Untitled

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 3, Issue 951, 16 December 1881, Page 2

AN ACCOUNT OF THE WAIEARAPA SMALL FARM ASSOCIATION AND OTHER MATTERS CONNECTED THEREWITH.

By, C, R. Carter, (Continued.)

At the conclusion of the above I was called upon by the Chairman to speak, which I did, and, amongst other things, suggested that the Hutt should elect a member to the Small Farm Association Committee elected on the previous night. This was done by the unanimous election of Mr Renall, the Chairman. Some members of this Committee were afterwards absorbed in that of the " Small Farm Association," which had been formed about a month previous to this, The Committee thus constituted met several times at the houso of Mr E. G. Wakefield, in Wellington; but nothing practical arose out of these meetings, beyond the fact that we spent several pleasant evenings there. We found, however, that Mr Wakefield was not so sincere as we expected in his professions of using his scrip for the benefit of the industrious classes. In fact he ultimately sold it to a private gentleman, Afterwards he was more successfull in broaching a scheme for compensating the Hutt settlers for their losses in the Maori war. by grants of public land. Justice and Mr Renall were on his side in this. Then he became all powerful in the Hutt district, Whatever might have been his political faults, lie was by nature an i able, affable, and kind-hearted English gentleman. Nothing daunted with our want of success with Mr Wakefield, small; farm agitation was continued, but as yet the land for this purpose had to' be purchased from the natives. Wellington citizens took; the mate up warmly, particularly the late Mr Joseph Masters, who in a prominent manner further brought the matter before the public in a series,of homely-written letters in the Independent; hut Mr Masters who was a sturdy settler and very anxious to see the working people possessed of small farms, was somewhat illiterate and injudicious in the choice of his language, and was therefore likely to make as many enemies as friends, and. he accordingly asked me and others to assist in cariying out a Bmall farm scheme, This I agreed to. The first thing to be done before we further agitated for small farms was to procure the land, . For 'this purpose myself and iMr and, I think, one or two other, persons i — formed ourselves into a deputation and waited on' Governor Grey, who received lis courteously. We asked for certain blocks in, th e. Wairarapa to be purchased, which he kindly promised to do, and which he did by soon : after • going jrer. soyijr- to. thp Wairarapa; negotiating for the purchase o first land ever bought in the Wairarapa,- and leaving Mr-Commissioner -Donald McLean to complete.the purchase of other blocks, which he did,..and on whick we planted the settlers 'of Masterton and, Greytown.(i;. '•

at the Crown and Anchor, on Wellington! Beach, for the purpose of forming a Small Farm Association. I was asked to\take the chair, but declined. Mr William Alien was then elected as chairaan",~and I consented to act as' secretary. A'Committee was also appointed to forward the objects of the Association, The committee, composed partly of persons in the town and partly of settlers living in the country, though at first numerous, from various unavoidable causes, was latterly reduced to four members—namely, Messrs Allen, Carter, Jackson, and UeualL -In 1858 Mr J. Masters, a prominent member of the, Committee, retired from its active management on: account of his going to reside at Maston. . ..... *. .. •' "ty::,

Thus originated the Small Farm Association, which saved the major part of the beautiful Yalley of -the Waira-. rapa from being little better than- a waste tenanted by ranholders or owned by. great landowners. Not to the Small Farm Association is all the credit due. To Sir George Grey the Wairarapa settlers owe a debt of gratitude. After him, credit is due to Dr Featherston, who subsequently, loyally aided the Association in the formatiom of the settlements, as Mr R. Wakelin knows, for he was then private secretary to the Superintendent. .

The Wairarapa Small Farm- Association enabled any man to purchase' forty acres of suburban land and one hundred acres of rural adjacent thereto at 10s per acre. Both the suburban and rural lands were to be near, a town, which latter was to .consist of one hundred allotments of acre each, to be sold to each member of the Association* frt-: v 2os per acre.. The town lands .were purchased from the Government at 10s per acre. Sach member was bound to reside fee months on his selected land, or expend £3O in improvements on it, and not' part with his interest in it for twelve months. The non-fulfilment of these conditions involved the forfeiture of his town acre. Myself and Mr Eenall, and, I think, Messrs Masters, Allen, and Jackson, had to become responsible to the Land Office for the cost of the surveys of the small-farm lands, The conditions, generally speaking, were adhered to, and the Association was well supported; but, as our regulations, or articles of association, were rather irregular, some said they were not legally binding on the memberssome of our members who joined us did so under false pretences, and not with a view of settling on the land, but to speculate on it and make money out of it. This sorely perplexed and troubled us, and, when we forfeited some of the towii acres, the selectors of them considered themselves aggrieved, whereas it was the Association that was wronged. Eventually, a considerable amount of unpleasantness arose from Mr Allen, our chairman, who was also our Treasurer, neglecting from time to time to time to account for the receipts and disbursements ( of the moneys he had received on account of the Association. I, therefore, was appointed by Messrs Jackson and Kenall to act in his place; and, certainly, had 1 at first .known the trouble, expense, and annoyance that I would have t<) put up with on. this account, I should not have accepted the appointment of trustee. Mr Masters' soon betook himself to. his land in Masterton, so that Messrs Jackson and fienall, the two remaining and active members of the committee, had, with myself,«to complete the work, and, though they did not reside in Wellington, they had to attend committee meetings that I called. I may fairly say that throughout they loyally supported me, and, by their ad»ice,"l was enabled' to settle many difficulties in the affairs of the Association. 1 was appointed trustee by letter dated June lltli, 1858, and signed by Messrs Eenall and Jackson. The Crown grants were issued to me by Governor Gore Brown, and were dated December 6th, 1858, the 10th of January, 1860, I issued a printed statement of the Small Farm Association affairs. .In that document the Association was indebted to me £9 2s 8d; but my leasing town acres, and the Bale of others in Grey town, the Association had to its credit in the Bank of New Zealand in the year 1870 about £460. Thus, while I was trustee, an empty treasury and £9 2s 6d in debt in 1860 was changed to a full one'with from £4OO to £SOO to its credit in 1869. Before I handed over the papers and accounts to Messrs Hare and Lucas, as secretaries to the Association of the two townships, my accounts were audited and found correct by the auditor, Mr Haines, of Greytown.

During my trusteeship many were the opportunities I had of buying town acres and 40-acre sections in Masterton, and that, too, very cheap; but I did not do so.- Being trustee, 1 1 felt such a course might be open to misconstruction ; yet, I fear I did not escape misrepresentation, When- the" Small Farm Association was first formed, atj I was a town resident not likely to go farming, I expressed a wish not to take up 40 suburban acres and the town acre. I did not then care about land, but, to be a member of the Association, I had to do ro. What was the result? I had tHe to select in Masterton, but, as another memhflr (Mr Cole, I think) who had a ohance in Greytown wanted to to Masterton, I changed with him, and selected .is Greytown. When the Greytown 40acre sections were selected, there were not .enough sections to satisfy all the. applicants. , I had a right to select one of the best bush sections; hut, a'farming man must go without land if I did' select,: f.let' hiit} take the forty acre's I' should have,chosen, instead of it' took-a'so-acre section on the Taratahi Plain; the land tee at thattfme no one would look'aVinucE; less select In 1857, the year fixed 'by the Proyin*. cial Government for the.termination.of the period of three year? for. carrying out the objects of the association, r Messrs Allen,Jackson,' Benall, and myself passed a resolution, 1 dated July 21st, 1857, returning to_ the Government the control of the unsold small-farm lands. The ,unsold , rural; lands on the Taratahi and the subufban.sections on; the vOpaki 'Plain were 'thus; thrown opea j.tO; tho to

select; and not till after they had been rejected by the small farmers, and open t ■ to the publjo at large, did I invest my . savingS:inland on the TaratahiPlain —just ag :Mf J. Yalentine gmitli did in the" case of.tiie suburban sections on .. i theOpati'Plain. In this investment ••• of mine on the Taratahi Ifound, from my want, of farming knowledgf/wnd ■ after spending a great deal;;9W\ |P e y • in fenoing "and" pWting- : - live,-; I was obliged' to., better would it'haye .been^^ineto have Mowed the others. :, and to have lent ray Wings\out at 10. per cent. '.'inatead of now ' letting my farm at a yearly riant which, ate al*..;, J lowing 25 |per. cent.' to the tenant for $ improvementa i and rates, brings me in ii ;about ipercenton-theinyestment. • , Tobf ixntimid,