Wairarapa Daily Times [Established 1874.] TUESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 1894. THE POMAHAKA PURCHASE.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XV, Issue 4852, 16 October 1894, Page 2

Wairarapa Daily Times [Established 1874.] TUESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 1894. THE POMAHAKA PURCHASE.

Thk Bunalin Stur Ims published a portion of the evidence at the recent Waste Lands Board inquiry. From the sworn evidence it would appear that the purchase was about as bad a job as any which has yet been perpetrated in Now Zealand, and this is saying a good deal, The manager of an adjoining property gave some startling details aboijttli.e affair. The general character of tho soil purchased by the Government for small farm settlement was wet, cold and sour. It would grow oats but it would not produce wlieat.'Tlie graund was so stiff that it took three or four years to lay it down in grass, and its 'carrying capacity was a sheep to an acre arid a' half, 'flip sfpek pre■yipu.sly. graced ',pn" 'r'he' land jvas, generally pretty ppr. ft never! looked vcj'y vo||, When'the Government purchasedthe property the sheep were very poor, "In fact they could hardly stagger out of one's way." The Manager in question valued the land at thirty shillings per acre, but did not think it would pay interest on a pound an acre. He con6i,d.ef.,pdthattliepresent,occupants,tlie Goverammjit jtenopts, ought to have the land at a pound 'a» &crp jns.tead of at £3 7s 6d, He would noOnm? self take the land at thirty shillings. On the face of such evidence as this the Pomahaka purchase has been a somewhat strange affair. Should n.oi someone be held responsible for )t, ought, apt epnjeone to be blamed ? Echo from the answers back "no one!" Had a Opii.seryatiye been a party tp Bnp)i a. transaction the country would Iwve rung froni one end to tho other with denunciations from Liberal orators,aiidresolu. tions by tho shoal would have come in from trades unions asking for justice. But because this thing is done in the Liberal camp in broad daylight there is a conspiracy of silence about it, and tho only person who seems to be indignant over the ajffairis the responsible Minister who j|.o .lanocencV of liis .heart, sanctioned thVjott'' ;r ft : Jß | lj-ansaction .which Ministers paniio't defend; 'and jif Mr Seddon '.were constituted like jsjr Jlnrry Atkinson, -lie would call lippn his' cplpWc/ ; tlie Minister of Lands, ip rpsign,'"