The Wairarapa Daily. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5, 1885. OPENING GROWN LANDS.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VII, Issue 2060, 5 August 1885, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5, 1885. OPENING GROWN LANDS.

At a meeting lielcl last night, Mr McCardle submitted proposals by which lie believes the Crown Lands of the colony could be thrown open to settlement without difficulty, and with advantage to nil. The subject is a very important one, and cannot be too freely ventilated. Even the discussion ot theories that are erroneous serves as a good purpose, because they expose fallacies, The cry of the people in this colony has always been " Give us land"; yet, while the Government had millions of acres lying idle, there was none to put in the market, because it was not accessible. It was probably tho recognition of this fact which induced Mr MoCakdls to consider the best inea.is of applying a remedy, The proposals laid before the meeting last night were these: —The Government is to confer power on the Waste Land Boards to mortgage Crown Lands for the purpose of opening them by means of roads. In the case of bush land, which would be specially applicable to this district, the bush is to be felled to a width of five chains along all road lines, the road itself is to be cleared, and the land is then to be put in the market, Afterwards the roads are to be properly formed, 'To provide the proper amount for sinking ; fund and interest, the Boards are to. have half the receipts from deferred payments, and the whole of ten yea,re income from leaseholds, This, he thinks, would be sufficient to meet all requirements. There is really very little that is new in the scheme, The great drawback has always been the niggardliness of the Government in not opening the lands, and if that were overcome, Mr McOardle's object would practically be gained. It matters little whether the money is found direct by the Government, and handed over to the Waste Land Boards. to apportion, or whether the Land Boards are allowed to borrow it, The only, difference would probably be that the English lender would think that he was being hoodwinked, and ask for a higher rate of interest on that account, The argument that the Boards should .borrow because the Government is already deeply involved 'on accouut of railway works; is fallacionsj because the land, or more pro-

I'crly Hpfiikitiu, (lie hmd iwioim:. would Imve to be givßu us security .for, therepayment, of the money borrowed. The question is one that ft(leots the public .estate, no matter from what point it is looked at, because the borrowing would be public borrowing, whether it was done by the . Government or by the Land Boards, So far, then, we have practically nothing but a repetition of the old complaint, combined with new suggestions as to the best means of expending the additional money, which are of minor importance. We notice that Mr McOaudliE claims that his scheme is superior to borrowing money under the Roads and Bridges Construction Act, because the repayment would come out of the land revenue, while under the Act named the settlers would lie crippled by an annual demand for nine per cf lit, extending over .twenty years, 'lhe comparison is not a very happy one, for, though the statemont itself is absolutely indisputable, it so happens that very little or no money has as yet beeii borrowed under the Act for opening Drown lauds, nor is there much chance ot such a thing being done. If settlers agree to tax them-, selves, they are pretty sure to do so only for the sake of benefiting property they are then holding, .and none other. 1 he meeting is likely to have one good effect, namely, lo still further draw the attention of Parliament to the utterly inadequate means of access to Crown lands which are thrown' optm for sale. Ml' Bektham has spoken very plainly on the subject in the House, and the voice of tlie people should serve to strengthen his hands,