SMALL FARM ASSOCIATIONS.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 2, Issue 239, 15 August 1879, Page 2

SMALL FARM ASSOCIATIONS.

To tk Editor of the Wairarapa Daily.

Sir,—ln you issuo of 'August 12th you devote your leading article to a subject of the greatest importance to this district and to New Zealand as a whole. The importance of the matter is forced upon us by the rabbit nuisance—a nuisance that nothing but small settlements will meet, Your proposal is a good one, and one if brought into practice would greatly increase the wealth and importance of our district, If, as you suggest, a company could be formed, able to float a loan on easy terms-say fifteen years, interest not to exceed 7 per cent.; the purchase money per acre not to exceed L 5; a large number of settlers would be found ready to enter, It must, however, be borne in mind that only those with a capital of, say, £350 could take advantage of this kind of settlement. A man would require a house, which would cost, say, £125, horses £%, plough, harrows, cart, and harness £4O, twelve month provisions LSO, seedL2o, fencingL4o. Asettlomentof this kind, though of greater immediate benefit to the settler and the district, is yet not so available to the working man as bush land on deferred payments, as follows:—Ten years to pay for the land, a twontioth part to be cut and burned each year'during the ton years; personal residence to be at the option of those taking up land. Take, for example, a working man earning two pounds a week, with from £2O to £IOO in hand. He is enabled to take up say 50 acres of land, to cost L2los an acre, at an annual expenditure of Ls—falling bush (2| acres) lodging and burning, LI 10s, grass-seed LI 10s, in all, with Ll2los for purchase money, L2O 10s for eacli year. H'e has L2O when he takes up his land, he will have eighteen months to get together L2O to be spent as before. To that add LG

more to pay for two 1-year old heifers. His grass will be found equal to his stock. He will require the same expenditure in the third year, but in all succeeding years L2oloj will be enough. Log fences would be the only ones for years on account of

bush fires. A log fence would not amounl

to so much as we have allowed for logging, The log fire would assist in this matter. I now produce figures to show that with a

little foresight the holding will pay all the amounts said against it. The following will be found a fair calculation (not allowing for mishaps):—At the end of the secondjear he will have two cows of two years old each; the third year four cows, fourth year, five cows, fifth year seven cows, sixth year nine cows, seventh year, twelve cows, eighth year sixteen, ninth year twenty-two, tenth year fifty. He will have for sale at the end of the fifth year one bullock worth say L 8; sixth, two at the same amount each; sevsnth three for L2B; eighth, four at L 32; ninth, five at L4O ; tenth, six at L4B. In addition he will have eight young bullocks two years old worth L 5 each—L49; twenty-two one-year olds at L2los each—Lss; thirty calves, L3O; together with thirty cows at an average of L 6 10s each—Ll9s, You -will find, by adding these items together they amount to L4BB. The moneys spent in purchase of land, improvements, purchase of stock—L2l7. If we add to this L6O for fencing, LI 25 for house building, we find him settled on his land free of debt with LB6 to his credit, a property worth say £lO per acre, and a town acre worth say LSO. But the question arises whether the improvements would be sufficient to carry the number of stock. With good bush land it might. There is, however, the butter to add, which at the lowest estimate would amount to LSOO besides pigs fed on milk. To gain all these profits, the holder would require to live on

his land, but even if he did not reside, he would share in the profit f roni butter, as settlers living on their land would be glad of such a chance as the care of com for half the butter. Upon these terms 65,000 acres could be settled withWairarapa and Wellington settlers say as follows:—100 settlers holding 50.acres each; 100 with 1000 acres each; 100 with 200 acres each; 100 with 300 acres each,- amounting in all

to 65,000 acres, causing an expenditure of L 8,128 annually, giving work to eightyone men, and add to this the promiie of the Government to spend one-fourth in road-making-an addition of '15,035 6s, providing work for twenty men. at LIOO a-year_ So that 100 men would be settled with plenty of work, making a goodsized town .. I have shown that bush land can be settled m this way, securing homes for working men who would never, under the present state of thingj, have a chance. They not only, by a ltttle saving and good management, secure fifty acres of land, but have it cleared, free from debt, stocked, fenced, and a house builMwith annual returns which will enablo them to live in comfort the remainder of their days.

So much for the advantages to the settler, but what of the advantages to the country! In ten years there would bo 32.250 acres cleared and in grass, capable of grassing 25,000 cows, yielding butter to the value of £200,000 a year, or in cheese £350,000; to which might be added bacon, say £25,000. Some may feel doubtful whether those payments for improvements would be sure money. I feel sure they would. First: There would be a good number take up land having money in hand; besides, a number of them would take up land that are now inbuiiness for the sake of their family, and in doing so add greatly to the strength of the settlement by spending their money in improvements, and they at the same time would be well paid for their outlay. You may depend upon it, to be successful the people must be united in large numbers, feeling that they arc settling the country and making homes for themselves and families. This is'the only sure way of preventing land speculation. At the public meeting on Saturday night one of the speakers spoke of our land laws as being good and liberal, because 65,000 properties are exempt under the Land Tax; but jjie forgot to say that 40,000 of them had been bought from £SO up to £SOO per acre. Take our own town. Out of perhaps 450 householders, I venture to say that 400 of them paid on an average £75 an acre. And so things will goon unless working men and their friends work for a change. If a man takes up land under the present system he must have capital before doing so, and besides he must be prepared to shut himself out from the world, his family gets no schooling, and the only thing he does for the country is to warn others to avoid the same step as he has taken, We will, I know, return men who will do all they can in this matter. Such men we want in the House. lam not without hope that the Wellington public will take up the matter also. These are the settlements that will bring wealth to our shores, and open the country forth? employment of labor, but until our lands are settled we will not establish local nor yet colonial industry; until then our wealth must remain hidden to the world, our debts will increase, and our credit be gone, Hoping to have your valuable aid in promoting bush settlement as well as open land—lam, Ac, W. W. McOakdie.

MASTERTON SCHOOL, (To the Editor of the WAiitAiurA Dam). SiR,-Your correspondent " Teacher" now accuses meof equivocally evading the statements he made about me. I flatly contradicted him, and was clearly borne out by the facts of the case. If' Teacher' would take the •trouble to read the Education Aefcnow in force he wouldsee the Inspector had no power to promise any appointment to any teacher (and nothing short of a promise would justify the lady in feeling sure of the appointment). If " Teacher's" arguments (if such they may be called) mean anything they mean this, that if an applicant for an appointment be unsuccessful that applicant's prospects are blighted, and thoso who believe another applicant was more suitable for the appointment must be working to blight the unsuccessful applicant's prospects, The absurdity of "Teacher's" position may be _ seen from the facts of the case he writes about. The Masterton School Committee had two female applicants for recommendation to the Board for appointment. The one presenting a certificate from the Board of Education and high recommendations, from our Inspector and those of other despatches and Education Boards, the other highly recommended for efficient work, etc., etc. Both ladies had proved themselves good teachers, and had equal claims upon the Committee. How absurd it would be to assert that those who did not support the recommendation of one of them, blighted her prospects, For, if that bo true, when wo had two applicants those who supported the recommendation of one, must be working to blight the prospects of the other, If the former letter of " Teacher's" he asserts but "for the interference of one member clearly influenced by one of your Committee the opportunity would have been given to the teacher it recommended " Now Sir, both letters clearly indicates who this one is, and I hurl the foul assertion back into his face, again give it the most unqualified denial, anct challenge proofs under his real name. It is easy for anyone writing under an assumed name, to attack another whose name is before the public. To do so, it is in my mind, cowardly and ungentlemanly, and in closing this correspondence I have to say that if Teacher should make other unscrupulous statements about me they will remain unanswered, but should he come forward in his real name I have no objection to enter fully into the question and to maintain the independent position I have taken up.

lam, Ac, James McKee. [This correspondence must now close.— Ed. W. D.]