CLOSER SETTLEMENT IN MASTERTON.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 8483, 10 July 1907, Page 5

CLOSER SETTLEMENT IN MASTERTON.

6 FURTHER ACTION BY THE I BOROUGH COUNCIL. The question of closer settlement round Masterton came in for some 1 consideration at the meeting of the Ma&terton Borough Council, last I evening, v/hen the letter from the i Minister of Lands, which appeared in : the Wairarapa Age on Thursday last, was read. The letter from the Minister wa3 in reply to one sent by the Council at its last meeting, and stated, inter alia: "If, as the Council represents, it has never made . application in connection with 1 workers' home 3, and has no know- ' ledge of any offer submitted to the I Land Purchase Board, perhaps it j would bring things more to a head if [ they would indicate what property j they are referring to. Enquiries can then be made." S Cr Ewington said it was quite ap- | parent from the tone of the letter j that the Minister was trying to evade the question which the Council wanted himto consider. "We ought to shake them up a bit." said Cr Ewington. He moved that the Mayor, Cr Temple, and the mover be a committee to answer the Minister's letter and tell him plainly what the Council wanted in the matter of closer settlement round Masterton. The Mayor said he would sooner not act on the committee. The matter of closer settlement could be well managed by those outside the Council, especially the Workers' Land Settlement League. Cr Ewington said he did not agi'ee with the Mayor on that point. The question of closer settlement was of the greatest importance to the Borough. The agitation for the cutting up of estates round Masterton should be kept going by the Council, independent of any outside body. Cr Morris seconded the motion, and agreed with Cr Ewington's remarks. There were hundreds of acres round Masterton that should be cut up. The Mayor said he did not differ from the principle; only the method of procedure. Cr Temple said he f-It a certain amount of nervousness in acting on the committee mentioned by Cr Ewington and writing a letter to the Minister of Lands asking him to cut up somebody's property. He agreed with the Mayor that the Workers' Land Settlement League could handle the subject batter than the Council. In refusing to act on the committee Cr Temple considered that the Minister of Lands himself should know all the properties round Masterton that were available for cutting up. Cr Elliott, while admitting that all were of opinion that closer settlement was wanted in Masterton, said that the price of the land wao too high. Times would not always be as prosperous as they were now, and if a lot of land were subdivided, in the event of bad times, the tenants would be a burden to the country. Cr Ewington: "Let the Town Clerk write the letter in reply to the Minister, and I'll be a committee on my own." After further discussion, it was decided that the Town Cierk and Cr Ewington should be a committee tj answer the letter and forward to th : Minister the previous oorresp mdenc. ; on the subject.