The Wairarapa Daily. SATURDAY, JANUARY 9, 1886. THe OCCUPATION OP DEFERRED PAYMENT SECTIONS.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VIII, Issue 2189, 9 January 1886, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. SATURDAY, JANUARY 9, 1886. THe OCCUPATION OP DEFERRED PAYMENT SECTIONS.

It would bo extremely difficult to explain what is meant by the term liberal land law. According to the strict meaning of the words, a thoroughly liberal land law would be one according to which a person or a combination of persons, can buy as much land as there is, in the market at a reasonable price. But as this system while in vogue in this- colony enabled capitalists to buy large blocks, those politicians who term themselves Liberals have come to the conclusion that |liberality of this description it really an adjunct of Conservatism, because it gives too much play tc capital—though why capital should constitute Conservatism has not beer explained, During late years it hai been considered that a truly liberal land law is one which binds tin purchaser or lessee hand and foot t< occupy bis land within a given period under pain of forfeiture, By thii means it was thought that a very sever check would be put upon .speculation This,may be right or it may be wrong All that we know is that successivi Governments have considered it advis ible to insist upon this provision being strictly observed, and it will be admit ted that it has done a good dea towards promoting settlement, At tin present time we have a Governmeui which professes to be thoroughly iibeial in its views, and a Minister ol Lauds who is said to be particularly mxious to see every man occupying his

section. And what do we find in the Special Settlement Regulations of the latter 1 Why, that the old style of Liberalism has been returned to, and; that a man is not to be compelled to live on his deferred 'payment or perpetual lease section, provided that he causes a certain amount of improvements to be made, and the land is occupied by an approved substitute. We find that when the Masterton and 'Greytown Special Settlement* :were formed, tliero was no such thing as occupation by proxy, and a little later on, when a similar settlement was formed in Bangitikei, precisely the same conditions were insisted upon, We believe that they were still adhered to when years afterwards large blocks of land were taken up in the Manawatu district for small farm settlement, Is it not rather strange that after such strict adherence to the principle, it should now be abandoned ? The truth probably is that the Land Department officers know nothing at all as to what is a liberal land policy auu what is not. The step that has now been taken will undoubtedly, promote settlement, but we think that any advantage that might be gained is lost by thp fact that the capitalist can take up land, impr.oye it without ever going near it, and sell ft pn tbo flood tide of the market as soon o$ he likes, after he has complied with the' conditions. We need only look at the promoters of the Association which is being formed in Wellington for the purpose of taking up land in the Mangatainoke Block. We find there such names as those of Dr Newman and Mr J, 0, Harris, To pay that either of these gentlemen has the slightest intpnfion of personally occupying a bush" section would b« arrant nonsense, It 'would be fun, indeed, to see either of them stripped, and wielding an axe, trying to bring down some giant rata, or logging up a paddock, We are inclined to think that after one solitary day's experience of this kind, each of them would hurry back to Wellington, and once more try hard to get into the old groove of thinking—that they are exceedingly busy while they are doing nothing. We are inclined to think that the. personal occupation clause has. been carried too far in the past, but on the other hand the country does not want settlers of the type we have mentioned. Their whole and sole object would be to make money out of selling as soon as a good price offered. If js the duty of the Land Department to deyine sflme , means by which n medium course pan i be steered, otherwise the relaxation of \ the rule will simply prove itself a re- : opening of the door to speculators,