NORTH WAIRARAPA COUNTY SETTLERS' ASSOCIATION.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 5, Issue 1535, 15 November 1883, Page 2

NORTH WAIRARAPA COUNTY SETTLERS' ASSOCIATION.

A meeting of the members of the above Association was held in the upper room of the Institute last evening. A considerable number (some, sixty) of both country and town settlers were present, Mr Hawkins, the President, being in the chair, The chairman, in opening the proceedings, said ;the meeting was called so that they .might practically instruct the delegates as to the subjects on which they should take action. Tho dolegates would suggest certain subjects for their consideration, but Without express directions from the Assecia-' tion would not take.action with reference to them, Ho regretted that, Messrs W, H, Beotham aud Meredith wero absent as they wore expected to movo the first; two resolutions, of which notice had been given, The third one, however, might, bo considered to embody the two former .ones, Mr Lowes, who had at. heart the interests of Binall faimors. would move the. latter, and he would ask hjm to include tho former ones ,with,it, ... Mr Lowes, in moving his resolution for tho establishment of a Farmers' Club, said ho was somewhat taken baok on being called upon to deal at a moment's notice with two or three resolutions, However, he agreed with the President that the question of refrigerating might be'taken up by the proposed Farmers' Club., The smalt farmers would be as well awaro as hiinsolf of the advantages. of a Farmers' Club. It was quito time a district theme of Mastorton had such a club. (Hear I hear!) They wore living ,in times when a faimer should so arrange his affairs that even the smallest article of production on his land should be carefully husbanded. Many small matters properly taken care of might be productive •. of groat advantages to farmers. The question of refrigerating was a very important one, and he suggestod that some member of the club should deliver an essay upon it at some future meeting. He had not himself iu his possession the exact data which would onable him to giva them an idea of the actual cost of it, In the South Island he might say special advantages were offered to tho small farmers which they could not obtain in this distriot, There a man could get t\yo penco a pound cash for his ton or fifteen head of sheep,' If this single object wero attained here it would beagreatboonto settlera. Here shippers had to pay two pence por lb beforo shipping instead of receiving it.'-Their object would be to place the small producers here on the same footing that they were on in Canterbury and Otagoi Another matter.which they might take np would bo to band tccther to prevent any intermediate person taking the profits of. refrigerating, There Were threo"cbmpanioa in Wellington, but by united aotion they could play one company against another and make their own terms, They.onght not to allow those companies to to obtain their sheep on their own terms, He regretted that he had boon unable to' obtain a copy of the rules of the Canterbury Farmers Club, It was necossary for thorn to have rules. They, might be clever individually, and able to manage their stock well, but by coming into contact with their neighbors they always got new ideas. ■ This had always beenhisowh personal experience and ho thought it would be the experience of the club they proposed to form, The proposingof the resolutions placed in his hands was simply a preliminary matter. They desirecttoiay'downho hard and fast rule, but would take, such instructions as the Association might choose to give. Ho had much pleasuro in moving the establishment of a monthly meeting in the form of a Farmers' Club. In moving this, with the permission of the president, he would embody refrigerating of produce supplied by ; small farmers, flpplauso), ..' Mr Pagg in seconding the resolution, said he had joined the Association as it might be the means of awakening public interest in vital questions, affecting their social and political well-being. The amount of apathy wliioh prevailed on: such questions was lamentable.. The Association by united' action could do what othorwiso could not be attained iu this direction. This could not be doneby isolated or'spasmodic action (hear, hear,) but by union, It was time something was done to ameliorate the existing condition of ; things. They were an overtaxed and overgoverned people. Their statute book was crammed. with arbitary and useless measures, their Civil Service w&b pressing on thorn like a nightmare, and their House of Representativeßhaddegeneratedbythoadmissiontoitof» goodmany political mountebanks (applause), He must say the County Council had done one good thing by demanding a half-penny in the pound. ■ By touching the pockets of settlers it had quickened into' political life the dry bones' which before existed, He had much pleasure in seconding the. proposal of Mr (applause). The President said he did not' altogether like the fruit industry to be dropped. ■ This colony., imported vfrpm abroad jams and jellies to the amonrit:of. £89,834 per annum. Instead'of the colony: paying out this sum it ought to be receiving £IOO,OOO for export-' ing them.' They had as good a climate and' soil as 4riy other countryfor saon purposes and it was timo they turned the balance hi their.favpr,, fie, could not! agree with the idea suggested in ono quarter of making largo plantations by subscribed capital. The one great thing' was. to utilize the spare labor of a man oh,his. own ground, In another quarter it hid/been> said .that any man tnew h 6 .to grow gooseberries. He ;heldthatwy^liltle.,was knoyn as. to the right methods of seledtiiig trees and cultivating them. He hoped his remarks would be taken in good part, and that those who had made these suggestions would assist in bringing home to'settlerf) the advantage of cultivating pit at their OWQ mh.

The.'.'President; then put tho resolution' wWoli, fras parried^nnaiiimonaly, The' President-'inquired if any member desired, beforo proceoding to the last quea-1 tion,. to apg|est finy. iiew subject. There being no response; he said that in moving the next resolution lie would have to ask their patienco to clearthe ground by explaining whatwasmeaiitby'landnationalisatiom" " Major Atkinson, on his last "stumping: tour," said the time had not qiiito arrived for it, Mr Rolleston subsequently took up the question by referring to the effect of.landin' creating rich and poor classes. Mrßuchanau in a letter claimed credit' for the Government, inasmuch as they had introduced the principles of land nationalisation; Mr John-.'! ston, too, had held thoy we free to' deal' with such.questions; These were proofs that the Government wero talcing'upthe question of land nationalisation, ;Inno other country had the principles of land nationalisation been introduced, and, befori'they were admitted hero, they ought to h&ye a voico in theimatter. "Tho .prophet of tend i nationalisation was Mr George, and: if ifiley approved of it, they approved of his priu-' ciples. The new gospel of land national, isatlon proposed.a revolution,- They had not to consider that which wae'popular, but that'which waMgbl and just-that which would bring .about, the,settlement of a prosperous. a'nd ; contented people. Ho had read Mr George's book upon it; ''Ho regarded; it as.;being..the...work of an enthusiast who was endeavouring to remodel the political economy of the world, In Mr Georgo's imagination grow a new heaven and anow caWin which all men 'woro equal. He admired his enthusiasm, but ho knew that such fervour withered in the light of reason and common sense... (Applause) He asked them to weigh Mr George's arguments arid follow up his ■conclusions;-and ask is this the'work of ft philosopher or a man of science ? They were asked to offect a revolution on the basis of Mr Georgo's assertion. that he had discovered a new scientific truth, If-this discovery proved to be uutruo they were asked to enter on a course which would surely lead to anarchy and want. Mr George, hold that the' private ownership of land was a continuous robbery. ..He advocated that tho people should resume the ownership of land without compensation to proprietors of it. Mr George said " justice, was the handmaid of love," Well,'- jfr Buchanan was a bachelor, and if he would hand back to the Government lu3 estate at Tupurupuru, he trusted "the handmaid of lovo" would make up to him for the loss of his green hills, fertile vales and i flowing streams. (Laughter.) All of them had bought their land in accordance with the law, and paid tho prices demanded for them, Men had spoilt their earnings and savings in land, turning douse bush into happy homesteads,andwero they prepared to call allsuch men robbers ? Mr George said they were so, but he declared they were amongst the most thrifty, industrious people in the oommumty. Were Moy prepared to call them robbers?. (MrAlpass: I say they are, ' If they were, ho wished they had sixty thousand more like thera in tho colony. (Applause). He wanted them to see more what land nationalisation meant, for when a gentleman of Mr Buchanan's intelligence and position became its advocate it was time they considered what it meant. Land nationalisation would not, be satisfied with the State retaining the fee simple of Wasto Lands, but would resume the ownership of all private proportion The' sixty thousand settlers now on land had got the oream of the land in the colony, and were they to toll all .others who came after them that thoy could only have leaseholds. Mr George proposed that taxation was to ha dono away with; that tho great traders and companies were not to be taxed a farthinc. The men who fill tho Government offices and have freo, passes by land'and sea wore to bo i exempted from taxation and oountry settlors wero to pay it all. The men " who riso ; oarly and late, take rest, and eat tho bread of cirefulness," woro to pay all interest and taxation, and the town capitalist was to escape all charges. Did his friend (Mr Alpass) mean to say that the wealthy capitalist should not pay a shillin? taxa. tion? (No.) This was land nationalisation I Was it just ? did they approve of it ? aud would they support the Atkinson Ministry in introducing it? Mr Hogg had asked him through the press ii he was : aware that a revenue in tho Middle Island of £200,000 was derived from leasing land. The total rents of the pastures of the Crown only amounted to £170,00", but! this error was not material. Tho leasing ; o( natural pastures was a different thiug to dealing with improvable lands'; There were one hundred and thirty-nine runs varying from ten to fifteen thousand acres in the Middle Island. Some of them were above the forest lines, reaching into the snowy ranges, runs only inhabited by a few shep. herds. Was not this different to leasing small blooks of agricultural land? Take the result of the cash and deferred payment system, ten thousand settlers hadbpughtonan average a hundred acres a piece, Was not this tho system on which the country could be settled ? Contrast eleven millions of aores let as runs an? carryinz no population, with the million acres'which carried a population of sevonty thousand people:, One of the best present teats of tho wealth of the . colony was its exports. Taking last quarter's retaras, and it .was neither a wool nor a corn quarter, ho found the laud industries exported £600,850. Tho mining industry whioh wasa decreasing item—and all othor industries, such as timber, &c, only amounted to £'109,885, This showed that settlers on land were doing more than their share to maintain tho burthens' of tho colony, Ministers woro doctrinaires and enthusiasts who threatened their title to the land, which was the basis ot the Traduction to which he had referred. The'minds of these Ministers were blown about by every idle wind. They had been in office too long and thought they had only to ploaso the great towns and control tho press to remain there. Mr Rolleston in 1882 said he only proposed to retain a third or a fourth of the wastelands of tho Crown for leasehold purposes, In 1883 the member for Groymouth charged him with not having the courage of his opinions, Mr Rolleston replied that the time was not ripe for converting the whole of tho waste lands into leaseholds, Ho thought such a'_ course would militate against men coming out here, No wonder the Agent-Genoral could not get people to come out. 1 Mr Rolleston's policy was to get people to come out to tho colony with their monoy, then shut; tho door and proclaim land nationalisation. Sido by side leaseholders were to be put with freeholders. The former to have their: land revalued overy fleven or fourteen years,'and if they were not satisfied with tho Government assessment thoy would turn out, Would peoplo put up with this 1 Tho Ministry were laying the foundation of interneoino war by their proposals. Passing on to the question of the Railway Improvement Land Bill, he said the Wellington-Napier railway was essentially a_ colonial ira ii waVi i t wM not i made in the interests of any large or small land ownor, but because the lino from MakatokutoMasterton was not made prior to September, 1882,. the owners of land within five miles of tho lino wero to pay a special tax towards its construction whilo the town residents who have had the benefit of the railway for years were called upon to pay nothing. The only explanation of this was that the Ministry were utter clowns. They had no principle, thoy did not dare to tax the big towns, whioh could blow them from their seats so they attacked small oountry districts too feeble to resist. He was told that the tax would be light, but injustice was never light, and he hoped the assooiationwould assist these settlers to: resist it, (Applause),- The real oause Of all this oppression was the borrowed millions which Created a fictitious credit and trade, in'the colony, ■ The present ministry came in to Btop that sort of thing, but once in tho mire they were as bad as anyono else. Did the Ministry dare to face public opinion? -He thought the Government were a little ■afraid of the Association, Tho Weilmgton press ; took,. notico of • a bfc gooseberry grown in the Wairarapa.. but had never referred to the association. • The editor or sub-editor of, M 7 New Zealand Times, went daily to the Ministry for viastructions. The report of the first meeting of the association was brought under Mr 1 Rolleston'B notice by i.he memberfor Waira« rapa,. South. Ho could imagine the eon" v'ersation whioh took place. Mr Buchanan would say what are we to do about this, and

Mr Rolleston would reply, let it die a natural death, Hawkins is only a new chum. Wfl oan keep it out of the papers here, can't you do something with the Wairarapa press, Then Mr Buehanan probably said we may keep if out of the Observer, but not out of the Dirty .and Star. In Mastertontho Press,had-.:done all that could be asked of them; "itliidgivon their proceedings full piiblioitV; I (Applause). As long as their Press conlinued-to do this they have no complaint .against jt., He olaimed that Sir John Hall and other Eminent men were-against the proposals .'now entertained by: the Government. He regretted the '■' .absence of Mr Beetham, who' had .worked .hard for the district, and .'deserved bis holiday,' Mr 'Beetham had' expressed no opinion on these schemes, and in hia absence he' (the speaker) would be no party to do him any wrong,, .Still the Ministry were here, and they vjrinstj get men who would eovern the country on principles ol sound common, sense. ; If the' : money now wasted on.railways had been spent in metalled roads they:wou!d.nbw have had land for, thousands'of prosperous settlers, He panted the ■ association not only to •, condemn existing abuses, bnt to build up something better in their 'place, (Loud ] applause). He concluded by moving- ' That in the opinion of this meeting overy 6ofwjfd!e settler oh.the land should have the right of acquiring an indefeasiblo . freehold titlo to such land, That the proposal to.; tax- the Bottlers within five : miles of the sections of railway now being built and hereafter to be built between Masterton and Malta- | toki is unjust and impolitio. That the delegates take all necessary steps within their 1 means to' rouse public attention throughout 'the: colony to these questions, and report from time • to time to the Association on the general polioy of adminletration. of waste lands, and .the kindred. questi6h" of the construction of roads and bridges. ; Mr D. McGregor,-hi 1 seconding tho ~ resolutions, said that while agreeing with them he was not' quite clear aa to all the President had said. When'the Aviation was formed it wis said'it wasnbrPbe a party organisation, therefore th'ey'could not expect to be unanimous, They wore agreed that land nationalisation, pure' and simple, was undesirable, and he"didnotbelievethat Mr Rojleston held a different opinion-.' He believed that, Mr Rolleston-hadnhV best motives for proposing a-triid of-leaseholds, He (the speaker) had no faith in this method of settling land, but ho recognised'it as an honest effort to protect the colony from » land monopoly, as it had beon made manifest that largo tracts of country were held by one or two men, Mr Rolleston was as anxious as any one of them present to settle the Forty Mile Bush with small farmers. He believed it was a misrepresentation to aupposo thattheGovt. desired to introduce the principle of land nationalisation pur? and simple, He thought an injustice had been dono to Mr Rolleston in coupling his name with that of Mr George. He rogrctted that a political question had been introduced in bo pointed a mannor. If tho association .went in for turning out the Government-for carrying war into other counties-it would undertako a serious responsibility of which many of them would not approve Before taking any stops to overthrow a Government, they ought to look forward as to whom they would obtuin as their successors. He believed that if tho Ministers were turned out tomorrow, they would be replaced by inferior mon. Ho bclioved the association had room to do good work.. Its objects were to put overy thing right that was wrong (a laugh).' : He advocated the discussion of great political principles, and the diffusion of intelligence by the association, and that thoy should act moro : as an educating medium in tho district,.than as:'a political organisation. Ho should/bo sorry, to followin theirontirety, tho sweeping, remarks of their President, That gentleman had boen fighting a phantom inland nationalisation (No!) Ho did not believe that either tho Legislature or peoplo had ever contemplated its introduction. He believed that the colony would stamp it out tho moment it appeared, Any attempt of the Government to intorfero with the property that a man rightly and justly owned would be at once resisted (applause).'" Tho President, In reply to Mr McGregor, said ho wished ho could really believe with him that land nationalisation was a phantom, Ho would bo sorry to be unjust or unfair to Mr Buchanan. His letter was published on 24th of October and contained the following extract, "What I did say was'that the principles of land nationalisation wore modified by a conditional purchase clause, and threw on tho Upper House the respow sibility of rejecting it.' If he had miiunder« stood Mr Buchanan ho would beg his pardon As to sweeping charges, ho could not deal with vital questions with kid gloves and roso water. If the principles of : land nationalisation wero onco established, those in favor of it had only driven the wedge homo.. They wero playing withered tools, and that was what he complained of on the part of the Ministry (applause), . The resolutions wore then put and'earried unanimously, :.Mr Lowes called tho attention of tho Association to tho desirability of increasing the number of its members. Tho appeal of the President resulted in a roll of 120 members, which was very satisfactory. He alsc regarded their present gathering as very satisfactory, but ho would press upon each the desirability of obtaining new 'mombors, Ho moved that that night four weeks be their next ordinary meeting, and that the secretary bring up a report of their finances, > and that the delegates meet the Association with a further digest of the subjects treated that evening. •„■ , MrEasthope suggested a later hour for their gatherings, If they studied-tho convenience of county settlers let them meet iu tho afternoon. If not, let them meet at half past seven in the evening, . '■'' / • Mr Riyner proposed seven o'clock as the/ hour of meeting, Mr Herbert objected to any later hourf . than half past b'ix. . .;,-; .■). The hour of seven o'olock was. carried on the.voices., .> - ■: _" ■ ■■■':..■ , Mr Lowes proposed to leave till next meeting any discussion of the question whether the mooting of the Farmers' Club should be in any way separate from tho Association.