the meeting, he would draw attention to the advisability of petitioning the General Government tq take

over the administration of the goldfields. There was a Mining Committee just fermed, and this would be a suitable subject fcr it to take in hand. Last year they petitioned the Colonial Government, but they asked too much— they called for great constitutional changes . He believed that, if they asked merely that the Colonial Government should take the administration of the goldfields, their request would at once be acceded to. Whatever might be said in Dunedin about the benefits of provincialism, it was clear those benefits did not extend beyond the Taieri and Tokomaitfiro. He had been twitted in the 4 Provincial Council about a letter-he wrote, and the action he took against the Government in reference to the 50,000 acre block. He had said before, and repeated now, that Donald Reid and Bradshaw wera thorough traitors to the country ; they obtained their position by false pretences, and were more politically dishonest than any men he had ever heard of. It was time now to try to get from under their rule. Any change whatever must be for the better, so far as the goldfields are concerned.' — (Applause.) A hearty vote of thanks to the Chairman brought, the proceedings- to a close.