Tuapeka Times. AND GOLDFILDS REPORTER AND ADVERTIDER. SATURDAY-, JANUARY 24, 1874. "MEASURES, NOT MEN"

Tuapeka Times, Volume VI, Issue 324, 24 January 1874, Page 2

Tuapeka Times. AND GOLDFILDS REPORTER AND ADVERTIDER. SATURDAY-, JANUARY 24, 1874. "MEASURES, NOT MEN"

The- land question lm offered a difficu.lt problem for- solution in all ages, The chronic excitement so. nearly allied- to a state, of explosive, rebellion-,, and which furnished themes, for the, dedama,torynratory of the Roman tribunes, is well kuown to the student of history. In, l£k. e manner the. land law,a of th.c colonies, have been a fertile mine of' political capital on Hie one hand 1 , and of incessant clamor- on the. otkeu. Moreover, the keenness,. as well as the nature of conflicting interests involved m. these, disputes, supply a hard nut for our political; wiseacres to. crack We have been betrayed- into, this line of remark l?y the. extraordinary- results, of the Glenkemch. land aale. aft. %c, Laurence. Lswxd-Ofii«e on, Wednesday, the 14A\\ instant. As announced in our, last issue, 7000 acres, were advertised fpr application on that day,, on. Cnptain Mackenzie's ruu. There were 4080; acres, to be disposed of for immediate payment, and; applications -were ma.defor U ,800,; there were 263G;0n deferred pUsftnuu*«s,-jrt34 for that there were-, 29 applicants for 5112 acres s—in,5 — in, all, nearly 17,000 acr.es wer,e applied for, and for.one 'section there were seven application^. We confess that our first feeling on, reading the results of- tb<sse applications, was. one of intense, disapproval o jj. the. policywhich na,urow v 6cb the opening «tj-~of thfi. land in such, miserable, doles,, and; were inclined to speak in anything but measured! .terms oi; the. miserable, devisers- of the miserable device,, as it i appeared to, us, of

opening up only 30,000 acres for one year on the deferred payment system. We have all along thought thia quantity very inadequate to the wants, and development of' the country ; still, on the. otlier hand, ii; ought not to/he forgotten that to, open up the land without restrictipns, might hinder rather than advance settlement. We might be flooded hy dummy applicants and by large capitalists coming forward to buy up large blopks, The lesson of Southland pugfrt not to be forgotten, where rich land has been disposed of to large Holders, and ;t is with difficulty arrangements can be made for that class of average settlers which ponstitute the true strength of the community, While we have given reasons in the interests of the public at large, and pf no pi ass in particular, why we would still restrict the opening up of the, Jand, we are prepared to say that we believe the result, as seen in the case of Glenkenich and other blocks yet to- be opened up, of opening up the land on the deferred payment principle must carry the conyiction with. }t that 30,000 acres per year over the wh,ol,e of the Province is utterly inadequate to the wants of the community, and that a, more liberal measure mnst ere long be devised. The result of the Glenkenich sale shows very clearly that the land is wanted» and wanted by the proper class — those who are desirous of finding homes in the country. We have nothing to say against the squatters ; as the pioneers of settlement th,ey have been useful tQ the country, and the skilful and enterprising of the class have reaped a rich reward ; but that does not entitle them ttj stand in the way of the country's, progress. By all means let them retain their pre-emptive right to the land surrounding their homesteads, as defined by law, but the rest of the land is the people's inheritance, which such as choose ought to be allowed to enter upon by payment of stipulated or- agreed pn terms, for the good oi the community at large. By encouraging thia class, pf holders — the class of small and average holders — we give what we would call back bone to, thei V>.ody- politic There is an intelligence and robustness both mental anarphysivo.!, «*-tn Ui t_th.is class, which nobly supply a nation's \vanta in the nour of its greatest needs. In every serious arises it is this class who rise to the time and: the hour more conspicuously perhaps than any other. Everything,. therefoie t that wise legislation can do to. secure, such addition to ovt^ population ought to. be done. Without proper- and. liberal provision in this direction, our public, works and immigration, policy will prove an abortion. We want people to travel on our railways, and produce the raw material of commerce and industry in o^r- midst ; if not, the railway will become a burden on the existing residents, which they may find intolerable, and will gall all th.c m.ore that unjust restrictions, on land settlement are entirely in the interests of a class, who (af_ter giving them, credit for what they have, dpne fpr the country), have done nothing foe it tp, entitle them to, such pre-enimencft..