SMALL GRAZING RUNS

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10677, 25 July 1912, Page 5

SMALL GRAZING RUNS

DEPUTATION TO PRIME MINISTER. BILL TO BE INTRODUCED. Ain important phase of larM settlement, concerning the holders of &mall n'ans, was brought under the notice cf '.he Trimc' Minister (Hon. W. F. Ma&sey) in liifj capacity as Monster .for. Lands, by ,a deputation from the Wairarjpa yesterday afternoon,, nays the Post. The pcS'ition was disclosed by Mir W. ■C. Hi i M.P., in introducing the deputation. The leases, he sa:d, wove held unc/ar t r ne Act of 1883, and the holders were m a rfate cf saisper.ise beca.uis.? tliio .band 'Eoa.':! objected 'to gi'/ant further leaser, under conditic s c-ifTcrcnt ,I'rcm the ori«fnal leaflet?, viz., n- rental of 2V pe>r cent. Section 209 of the Act of 18S5 wars ratihdr ciiff.ieult of ec.niCriictioii. To linn it imeant that if tlie Government was i;c.:ng to re-let thceo sma'il grazing runs on the expiry cf ithe leas'a of 21 ye»:.n:j, the 'original lessees had a clear right to' a renewal of the lease upon terms provided by the Act. A possible sale cf the freehold was not menifciomed in the section, and he was not aware that the Land Bbard proposed to .sell. -Ate -far. as he knew, the Board's intention was to re-lpt, but in the case* of .uame of them the Ebard prcpctDsd to K'libdivide t'he original blccirri As f;r as his informlation went, very few of the sections were r,vi?idb'le for inibdivils-'cn. As far -as ho knew, so mo of the leoie-e.s wct.-e not ' at all insistent upon their right to get a new lease at a rentul cf 2} per eci'.t. ; all they want id was a> rental ;':.as-?d on a. fair valuation:. The nm.>-bc-r cf IcE£CC'S involved was about 140, scattered about (in \ : arbu,s parts. M;f D. McGregor ,;>ut ,wit)li emphia-sis j tin el".:. 1 ? .for - the nts. Jh:w coltlere, ho said'-, took up the land undor vciry serious d'.&abfiiti-cs. In f;c;nie ! cases the caining'S- cf a hfetnme were put into thtee hcldiiifv, fcr the p". !-prfi? cf makir.g tlum 1.-. I'/.ta.lic ,!'! id ' reproductive. He wouid point out a:so •;.:iat all the iir.prcvtmcCitr.' that -had bec'n -maci-e an thait <ix-tr.'et by small I run le sees hill beeiii nui..rJ the -cr.u'gy T.-c.l'ifvtiry of the soltkis il:t n O;. -'lilioy had n:;v:'-? "heir c-wn. rc-r.df ; v.-as no ra.i- ---\ .ay elcrC'i' than tho .iiiain l:ne v.-ir.ch I v. as err.d-iirtltcd p.":c>'.* to them taking | ■pff:«.cf.vji cf the hv.icl-, and they ir.-l j irrde the- reads, "s-rch r-i they are, v.itli.-ut ar.y ,p-ra: t:ci'.vl a-si-.'s-tanCe from th:• 'Cjiov .V:i.Tieat. and all til? improvcj iv,uf.i3 put I'.pm the 1-uid had bee: j put upon the land by the indi'-'.'try cf | th? settkiis Mr McO-cgor went cn to emphasise the abrxiUite futility c-f -cutting a;p most of the land dbr cks-ci.- set-tflement, pointing out that their© wia.s no -gravel available for roadin-g purposee, -ind dectaiiing that ! sci'i'tevs generaLly wtv.'e of op'-nvon that ' it wouldi mtot pay them to take up the. land in: smaller holdings. Dairying had ateo bean proved -a failure, mostly on account <f the condition of the roads, althcugh several attempts, ,r>j(in abandoned, hr.d been mule in that direct-ion. Also, lis complained thait the. Laind Board had visited the district 'r.v the summer time, and had nT.ule its report-?, as to ,tlu> prospects of c'lc-ser settlement therefrom, it tiliould have gone there in the winter sew/on. then it 'would h-avo arrived at a different .conclusion. Dairying had been trieel there, but, aftei .trial, h.id been u'niver.?allry abandoned. That, he -thought, v.rs nuffi-c-iont au.swcir f the claims that- the land was a; -it: ible .fe.r pubdiivvKon. A CASE THAT APPEALS.

"In my opinion," ?a:<l tlio Prune Minister, in (replying, "yoii have made out o .good case-certainly a .case tli;.''; vnp >.!s to nie." Ho r.ul been looking iwto the ni;*bter ot grazing .runs. and he, had d:"eovered that by tilio Act cf ]SX>7 the <right cf the ! |]»ldo:'r> to ronvcirt -mito If as? w» P?>pe--1 : i-.iity war. tuk;u :wvs,v. The provisrwi ' was to by a t:re it House, I .which woe under t.'wj impression that the (hange pvcpcso.l was mVre&sary for the working of the Land Act. He wr.-> wi'fiiug to admit now that >.m injustice had becji tlc.no. ;I-[ e --i-->pcr.-Hl to vnfer -film wliolo nnrter to the Crown Law Officers for a •rciport r.i th* subject 'cf what was "dene and >llr'.t vvta intu i:d l by past Act,-,, rad on the ,petition a,s a whoV. if an inju&tico had' been done, an opportunity w.rml-cl Ibe taken in the Land Bill which wo did be iint-roducod during the •prcF.'i"<b •i:ciSfi' , on 'to ,put the* mattor right and to put the hold ere of small grazing rums in itihe position tlv.\v wore int;:ncU»l to occupy by previo ih ]eg,ii>'at : .-:n. I "If," lie added, ""there is one ela-f •in /the community -whicli i'.s entitled in sympathetic .wneidwart&u. _ from _ the Government, and will receive it, it t-s these (picsccr setters who hare - 1 en in tiho new country."

CABLE NEWS

(United Press Association— By Elwtrio Telegraph—Copyright.)