SMALL FARM SETTLEMENT.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VI, Issue 1867, 17 December 1884, Page 2

SMALL FARM SETTLEMENT.

A Poßi/ic meeting convened by HrW, W. McCardle to consider the land' regulations lately issued by the Government and to consider the question of a special settlement in the Forty Mile Bush district was held at the Institute last evening. The meeting opened with about thirty settlers, and Mr McCardle proposed that Mr A, R. Bunny take the chair.

The Chairman read the advertisement calling the meeting, and stated Mr McCardle would lay before them his views'on the present Land Act and the necessity there was to urge.upon the Government the desirability of : making certain regulations and amendments in the present Land Act that would meet the requirements of bona fide settlers. Only that very day many persons who wanted to take up land on the deferred payment system found

themselves absolutely debarred therefrom by the stringency of the conditions which, rendered them ineligible. - C/ne party who had atons time bkld a deferred payment parted with liis interest, found, onreading the' .regulations that he could not take up another section.' If Ihatjneetiag' could; induce the Government to set- aside, three; - :vW tfythejr beittg.'fiaken .boiutr. Ide'settier's'tis^iHage^s'efcti^l^en^ r tii^ ; would go far towarfemWh'g Vthiba iV '.fte'•would not. delay the' meeting'fur'ther, ;bat. would" introduce"the ediui'nor. of the: meeti.ngy : wlp:.\yas.'fully prepared to'initiate-them into his views. :.-.••.■' :..•:.-. : ■•. , ■'''*? "•'•" .;...

l' "Mr MoCardle,.. wjtli;:c|eb'rs,.sTid -' it wis customary to : Mke■" spme' apoldgy ■ for calling the -.settlers together..; He could only plead -. -their benefit;.which he had always endeavbracT iid by; jus persistentefforts - to get'tW'wastelands of the Crown settled. vWhendast-in Master--ton- lie liad made arrangements for • calling a public meeting in the Theatre, bufc.ifc-wfts found- tlmt"'building was engaged; ::';and''th6 ; 'lhstitute.had beentaken up for three or four days by the Government for "the- purposes of the present- laiid "sale, and it had been deemed ■ better to postpone* it," but through the courtesy of the gentleman represehtirg the-'.QQvernm'ent, : he had been-enabled to obtain possession of the room..for.that- night. •• He thought as there were so many people in the town on the land business, it would be better to have the meeting and introduce the question even if the notice was short. He could take another . opportunity of- holding a more fully advertised meeting. It was now some ten years ago since Mr R. Brown and others oalled a meeting together in the old Institute for a similar purpose,' viz,, to get a block set aside for a Small Farm Settlement. They drew up a schedule of their views and the requirements of such an Association to make it a success," The'clauses of the Deferred' Payment Settlement Act were then of such a character that no" advantage could betaken of them to settle ort' the land. They at that time put forth practical views, whioh they urged upon the Waste Lands Board, and • applied to them for a block of land to be set aside'for them, This was taken into consideration, and those very ideas at that time • advocated by the. speaker and others werenow adopted by the Government, They were not • snooessful in their efforts .with the 'Waste' Lands Board at that time through the strenuous opposition of Mr Mason, and impediments to settlement were created, that compelled them to abandon their efforts for a time. There was a possibility of improvement on the present conditions of- settlement being adopted by the present liberal Government and Waste Lands Board, . He hud been very glad to see the active part Mr Hawkins had takpn in the opening up of the Waste Lands of the Crown by roads, At the lasjfgeneral election he (the speaker) had promulgated his views on the queation'and had suggested that blocks of land should be valued for settlement and half the soiling value should be expended.in opening up raids through •suclr blocks. This would give a way out of. tho difficulty there existed in getting to the land after it was sold, • .-■ It was no use for the Government, session after session, applying'for grants to open up the waste lands of the Crown, and where the lands have been sold before the roads were made it was of no use settlers appealing to have roads made to enable them to get to their land. Mr Ballance himself bad admitted that it was needless to apply for votes to open up these roadu, for their means were altogether inadequate. It would require £500,000 for roads, which was not forthcoming, and so settlement, was left behind, His proposal obviated this, The large number of applicants for land' on deferred 'payment that day showed how desirous people were foi land for; settlement,. and how long would it be .before Government would be prepared-with a block of land for settlement.: on the deferred payment system; similar io the one they had that day for disposal, The Government would notjell'the land until the roads were made,'and so the lands would lie idle .andqiorpiant whilst bona fide settlers were standing by helpless, The only wayVoutof. the difficulty was by taking another system and .taking up lands for themselves, as now proposed, Mr. Hawkins-had taken upon himself :to assert that he (the-speakor) was not. Mn'favor of a-road policy.. ;Ifc was nothing of the kind,' He liad kindly made a.poliqy otXliis own for, him ahd : then tried topiit it. on. Him as the speaker's. He -would give Mr Hawkins a word of. -advice—not to-attempt to gain his own suit by running down the views and intentions of another, Let him rather endeavor to gain his end liy the-,raerits o(sis own causethan by acting in the manner hehaddotie. The •public did not require instructing upon his line of' conduct, and he was preprepared to leave his own merits or demerits: in the hands of the public without any aid from Mr Hawkins—they were quite able to judge him withont the bias of a third' party. Whatever action he had taken with regard to the railway question had been open and above board. He had found it was impossible to deviate the funds voted to the construction of railways to the construction of roads, .He did not go in a hole and corner way to work, but took a reporter with him so that the public might sae what ho had done, and he was quite prepared to leave himself in their hands, He had found the Hawkes. Bay people were trying to get the railway into Pahiatua from that end. Ho believed the trade of the North Wairarapa belonged to the Masterton district and that the railway should.go on from this end, and it was ridiculous of Mr Hawkins to say the . settlers would pass Masterton and go - onto Wellington. Afewdargestjitatters might, .but these did not constitute the life and trade of Masterton. The small farmers, whose daily necessities compelled them to buy close at home, were the settlers that really.made Masterton. He apologised for .introducing this question but when he had been attacked behind his back as he had been by Mr Hawkins, he thought it only right to

take'the first opportunity to put his views before ..them on this .question and leave them to judge whether "his actions were selfish. (Hear! Hear!). •He considered ■ the principle thing Jwanjedjh tho Land Act was opthis would place jt within' "the reach of one and all .whether'rich or paor-to secure a block ..Ofland for'settlement. The present .'Act also defined that a village settlement shWd. consist of,'hot less than 25, -not'jnoreJknv'l.OO persons.'-'that Jhe".extent # .o£ih.e..^Bioek v^fl!d .-hot acre's which would limit . of 100 ■acres'in'.Bize".' This,he contended,-was too small an-acreage on which; to'get a Jiviog in a bush settlement, •'• It was-all very well near it largo town where other employment eould be'.resprted to. • - The size should be increased,to'2oo. or 250 acres if persons were desirous of taking up that quantity. Wheretbeyhad[abundance of land and a scarcity of people, every inducement should be offered for settlement, Another clause could also have been inserted with' advantage, viz,, leasing with a right of purchase. He did not object to. (ho ten years term forpayment, but he did object to the compulsory residence 1 , clause.- "-This would not meet the requirements of the working men whe wanted, to secure a block of laiid, go on with their present work and expend their earnings on improving (heir land, so; that at the end of four years they could go .onto their sections with' a prospect of getting a living ofi ii. He considered the Government should be satisfied so-long as improvements were going on at the rate;of JE2Q a. year, to allow of non-residence 1 for-the first four years. He . would suggest that the Association -accent the ten years payment, term with optional residence for the first four years-, 'and continue improvements yearly at least to the extent named, The land would then pay to reside on and they would have a'vast tract of .country settled (Cheers,) He advised them to select a block at once and get the size of sections increased to 150 acres, He would suggest that during the first year' of occupation they should .fall two chains of bush along the frontage of each section to the road line,and that a passable road should be made at the expense of the Association to,(serve them' until the Government thirds allowed of the road, .being made, He- : would suggest that the Government be now requested to place 500 acres at the disposal of the Association for a township and sold ? to the members at the same rate as the sections, the township reserve to be placed in the hands of- abody of trustees or a boatd of management with power to dispose of as the Association .chose, -This would in after years prove a valuable soureeof revenue for road making and maintenance.' If more than the limited number applied to join the Association ii': second, third, or even fourth settlement,could bo formed adjoining the first, They should lose no time in starting the settlement • let them at once get the approval of the Minister of Lands to their terms and then go to work to secure a suitablo block, of land, He could suggest to them a very suitable ■block but would prefer leaving itio the Association lo deal with. There were a number'preseht who would like to speak on the question, and he would defer any other remarks until they had done so, (Cheers), The Chairman invited any one present to speak that wished to, By request ho read the gazetted regulations of the Land Act, 1877, Amendment Act, 1879, which were briefly as follows:-« Not jess than 25 nor more than 100 may form theniselves into a Small Farm Association and apply to Government to set aside not less than 1,000 nor more than 10,000' acres of, land, 2s 6d per acre to be paid on selection' of blocks by the Secretary of the Association. One tenth of the purchase money is to be paid by the Secretary as two first half-yearly instalments, and one twentieth half-yearly over the term of ten years, One-third of the purchase money is to be refunded by Government for roads. The purchaser to be entitled lo Ciown grants, when conditions are complied with, to be continually in occupation of the land either by himself ot bona fide subtitufce, onetenth of the land.to be cultivated, also substantive improvements to' be made to. the extent of $\ per acre." ..

The Chairman continued his remarks, Bfotipg' ! that the terms offered by the .Government; were such-as left it open to man. to r tako. advantage", of, .if|h'e' wanted to become' a freeholder; : He--remarked upon what had been Bait}, by Mr McCardle to'Mr Hawkins. He was entirely opposed to Mr McCardleon the railway question and considered' the central route via Wangaehu would prove more beneficial to the district and open np larger areas of land for, settlement. The-line through the Vairarana would never be anything but a district line, The West Coast Manawatu would be the main line on account of its being shorter by ?4 hours' journey. He had carefully listened to Mr Hawkins at his last meeting, and had not heard bin) make use of any language to cause Mr McMcCardle to set up his bristles in.the manner he had. done. He thought they should not- delay ; but form the Association and apply to the Government, so as to be prepared when the lands were surveyed to go to work and get settlement opened' up. He considered section 20 of the Act too stringent'and should be struck out. Mr McCadle said a rather unusual cours.6 had been taken by the chairman in criticising his remarks upon MiHawkins. His one idea was the advancement of Masterton and surrounding districts, as might be borne out by his actions in the past. He moved—That aSmall Farm Association be formed, to be called the Masterton Small Farm Association. 1881, to obtain land under the Village Settlement Act, with, optional residence for first four years, Mr Dalrymple seconded the motion, and stated that a similar Association had been formed in .1876 and had inspected and chosen a block of land there which they endeavored to obtain for settlement from the Waste Lands Board, and, but for the strenuous opposition of Mr Mason, one of the

Commissioners, they _ .would _, have succeeded. ■; ::'.::' ; ''" : '• -

The resolution waVput and carried unanimously. , s At the suggestion of Mr Dalrymple the name ot the Association was left blank,

A list was opened and the following names given in*, as, proposed members of tho W.McCardle, G. S, W. John Macej J. Earaber, J, W. "Lang, W. -Wakeman, J. H. J. Marriott, R.' M, Galloway, Job Vile, W, F.-E,' Thorby, Ohas.' Avery, At : Ree3e; A. W. Hogg, Jas. Brown, G. M. Park, J. McMillan, J. D. Matheson, Chas. Wilton, G. H. Kemper, Geo, Avery, Stephen Avery, D'..Crewe, Thomas Parsons, John Hall, Wm. Bamber, P. C. Frasi, A. VvV. Renall, H, McArdle, J. J. Smith, R,. Brown r O. Christiansen, John Astori, L. J, Hooper. . r}

The following Committee were appointed to draw up a report to be submitted at a future meeting:—Messrs McCardle, Park, Kibblewhite, Lang, Hogg, Bunny, Frasi, and'Rehali. 'The meeting then closed,, and the; Committee arranged to meet at-the .Council'; Chambers, at' 2 o'clock, on Wednesday' atternoon (tb-day).-.'.'...,,;'