Tuapeka Times. AND GOLDFIELDB REPORTER & ADVERTISER. THURSDAY, MARCH 6, 1873.

Tuapeka Times, Volume VI, Issue 266, 6 March 1873, Page 4

Tuapeka Times. AND GOLDFIELDB REPORTER & ADVERTISER. THURSDAY, MARCH 6, 1873.

" MEASURES, NOT MEN."

For a long period the absence of commonage has been severely felt at Blacks. In that district are a number of small farmers, struggling bravely to establish homes and archieve for themselves and their families a position of honest independence. To" such the possession, of a few head, of stock is an absolute necessity. Many have striven to keep, cattle, but hitherto th,ese attempts have not, as a rule, been attended with profitable results. The explauation of this, is obvious — want of commonage. Sometimes, it is true, arrangements have been, entered into with adjacent runholders. for running cattle, but these arrangements are generally unsatisfactory. The runhplder has always., the power ta, terminate them ; consequently the farmer is completely at his mercy. The farmer is always liable to be deprived of grazing rights, upon the continuance of which he has invested comparatively large sums. Through no-, fault of his awn, but simply through the capriceof the runholder, he is therebyliable to sustain, serious, losses. 11l ustrations of this are by no means un-. common Besides, there is always on the part of the farmer a feeling that ho is compelled to take as a favor what ha is entitled to enjoy as a right. Besides., ♦■■he legitimate farmers in Blacks, there, is a large class who combine mining, with agricultural pursuits. This is a very valuable class, the material pros-, perity of which it ought to be the aim, of the legislature ta foster by every, proper means. They are permanent, . settlers, and contribute towards increas-. ing the wealth of the colony in twofold proportion, by developing two of its., /•esources. To this class the breeding of stock is also of great importance. \^ Then there is the miners themselves, many of whom keep cows and horses. All these classes hare long suffered; through the want of commonage. The inconvenience and injury from this caus©> have now assumed dimensions verging on the intolerable. The history of stock , keeping by the inhabitants of Blacks is, to be found in records of pounds, Repeatedly have raids on horses and cattle belonging to these people been, made, and the amounts paid to release, them have, in many instances, far ex-. ceeded the value of the animals. No blame can be fairly attached to runholders for whatever action they have. ' taken in this directipn. They pay to the Government a certain rent — whether, adequate or not for the privileges they enjoy, is beside the question — for cer-. tain lands, and w.hile they are lessees of those lands, they have an indefeasible right to deal with them as, they see,fi.fc. The Blacks people have, come to the conclusion that this state, of affairs should end. Should ifc continue, they can see in the future nothing bat a repetition of the history of past impounding, re-impound-. ing and impounding again _and again. "That they are entitled to. the benefits a commonage confers, there is not a,. shadow of donjbt. The goldfield has. been worked for a number of years, and the population is settled and per-, manent. M;any other places with no greater claims have commonages. Allj are willing to pay reasonably for grazing their atock. There is any quantity of suitable land in the im-. mediate vicinity, and it only requires., the will on. the part, of the Gr.ovem-. ment to render, ifc available. The. present Provincial Executive has expressed a desi.ej and in several instances has given tangible proof of the, earnestness of their w.ishes,to do every-, thing to ''promote the welfare of the various communities. On behalf ofthe people of Blacks, we atk the Provincial Executive to cancel the pas-, toral lease over a sufficient area, of country, to. give them grazing, privileges equal to -those enjoyed by other goldfields centres, and to which they are iY.i:-ly eschlrJ