NORTH WAIRARAPA SETTLERS' ASSOCIATION.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 6, Issue 1579, 10 January 1884, Page 2

NORTH WAIRARAPA SETTLERS' ASSOCIATION.

'A Mraiioiof delegates was hold at the Institute■ last'■ evening..' Present—•Messrs R, S. Hawkins (President), W. Lowes (Vice-President), R. D. Dagg, W. H, Beetham, J.' -Herbert, A.' W. Cave, W. B. Buick. , The minutes of the previous meeting ( were read and; confirmed; i '■•■'" ; " THE FARMERS'CLUB, : i;Mrri.; D; bagg moved that the Farmers' Club should have power to appoint its own meetings, which might not necessarily be on the same nights as the meetings of the general association. , Mr Herbert seconded the motion, Mr Lowes suggested giving the matter a trial : as it already arranged. [ The President concurred in tho view, taken by Mr 'Lowes.' Multiplying, their meetings meant multiplying their 'expenses; . ; . Mr Dagg consented to give the existing arrangement'a trial. ■ . WASTE LANDS ADMINISTRATION. The President;referred to a statement he had circulated among the delegates on this question. He quoted'' Major Atkinson's authority for- the statement that the.Government had under consideration the propriety of abolishing nominated Boards, and to .consult Counties .in. administering Waste Lands. Mr Buchanan had also spoken in favor of elective Land Boards.. The present system had been generally condemned by the House, Mr Rollestondid not oppose the prin-' ciple of elective Boards, but feared that such bodies would trench ,on the prerogative of his own-'office.'as Minister of Lands! He could not give the.Gov-' ernment-nny crodit oither for their administration of, lands or of the land. fund.' The "administration was'a despotic ono, the members of tho Waste; •Lands Boards being the. tools. 1 of the', -Government; ■ Where .'all the' money; .went for. surveys'was impossible to discover from the official returns.. ; ' .Mr Beetham thought there were other surveys chargeable on the Land Fund outside those for blocks put intothe market.- v ; ..-..,. .... • .- ' The President;said:the sums ex-' pended on native survoys were an instance of this .expenditure ought to be recouped to the .department. '.'.-';'•.'..'...'■.. - :.; ". Mr Lowes said that if the "sum expended on native" surveys was not treated as an asset in the return,the statement, wasi incorrect, ■ .The President objected to geodetic surveys being charged.' against the Land Fund,, What had tho land to do with tho transit, of Venus; .•Mr Dagg: There may bewaste lands, inthe'plaiiety- : v - ;: ' ",.d , The/President said there must he some, heavy expense sapping the life out of the rland fund which they could not get at from the-returns. He ridiculed the idea of it costing half the value of the land to survey and sell it. Mr Lowes wished to know whether they were adhering to the question. The subject before theni was nominated Lands-Boards,' The Boards were'not responsible for cost of surveys. ' The President; said;- he had been giving his reasons for; believing -. the land administration to.be unsatisfactory. The Government did what'they liked, with the land. '-, The- handed wer 300,000 acres including 50,00.0'' seres--which had been ! surveyed"as 'a . bonus_toa.prjvate company, engaged in xmßkucting a railway.' The bill was [tassed by. Parliament, and had it hot ; jeen for Mr Pharazyn's interferenVe/a large, slice=,of .Wairarapa- land" would iayo'beenincluded in the gift'. . .'.' 'Mir'Lj)wes.pbinted;out. that -though aatyear tne%penditure 'of the land apartment ales; it was not 60" per. .cent' the < v-ork Actaally 'Beforo :

condemning the whole thing they i wanted further information. < The President pointed out that the land fund was robbed to the extent of ] £20,000 per annum;in favor of the i TaranaM Harbor. Their roads.were I starved whi)e : gigantic jobs like this-' were perpetrated.' '<, i ; Mr Beetbam thought they had a right to demand a fall return of the total expenditure, of iho land fund. Mr Lowes said they could take this, fact that Major Atkinson proposed two years ago to give the whole of the land-fund to the laud, but the land had only got fifty per cent of it. Mr Beetham said 1 the members of tlievWasto Lands Board were not exactly tools of the Government, as they did not lose office by a change of Ministry. . The President held that the Government must either deal with the land fund in a different ■ manner to. that which they had hitherto done,, or advance money out of future loans towards roads. .- Mr Beetham considered that the Government should be asked to give them as a-vight intelligible particulars of the expenditure of the land fund. Mr Lowes aßked would tho Govern-, ment respond to such a request from' them. ■ Mr Beetham thought the Government would. Mr Bolleston in conversation assured him; that the land revenue had been strictly'confineel to expenditure on land. . The President ropUed'tlmt£l3B,ooo of the territorial fund was '"placed to tlie credit of tho consolidated fund. This sum, being money obtained from leased land, was not considered as part of the land fund. Mr Beetham remarked that in old. times many Wairarapa settlers saw ;with their eyes opon their land fund drift away to the West Coast, simply! because they did not wish to draw, attention to good, lands in their own district which they hoped to buy cheaply. Mr Dagg thought they required fuller information as to what became of the land fund before they could proceed.further. ... Mr Beetham thought that whon land was sold the balance of the proceeds should be applied, after expenses of survey aiid selling, to making a road to it instead of using it for opening up .'souie other land. ..>ThePresidenthojed that the delegates would come to some definite conclusion on the general question of , r .the .administration of waste lands. Mr Lowes proposed as a resolution, That the administration of the land .fund and the waste lands is eminently unsatisfactory, and that the principle of allocating the whole of the land revenue to the. land was persistently departed from. The fact that only £75,000 out of a revenue £439,000 having been spent on the land was most disasterous to the future welfare of the colon}'. Mr Beetham moved that the Minister of Lands be requested to furnish a detailed statement of the expenditure of the Land Fund,Mr. Dagg seconded the motion of Mr Beetham, Mr Lowes thought they.already had the'.details before them. " ■■. " • '' The President said they |had no de-. tails of the administrative expenditure • of £155,343. • . ..Mr Lowes said that if Mr-Beetham would make his motion refer to this item, he would support at, The'Presideut also desired particulars of the sum paid' out of the Land Fund to local bodies,'amounting to fifteen thousand pounds, •'' ; 'Mr. Lowes wished to, know whether, the question of obtaining details should '' postpone the question, of condemning the administration. The-President thought the general question was not affected by tho question of details. Mr Beetham considered it was undesirable to condemn the Government unheard, . Mr Beetham's resolution was then ■ put and carried, Mr. Herbert then seconded Mr Lowes' proposal. ; Mr'Beetham objected to passing such a resolution until they obtained a reply from the Goverment. .Mr Lowes did not object to hold over . his resolution till an answer was re- : ceiVed from the Govenvment, Ho was ; afraid that they would have to put up ; with a very indefinite reply, The President did not see how any explanation could alter the main facts of the question. He wished to know what thby would.lay before the Association if Mr Lowes withheld his • .motion. / .. Mr Lowes moved that the meeting stand adjourned till 6,30 p.m. on the 23rd, prior to the general meeting. Mrßuick seconded the motion which was earned. The meeting then adjourned.