THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1908. AID TO BURNT-OUT SETTLERS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 903, 24 February 1908, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1908. AID TO BURNT-OUT SETTLERS.

Some time ago we urgei that the Government should come to the aid of settlers whom the bush and grass fires have financially crippled through the destruction of their meadows, fencing and stock. A number of newspapers in the dominion quoted our article with approval, the "Dominion" newspaper being the only journal to throw cold water upon the suggestion. Shortly afterwards the Government decided upon giving a measure of relief by supplying settlers whose paddocks had been destroyed with sufficient grass-seed to re-sow the land, the conditions being upon the deferred-payment principle. Something further appeared necessary, and on Friday evening, at a .social given to Mr Lawry, M.P., at Newmarket, the Premier said "the Government proposed to give some practical assistance to settlers who had suffered losses through these lires," and he hoped that the following day he would be in a position to indicate the full direction which that assistance would take. Yesterday afternoon Sir Joseph Ward favoured us with a Ministerial pronouncement upon the subject. The full text of this will be found published in another column. It will be seen that in addition to furnishing settlers in need, whether they are Crown settlers or others, with seed, the price to be tree of interest up to four years,

the Government intends to carry over

the railways the necessary material for rebuilding and fencing free of cost. Where settlers can show that they have been absolutely ruined or are unable to pay, the Government will consider each case upon its merits. This is good so far as it goes, but it is inadequate to meet the whole necessities of the case. The free carriage of seed and fencing and building material will doubtless be a great help to many of the settlers who--have suffered by the fires, but it is useless to those who are unable to pay for the material. Grass seed can be of little use to those who hav2 been deprived of their dairy cattle and have no means to purchase stock for next season's milk supplies. They must "go to the wall" unless assistance of a more practical character is given them. What is wanted to set these settlers upon their feet again jis a money grant. Take the Bush Districts for example. The question with many of the farmers is how are they to be re-furnished with dairy herds? Their pastures have been swept away, their fences demolished, and in not a few instances they have had to dispose of their stock at hide and bone prices; and when next milking season arrives they will be without dairy herds. Doubtless the fires which have done so much present injury will be productive of ultimate good, but before the good can accrue the bad has to be grappled with, and unless financial assistance is given to the burnt-out settlers some of them will find themselves driven off the holdings upon which they have worked early and late for years to found permanent homes. In cases of this kind it is clear that the Government proposals will be ineffectual, and minus money grants in aid the assistance offered will be as valueless as was the water in the lower l-egions to Tantalus. We quite appreciate the difficulties that surround the adoption of a suggestion of this kind, but the Government has spent large sums of public money in placing settlers upon the land, and it is to the interest of the State that they should not be allowed to be driven thence by a misfortune such as that which has recently overtaken so many of them. What we suggest is that the neediest cases should have primary consideration, and that money grants should be made up to, say, ten years, free of interest. Risk would necessarily be involved in 'this, but the Government should be prepared to accept the responsibility. The greatest care should, and doubtless would, be taken to prevent undue risk to tlu> State. Jn less serious cases the present Government proposals would probably meet requirements. The point we would emphasise is that settlers who have been ruined by the fires should not be allowed to sink under their misfortunes, and that nothing short of pecuniary assistance will save them. Some of our enormous surplus couW not be better spent than in rendering them the practical aid we have indicated.