SPECIAL SETTLEMENTS ASSOCIATION.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VI, Issue 1876, 30 December 1884, Page 2

SPECIAL SETTLEMENTS ASSOCIATION.

A meeting of the above, took place at the Institute last night, about 60 members being present.

.Mr Job Yile wasvotedto Jhe^cbair meeting, which was.for the purpose • bf; receiving tho report of the: Committee and acting therebn. Tlie report, «s published in our yesterday's-issue''was-read and the names of tlie intending members were called over. The number on the rollbeing; 113jmd .the number-required IOOr

: The Chairman.explained that.some, of-thorn wo'uld-fallout from inelegißility and-Jhe. number. taken from the' list in the order that they were received. :T .

Ip answer to Mr Ford the Chairman •said the Gommi'ttee 'liad done all in their power to'obtain,a.clause in .the conditions of settlement making 'the residence .optional for the first four years, but the Minister of Lands could not be prevailed upon-to grant a further period than two years and that was only granted: on account of the proposed block being .dense bush asitwbuld be

impossible to settle upon it-right: off, Messrs G. BBeth,iim v ßttdVH;-9uimyi • to whom the; thanks'of theuiefubefs were i« : an interview ,w-ith ,the:;.'M-inist'er : -of' Lan'ds to try.and!obtain'the four years' optional ' residence, but had drily succeeded to the.extent of two yga'rs, The report of the Coiiiriiittee.haviDg been adopted, the Chairman threw- the meeting open to anyone to makesng-

geations in furtherance of the business Mr "Kenair ( »sked*;.what:' provision there was to enable persons'to transfer their interest in their sections in'the event of their beitig "unable to retain them, or the necessity arose for their leaving' the district. Mr Gapper said he also came there that night to gain information.; It would be a great hardship on a man after carrying out'.',theimprovement clauses in accordance with the regulations of the special settlements,- toifind he would have to 'forfeit everything; because he was unable to settle on the

land at the expiration ofthe ;two iyears' 'Optional -residence. He knew what cleaving bush meant, and tjoing into a dense bush to clear a ten acre patch meant the probability of a bad burn, which would cause another year's delay and'fender it impossible to go oil to.the land and £jet a living off it. He thought it a pity the Government did not see its way clear to grantthem a four year's optional residence (Hear! Hear!) Mr Kenall told them that, clearing ten' aeros of bush was no- joke. He

related the experience of the early settlers at the Hutt, most of whom had settled on land which had been sold in

London and leased to them with a purchasing clause, Many a man, now comparatively wealthy, had at that time to hump his butter and eggs into .the Wellington market for sale, where

he could get 5s a pound for his bdtter

and 2s 6d a dozen for his eggs, on the proceeds of which he and his family had to live, It behoved them to look round and see what market they would have for their produce if they had to settle on the land. If they had to

clear ten acres and put it in grass am go and live on it in two years, tho;

would starve without some other source

of revenue. The Hutt people used to start cutting their bush at five o'clock iu the morning and knock off at eight

o'clock to go on the Government roads to do a day's work. Many of them would after that go to work on their

own ground again to get it cleared. Their day's pay was then only 2s 6d, but they were not luxurious over their dress. He thought they would find it no joke to clear ten acres and get it in grass. Not having seen the proposed settlement he could not give them any advice as to the nature of the bush for a good burn. . Mr Gajjpor asked. if the Secretary had got an estimate for clearing and grassing 10 acres of bush. . Mr Park informed the meeting that on a deferred payment seotiou in Pahiatm he had bush felled for him foriU 2s 6d per..acre, and one.' burn had done hnii; the grassing had ; cost ..another »10s per acre/ and ther timber on-tliat.land was tawa, red pine, and rata.; 1 •

. .The; 'Chairman: explained '• thai it. would not be compulsory to, ,take, up sections of 100 acres'each, but' by" the concession' granted them, they could vary the .sizes frOta 50 to 150, and those"who took up 50 acre sections would onlybe required to olearfiveacres; Whoever, went to • setile on their sections would invariably do well, as they would do tho'improvements of those who did not gp there, and would have ample work also on the road; for*: mation. One-third of the purchase money would be returned by the Government for... making roads, > and those who settled on the lands would reap all those advantages.

Mr Wm. Kibblewhite said £2 10s would fall', clear, and : grass ah acre of bush, and that was a fair average, Tbu conditions for improvements, were precisely the same as those imposed on the deferred payment sections. He .could speak for bush ho had felled in the Pahiatua settlement. He had not put an axe near his bush after it: was felled, and he had a splendid burn.

. Air Renall said he knew from experience what it meant not logging up before a burn, ■ It waa worth something to fetch cattle oat of such land, . Mr A, R, Bunny apprehended the people who were going in for this special settlement knew what they were doing, and if they got the terms offered by the Government, they gotan advan : tage equal to two to 0116 over any previous conditions of settlement. The remarks of Mr "Renall were worthy of great consideration from the fact of his past experience, but the condition of tilings was somewhat different to the timea in which he first gained his experience, ■ Those who had recently taken up land in the Forty-Mile Bush settlements" recognised by this time that they had made aj>ood bargain; and the Conditions of the Speoial Settle-, .mints.were, much move advantagous to the. intending nettle!'. than evenjlie deterred.; payment regulations' were, and It would be a decided mistake to listea to,the gloomy views.put.jprth by Gapffef wl Renall, Any w

couldobtain a freehold insix years under certain conditions, and he had not the slightest doubt the Government would treat any member of that Association, who could not strictly comply with the conditions, in the same liberal spirit that bad characterised them in the past. ; -Mr J, Brown moved, and Mr J. W, Lang seconded, That the Association accept the terms offered by the Government with respect to the optional resi•dence;

Mr.Hessey said he did not think the conditions were at all hard. It would be a very poor man indeed who could •not do..the improvements in the time Allowed.

■■ Mp 'Eenall said it would-be much better toaccept the conJitions-without jjutting'it in"the*shape of a resolution. rThey might want to go to the Government for an extension, and there was no necessity for- them to carry such a resolution,:..

Mr Hogg said it would be most injudicious to carry such a resolution for thij simple 'reason: that they might find it necessary to wait upon the Minister of Lands to extend the time, and itwould stultify them to do so in the face of such a resolution. As regarded :tHe difficulty of clearing the land, he bad visited the Pahiatua settlement and found, that they went to-work cleiiringth? bushdifferently toold times,,: Professional'; meno -Were' at - ? the,- buisli•fajiiiig, "who ; big trees fifst wh'ick kncfcke'd ; 'd6wn : .the ! I lighter buali "(WightoV) 1 and ' saved a deal of labor., •.. .

' •Mr Park - coiild not agree with Mr Hogg's system of bushfalling. He considered underscrubbing first ..was most important, As regarded the resolution he coplcLonljf. <say the ;Gdm«' mittee had used their utrapafc endeavors to obtain an extension" of the optional residence clause to. the term of four

r eara, but without avail, and whilst hey were haggling -over the matter

some other association would step iii and take the land of their choice,'

By permission of the' Chairman the motion'.was withdrawn; and-Mr 'Park' moved—That four, members be app'oiu-

.ted to visit-the Mangahao,.,Tirau.mea, and any other- Wock available for settlement, and; report'to the Ausooia* tion in fourteen days,'-v. •-'

Mr Renall spoke upon the question of the expense, and Mr Park explained that a proposal would be submitted later on., The resolution was'carried, and the

following gentlemen were nominated for the task Messrs. Reese, JPrasi, Bacon, Parsons, Hestey, Kibblewhite, Vile and Yule, Ballot was taken which resulted in the election of Messrs Reese, Vile, Kibblewhite and Bacon, Mr Gapper moved that each member pay the sum of five shillings to cover preliminary expenses, and that fourteen days be given in which to pay the

amount, failing which their names be struck off the roll. -Carried.

Mr T, 6, Mason was appointed honorary-Treasurer, ' . Subscriptions amounting to £lO 5s were paid in the room, and the meeting adjourned, • •