THE Wairarapa Mercury. MONDAY OCTOBER 23, 1867. THE WAIRARAPA SMALL FARM SETTLEMENTS.

Wairarapa Standard, Volume I, Issue 43, 28 October 1867, Page 2

THE Wairarapa Mercury. MONDAY OCTOBER 23, 1867. THE WAIRARAPA SMALL FARM SETTLEMENTS.

As tlue original member? of the Small Farm Association now constitute hut a. very small proportion of the inhabitantsof the Small Farm Settlements in the Wairarapa, some information on the subject, at the present time, will perhaps ho deemed desirable. The famous cheap land regulations of Sir George Grey r which came into operation on the 4th March, 18-SS, contained no direct provisions relative to associations of the kind; but there was an Ordinance of the Province of New Ulster in existence, the operation of which, in 1851, was extended to the Province of New Munster,, that indirectly contained the required provisions} and; if was on this Ordinance, which was never brought into operation in the Province of Wellington, that, both Sir George Grey’s Land and PasturageRegulations were to all intents and purposes based. The ordinance in question was entituled “ The Crown Lands Amendment and Extension Ordinance,” more commonly known as “ The Hundred Ordinance,” which is not now in force, having been repealed in 1862. The Ordinance, which, as we have said, was never brought into/ operation here, was in fact fully intended to he at part and parcel of the Land and Pasturage Regulations of this Province. Under its provisions Hundreds were to be constituted, and every Hundred was empowered to elect a Board ol Wardens which had the management of everything, relating to the depasturing of stock, &C., within the Hundred. In fact a system of Local Self-government for outlying districts could have been established'under this Ordinance, which districts would have been entitled to the whole of the gross proceeds from. ~ depasturing licenses granted within the Hundred, and also to one-third ; of the gross proceeds from the Crown Lands within its limits. When a district was proclaimed a Hundred, the license of the runholder over any land within its boundaries ceased and determined. The district, in fact, was placed under the management of a Board of Wardens elected by the inhabitants thereof. Though, therefore, the Small Farm Settlements in the Wairarapa, were net founded under the Land Regulations then in force, them was a law in existence under which thev could have been con itituted and managed had the provisions of that law been brought into operation. Under the Land Regulations no town and surburban land could bo sold except by auction, while all rural lands, outside Hundreds, were to be sold at a fixed price of 10s an acre. The object of the Small Farm Association was therefore to obtain two blocks of rural land, which were afterwards to be constituted Hundreds, the land-owners in which would be entitled to all the rights and privileges granted by the Act above referred to, There would have been a local government constituted for each of the townships of Grey town andMasterton, and the lands in. both, whether belonging to the Small Farm Association, or to the Crown, would have been placed under its management and control; while, as we have already said, one-third of the gross proceeds arising from the sale of the Crown Lands would have been paid to the Board of Wardens and expended on such local objects as they might direct. Ann wo may here observe that if sufficient powefs were not given by the Ordinance to the Board, these could have been-easily conferred either by ah Act of the General Assembly or of the Provincial Council. It was fully understood by every member of the Small Farm Association that each of its settlements would be brought, as soon as possible, tinder the operation of the Ordinance, and that the reserves in both would be consequently placed under local management and control. After a great loss of time Masterton was proclaimed a Hundred, under ah Act of Governor Browne, but: in neither it or Greytown was the Hundred Ordinance brought into operation, though the Provincial Govethment was ° frequently appealed to, to grant this or some other measure of local government for each of those townships; and hence the unsatisfactory state m which the reserves belonging to each are now placed. We should feel. some ( reluctance in stating ouv individual‘opiaiori on the subject of the _tohrn lands of Greytown and Mastertouj in opposition to the expressed Views of Mr Carter, ¥ Bunny, and others, were wo not ■ persuaded that our views are the views also of ninetenths of the persons most nearly and deeply interested in the- proper solution of the question. This being the case. We have no- hesitation • in •saving that those reserves ought to, have h'een longago placed under local management, ana the revenue derived from them have bead devoted to such purposes—whether for