THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. MONDAY, MARCH 18, 1907. LAND SETTLEMENT.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8383, 18 March 1907, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. MONDAY, MARCH 18, 1907. LAND SETTLEMENT.

Land settlement is the question op greatest importance in this country^ I at the present time. That prbpejS j&entfanjias riot fibfepjj J&id &o thi ft matter for years past is no justifieaff* tion for dilatorine3s in the and to"give the present Ministry due, they certainly seem anxious t<j& .proceed energetically, .with the of settling the people 6n the landjb : The «*»J»MslP fJ close^ setile | the bringing into;. 1 use ofo landfatfVesent l|sng Mile orsiot be"§ maiti| ', Mat the^ovjsj?nmeqi 7 shoul<|| j rusf sight Jcji for,* a single mog* 'm'lnt/a^d^l : i:o the battle, oves--~land, tenures Government, will "not""'mistake th|. l fh|'dow secur*'' 'fhf fttHtofe "bVauiifal'J! ■ £qvpn of land tenure, but' a quiteinsufficient degree of land settler;, .p3,ent v Jfc.is Sja<|isf^ctory ; tqnote tha| the' work of :<tne''NatJve Lands Com£ mi'ssioip, be p^'6au'ctsv4 : of much good in the early future*?' .stated that* •the-Natives not«,-only ytry fair and' -'reafeonabley "'but."that they ap (peared-'sanxiftus :*b fcave someone jto settle the matter for them, while fio sign of unfriendliness had been maijfi'felsitfd;' (.Robert Stout is reported ' as laying*' a chance .of sefef;d in £ jjf acres, and 1 have no doubt the thirfg can be settled if Parliament gives us •%he'*p6&#&and approves -of "our view!. In our report we are goinj* to setouj^

what we think should be done, and it is for Parliament to say what shall be done. We shall have a report ready for the next session, and I do not think the work of the Commission will extend to anything like three years, as suggested when it was formed. Our report will set out what has-been done, arid give details of what can be done. Of course it depends entirely on the attitude of the Natives, and their willingness to fall in with us. The [Natives we have met so far have been very reasonable." It will be admitted by everyone, who is at all conversant with the Native land problem, that the foregoing statemsnt is of a highly satisfactory \ character.

KEEP TO THE POINL It is invariably the case that when any discussion arises, questions of a more or less irrelevant character to that under discussion are introduced. (One of the most difficult performances in life seems to be for the controversialist to "keep to the point." For instance, when the question of the desirability of excluding Asiatics from our country arises, there are those who voluntarily rush into the question; and promptly go off at different tangents, and do so in the most complete ignorance, apparently, that they; have Wandered far from the point. The question .is one that should-be discussed dispassionately, -if possible, and from a national standpoint, yet Swe have one correspondent, who seems to think it is apropos of the question that he should offer a most gratuitous insult to the Maori race. In connection with this correspondent's letter it is, perhaps, needless to say that we publish Mr Pene Rameka's letter this morning with very great pleasure. Another correspondent declares that the Maoris are "far ahead residents." But to^r»^(*d,^here'areothers again who come to a cohcluj&orfiyn qpstion £frpm,.. 'what-'they'lorow r <tf"'the'-ldcal Ohiritesil' residents, but accept the habits characters of

any handful of Chinese in any locality as b'fing suffiyienti'^tihditifb^'forming an opinion,, as. to the advisability of excluding, Asiatics generally from "oiiFfcountry; The sjocal £hi!oe3e/so far knowjanf'thlfig — "Tiolftraryr 'aTe-'iaw=" abiding, apjL a number oftnem have been Cnristianised, but we would point out that all hifi r 'ttikte f MF. , aHy thing;4o do with the question unde^-d^ussjToi),-Perhaps, if the same efforts had been made in New connec^n af witn Vi th^ c f<scat there would not have been so much feelinjg^a^fl!Hßt A^eff.? Gl^i]gmaq^^ > there is. in New Zealand to-day, but the* importance of the Asiatic'questiom.wprid Jhav^ f „one whit relaWfb facial questions, there is always a amonnt p&fjpeling,. and it seems to us that it is can be; otherwise.. However,, we should like to impress upon those who are desirous of writingQleCjers *g|p<f?* tJjJLe asi* atic question that it is not onlyad-. visable to keep to the' point/ bul that' it., is ~u.onecessjiry to yje \yith one a«6thw alrfor who* caniSse theWost violent epithets. We cannot stand "3M sm;s£di\&rg§» ence„ desirability,, of excluding pinion js & sometimes exf>ne©sd»thalii ;^win)g?t£~ one, , cause and, „.another, „ Australia will be unable" to carry'out its h.elp, -Australia should -;any; 'jßuth; fate i/b'e'fall'' it, ; .,bu& ; wiiji cl¥ '.".'the' wftie-wetr' f M • Austral^' aire.engagingJ&oufd 'k&xtfe'-lsew* , !sa<f i « landers-as.a "'''timely" warring ' elude \ the 1 'Asiatic k