PAHIATUA.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume IX, Issue 2936, 28 June 1888, Page 3

PAHIATUA.

(From our own correspondent). I told you in my last about the way land sales are conducted. Now as on the 27tli June .uo less than 50,000 acres are to le allotted, I will, as I promised, say more. First take an extract from Paliiatua Star of 26tli June,

"A number of persons called at our office during last week to impure whether we could show tliem a plan of the Manga-one-Tiraumea laud now in the market, they having bec:i unable to obtain plans or information at the Post Oltice, whither they are directed by advertisement. As far as wo can gather only six plans were sent here, and these were seized upon before they had been in the office half an hour. What would be said of a private individual who attempted to sell an estate of 50,000 acres without being able to give any information about it f

Now I may as well say that I was in no sense accessory to the above paragraph. It merely represents what every traveller thinks, and an editor naturally hears their opinions. No plans

reached hero at all until about 10th June. Then the " conditions" are V so mysterious nobody can make them out. There are 110 directions how to apply. The plan does not show how to get at the land. Boads are marked on it but they are hypothetical roads, and no one can tell whether they are open or how far. Also there are references to various Acts of Parliament which of course arc not procurable here. Also no one knows how the Land Oftico will deal with overlapping applications. When it is a question of definite sections a man either gets his section or does not. But in this case a man may take up many; also he may apply for unsurveyed land. Well the land being uiisurvcyed, how is a man to apply'? And if he gets over that, how will the Government deal with a whole bundle of applications which are certain to overlap ? And suppose they grant a

man a piece of unsurveyed land, when will they put his pegs in and give him s a chance to fell it ? In a word I say the public estate is grossly mis-man-aged in the following ways" Not enough publicity, plans sent out too late, conditions of sale not clearly stated. Ido not know or care whether the Act, the Minister, Mr Marchant, opsonic junior is responsible. That is none of my business. What I say is look at the way Kennedy Macdonald engineers the Wellington Mauawatu Company. I don't know whether he, or his juniors, or someone elso does his work, but look at the facts. You see in every newspaper a simple plain account of the conditions, A mere lad can master tliem in live minutes, You don't catch T.K.M. referring you to Acts of Parliament much. He doesn't say "you can have so much for cash, or a different amount on deferred payment," He doesn't try to tangle you up in a mesh of declarations to be signed and sworn ■ to. All he says is '• Here is a section, here are the conditions; bid for it and

take it I" Then an for plans, tliey are everywhere. I never had any tlifii- * culty in getting them ever so long before the auction. I send you a plan of the knd near hero. Consider it carefully. Where is the hnd? There is a large scale map of it, but on the little "Plan of Locality," neither Eketahuna, Mangamahoe, nor Pahiatua, are marked, Hence a stranger can't tell where lie ought to fix his head-quarters. Then look again at the " unsurveyed land." All virgin bush with roads which do not exist, and which, so far as you can see, go nowhere and end nowhere, A stranger would be almost certain to choose Alfredton as his head-quarters. This township is shown on the locality plan in as big letters as Masterton. Bat Alfredton has 110 real existence, I am positively assured there is no school, store, hotel; no anything at all 1 Then read the " conditions" printed in the plan. The more you read them, tlio more you will be in a fog. If you will give the matter your [attention and write at leisure your natural opinion, it may happen that the "Puketoi" land will not he sacn : ficed like this Mangaone block. The " Puketoi" land is of unlimited extent going right over to tho East Coast. I have been on part of it but can report nothing, having lmd no plan. I am sure if plans are out early showing clearly what tracks really exist, and not only "paper" roads, and if the conditions of sale are explained, there will be plenty of purchasers who will take up large blocks, fell the bush at once, and put a little life into the district,