OPENING CROWN LANDS.

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

OPENING CROWN LANDS.

A public meeting, convened by Mr W. W. McCardle, was held at the Theatre Royal last night to consider a proposal to open Crown Lands, and to protest against any portion of the Mangatainoke Block being granted as an endowment to the Wellington Harbor Board. There were between 200 and 250 persons present, Mr A, R. Bunny, who on the motion of Mr McCardle was voted to the chair, read the advertisement convening the meeting, and then expressed regret at seeing bo few present to discuss such important subjects. The first subject, at any rate, was one that was of colonial importance. Ho hoped it would bo discussed in such a manner as to thoroughly ventilate'it. He then read a letter from MrG. Beetham, M.H.R., addressed to Mr W. H, Beetham, in which the writer expressed regret at his inability to attend, and stating that he had already endeavored to draw attention to the necessity for better provision being made to open Crown Lands, and assuring the meeting that he would use his best endeavors to promote the interests of settlement. With regard to endowments, Mrßeetham said he had not changed his mind, and he would try to prevent.an endowment to the Harbor Board in the Mangatainoke Block becoming a hindrance to settlement, Mr Bunny said he quite agreed with the'letter, and they should at any rate protest to the utmost against 'any endowment being granted, Mr McCardJe said there was no subject that he could think of that was of half the importance to tho colony as the one they were about to consider, namely the settlement of the land. There was a time when the people had to contend with the Land Boards and landlaws, and though that was now better, the improvements had only been partially successful. Ho believed that during the past twelve months more settlement had taken place in the colony than during any similar previous period. There was' this difference, too, that the lands were formerly open, while now they had only bush land to take up, and any one with the least practical experience could tell that these wereofno use without roads. Parliament now voted annually the sum of LIOO,OOO for opening Crown Lands by means of roads, and of that sum the Wellington Board received somewhere between L 5,000 and LIO,OOO, which was altogether inadequate for the work that was required to be done. Often, too, it had become necessary to expend some of this money in repairs, which would be avoided if the roads could be properly completed, When land was offered it often took two or three years before it was taken up, because there was too short a distance of road to open it, Mr Marchant estimated that there were in the district 471,400 acres of land available for settlement, and worth about £1 per acre, and the cost of opening it by cutting tracts would be about LllljOOO. Since then the Mangatainoke had been bought, and if he added one or two smaller blocks which Mr Marchant had omitted he concluded that there were 552,000 acres, andtocovertheextraacreage he would havo to add L 20,000. If they took the deferred payment thirds and the twenty-five per cent from perpetual leases it wouid be seen, that they would have L 260,000 to open up this land. Taking all the land in the provincial district the amount would be equal to about L3QO,QOO. He proposed to change all this,' His ideas were not quite perfected, but he believed that they oould be made so. He had brought the matter up before the Waste Land Board, and he had the assurance of Messrs Bunny and Beetham that it was feasible. ■ He had also spoken to the Premier and,the Minister of Lands about it, andthey were of the same opinion. What he proposed should be done wm thislnstead of Parliament granting them £IOO,OOO a year for opening Crown Lands, they should say," We don't want that!"- - The money for the construetion of foada should come from the land and from that only. All he asked for was that instead of the deferred payment thirds they should gat fifty per • cent.,

and from leaseholds, the receipts of the first ten years,','Of course, if' the leasehold system were dropped, they would have to provide something else, They, would, perhaps, have to do away with the deferred payment system, leaseholds being far preferable, as' they only paid five per cent, per annum on the original value, at which they could purchase. The amount he proposed, would give them 'in ten years all that was required for road making. He calculated that roads would, on the average, cost them £7 per chain. To get the money he proposed that the Land Boards shonld get the power to borrow the money on the security of the land, and it should then be handed over to local bodies for expenditure, with directions as to what works should be carried out, The Land Board could easily pay interest and sinking fund, and they would do the ivork more cheaply and effectually than the Government. At present they oould not keep pace with the stream of settlement, and many people had gone on the land without any roads. They also had the special, settlement movement, while every direct steamer brought new people, many of whom left again; because they could not get land,, They must find some means of speedily opening the land. The •Government could not do that, as it already had its hands full with .the railways that had been promised. The only way to do it was to empower the Land Boards to , borrow. There would :be excellent security, and no extra taxj as the amount to be paid in. sinking fund and interest' would come out of .tlie' receipts from the land. They should have the bush lines felled to a width of five chains, and, say, one chain cleared and sown with grasses, after which they might sell the land, When the land was taken up they could proceed with the construction of the roads. This work could be done by the settlers, to whom it would be a great help. The Counties and Road Boards got about £220,000 a year under the Roads and Bridges Construction Act, but they had very little to show for it, while they .were taxed, to refund the money borrowed. By his system they would have no extra taxation, and much quicker settlement. After recapitulating his figures, he proceeded to say that the present system of opening Crown Lands did not work well, because the money was spent in driblets, By properly opening the land they would probably get from 25s to 30s per acre, instead of the LI they calculated upon, Tlie matter was not one for the district only, but for the whole colony. If this district could show a saving of £65,000, how much would the whole colony benefit by it? When Sir Julius Yogel first came to the colony with his public works scheme, he drew a beautiful picture of the progress the colony was to make; but settlement did not go hand in hand with the public works scheme. They had that very forcibly shown in 1870 and 1877, when they had tried to get the Forty Mile Bush settled, and when tho people crowded to the place to get land and could not. With regard to the laying out of roads, no one except the head of the department should have a say. So far as Mr Marchant was concerned, he was eminently fitted for it. He hoped the matter would receive the favorable consideration of the meeting.-(Applause.) The Chairman said the scheme was worthy of their hearty support, and if they got it carried out they should be a prosperous people. It should receive their earnest consideration. There was one portion of it from which he differed. Mr McCardle proposed that the land should be first sold and the roads made after. He should like to see that the other way about, If fcliey did not adopt that course they would pe as far off settlement as ever. He suggested that Crown Lands should be opened with roads sufficiently made to allow settlers to get to their land, Mr McCardle explained that his proposal was that the first portion of the loan was to be expended in falling the bush five chain wide, One chain of that should be stumped and the whole width sown with grass. Then the intending- settlers could go through and see the land for themselves. The clearing would be quite sufficient to allow them to get stock and stores to the place. They could then get something of the rest of the loan by going in for road making. He thought his proposal was specially adapted for bush settlements.

The Chairman expressed himself satisfied with the explanation. Mr A, W, Hogs said ho should not have come forward to speak, did it not seem that there was great apathy on 'the subject. As regarded borrowing, he generally fought shy of it. (Mr Woodroofe: Hear, hear.) and he thought the Government had made a mistake in plunging into debt. Mr McCardle's remarks, however, cleared away any doubts he had about the scheme, which, if carried out, would be of an exceedingly beneficial nature, It looked like applying a general land tax to a very general purpose, and the proposed expenditure would therefore bo justified. The opening of the Forty-Mile Bush would bo to the advantage of everyone in the district, and through it Masterton would become a far greater town. At present there were hundreds of men in tho South Island looking towards the North for land, and practical farmers, in all parts of the colonies, were .ready to take up land if it were available. He spoke strongly in favor of protection, and in conclusion moved: " That this meeting is of opinion that the scheme propounded by Mr McCardle will have the effect of rapidly settling and opening up tho Crown lands, and that the Government be asked to bring forward a measure for giving effect to it." Mr S. Bacon seconded the resolution, as he considered it was the duty o everyone to support anything that was proposed to promote the settlement of tho land.

The Chairman' was about to put the resolution, when— Mr Woodroofe rose to speak. The Chairman said ho had waited for some time, and no one showed a desire to speak. Mr Woodroofe said he was only waiting to see the resolution proposed and seconded, As lie meant to opposo it, he could hardly speak before that was done. (Laughter.) The Chairman said Mr Woodroofe might proceed. Mr Woodroofe then said Mr McCardle had expressed a good many things that were good, but there were also some that were bad. The proposal made for opening Crown Lands would simply shut them up, as nobody would face the taxation. If such a scheme had been brought down when Masterton was settled, many of them wonld not be there now, Roads would come of their own accord with settlement. He noticed that wherever Mr McOardle went there were heavy taxes. My McCardle explained that he meant the whole of the expenditure to come out of the money paid for the land. The resolution was then put and carried. Mr MoCardle then said he had noticed that a deputation had waited upon Sir Julius Vogel to get an endowment {or the Wellington Harbor Board, and the- Mangatainoke block had been mentioned. He was against endowments of all kinks.. Even the twenty-five per cent for roads, whichhadbeenrnentionedby Mr Beetham, was not sufficient to prevent injury to a new district. It was only settlement that made these endowments valuable, If they allowed any portion of -the Mangatainoke block to be taken for such a

purpose, they irould do a grievous wrong to. purchasers in the; block. The block .was tho vew pick of tlie district, and the : most suitable and available for settlement. He believed that the whole block might be taken up at £2 per acre within a month after it was thrownopen for settlement, They would'do an injustice to themselves if they did not protest. If the Harbor Board wanted an endowment, they should get it on the reclaimed land in Wellington. But they (the settlers) should not sit by and see 10,000 acres tabooed. He moved—That this meeting protests against any portion <sf the land in the district being granted as an endowment to the Wellington Harbor Board, as it is, all required for settlement. Mr J, Yile seconded, and said he had in his mind's eye the endowment of the Wellington Corporation, which was now worth perhaps £5 or £6 per acre, entirely through the unearned increment, and the sweat of the settlers. Mr Purchas did not see why the Harbor Board should not have an endowment -in' the district. If they did not get it there,' where should they get it? Mr McCardle said they should not get it anywhere. Mr Woodroofe amidst loud laughter pointed out that Mr McCardle had done his best to get the endowment for Masterton. The Chairman supported the resolution, which was carried. " A vote of thanks to the Chairman terminated the proceedings, "