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Westport Times, Volume VIII, Issue 1231, 24 November 1874, Page 2

TnE first experimental effort at special settlement upon the waste lands of attempted. Aboard the AVallace are some 25 or 30 newly arrived immigrants who go as pioneers of a new settlement at the Karamea, to reside there, working a portion of their time on Government pay and filling up the interval in building snug homesteads for themselves and families. Fifty-five acres of land will be allotted to each of the male adults at a yearly rental of two shillings per acre for fourteen years, when the land will then become their own property. Work also at seven or eight shillings per day, for three days per week for six months, will be given them and for the rest their own industry and self reliance must provide the wherewithal. Like the early settlers of the Colony they will have to build up their own homes and hew out their own fortunes Nor need they repine at their prospects, strange as it may seem to many among thorn to be dropped down in an out of the way place in a strange land, and there left to their own devices. Their very isolation should prove an element of success. Their work before them definitely marked out, and no distracting influences to cause them to waver or doubt, they should speedily cause to spring up in the wilderness a cheery little settlement, where if riches do not presently abound yet peace and contentment should prevail. Many an old colonist who has struggled, year in and year out, against adverse influences and to whom no v G-ovcrnmcnt has ever lent a helping hand may envy these new recipients of Provincial bounty. The soil at. the Karamea is rich for cultivation, the timber capable of yielding a fortune to sturdy hewers, fish and native game abound, the sea beach yields golden sand, tho back country gives ample evidence of much mineral wealth, a magnificent climate prevails over Jill, in short everything favors the success of the new settlement if proper

management prevails. On this particular point the Provincial Government will probably show a wise discretion. An old settler, named Hyland, from the Motueka district is the accredited leader of the Wallace party. His special qualifications may be assumed to be sufficient. Referring to tho subject the Nelson Mail remarks that " a very general opinion is entertained that to give the scheme a really fair trial the settlors should have been to a great extent, if not entirely, composed of men and women of colonial experience. The new hands who are about to be located at the Karamea may be good workmen, who have made up their mind to undergo all the hardships and trials incidental to life in the bush in its first stages, but they must of necessity be ignorant of the proper way to set to work to convert the forest into agricultural or pastoral land. There is, too, something of a feeling that, if special advantages are to be offered to any, it should be to the sons of the old settlers who have borne the burden and heas of the day. It may be that such is the intention of the Government, but, if so, they have not made it known. Apart from the fairness of treating the old residents on equally liberal terms with those offered to new comers, it surely would tend to the success of the scheme if among those who know nothing o! New Zealand bush life, there were sprinkled some whose whole lives have been spent in converting the wilds into pastures and cornfields. And, again, it is felt among those who watch and are taking a deep interest in this experiment that its success or otherwise, will be to a considerable extent dependent upon the capability of the individual who is placed in charge to carry out satisfactorily the important work he has. undertaken. The responsibility attaching to such an office is very great, and it is not every one that is capable of bearing it. To fill such a position with credit to himself, and advantage to those who employ him find those who are to look to him for guidance and advice, it is not enough that tile man who occupies it can hold a plough, shoe a horse, milk a cow, shear a sheep, or put up so many chains of fencing a day, but he must ue one of some little intelligence; he' should possess a knowledge of how to dial with human beings as well as with cattle ; he should have an active mind as well as a hard" working pair of hands. But, of course, the Government in entering upon so serious an undertaking as that of establishing the first special settlement in the province have taken all these matters into consideration before making their selection of an overseer?" The Colonist of the 17th instant publishes full details of the scheme of settlement: —'-The special settlement at Karamea, which our Government for some time has had in contemplation, is immediately to bo started, by sending down about thirty families, taken from the immigrants brought by the Adamant, Chile, and Ocean Mail. The scheme of settlement is exceeding liberal, and nothing short of serious mismanagement can prevent its success. The land to be allotted to these immigrants is a rich tract of forest land on the south bank of the river, about a mile and a half above where the steamers will land their cargoes, and will therefore be easy of access from the sea, as the Karamea is one of the best rivers on the West Coast. Each family will be leased fifty-five acres—in two allotments—the smaller block of five acres for immediate occupation and cultivation, and the larger block of fifty acres for future settlement. The price of the land will bo £1 8s an acre, payable at the rate of 2s an acre a year for fourteen years, when the lessee will be entitled to a Crown Grant without further charge. The men selected as the pioneers of the settlement are to leave Nelson on Thursday next by steamer, to prepare for the reception of their families, which it is intended shall follow in a month, or as soon as the place can be made ready to receive them without subjecting them to undue hardships, The men, for the first mouth, or while it may be necessary to employ them fully on preparatory work, will be paid 6s a day, out of which they will have to contribute to the maintenance of their families, who will be supplied with food at ration prices, and lodged free of charge in the Immigration Depot. After the first month, or as soon as they are located on their land, the men will be insured 8s a day, for three days' work, in every week, for at least six months, leaving them free the remaining three days to clear and cultivate their land. A store, established by Government, will supply immigrauts aud their families with all necessaries at Nelson wholesale prices, increased only by cost of freight, and other charges incurred. Looking to the position of the settlement—on the bank of a river not inferior to Hokitika or the Grey, and only half the distance from Nelson, but on tho high road to all the Goldfields ports ; to the quality of the soil—an alluvial of the richest character, and bound to yield large returns for tho labor expended upon it ; to the mineral wealth of the district, abounding as it does in gold, and coal of the best quality , to the magnificent timber which covers tho ground, and for which, when sawn, there will be a largo demand, as it will bo easy to ship to all part;; of tho colony or to Australia ; looking to these and other advantages which tho Karamea possesses, there can bo little doubt of the district soon becoming a most important one, and

that the immigrants who are about to settle there reaping a ric'i reward for their labor and enterprise. The whole district comprises about 40,000 acres of first-class land, some of which has already been sold though it remains unsettled, and the portion, not required for the special settlement will shortly, we understand, be put up for sale by Government." Occupiers of premises situated in Wakefield street and Rintoul street between the river bank and tlio line of right of way laid off between the Bank of New Zealand and the Bank of New South Wales have received notice that they will bo required to clear off by the end of the year, at the latest as the ground will be needed for railway purposes. Compensation for removal will probably be awarded those who have complied with the terms under which permission to occupy the sections was originally granted. The tender of Mr Etevenaux for construction of the Nile bridge, for £l4lß, has been accepted, and also the tender of Messrs M'Gaw, Forsyth, and Simpson for road to Capo Foul/wind lighthouse site, for ,£569. Vol. 1 No. 1 The Southern Cross, a weekly religious journal, has come to hand. It is published in Melbourne, edited by the Rev. Dr Cameron and contributed to by ministers and members of all evangelical denominations. In newspaper form and on an entirely catholic basis it aims at giving in weekly issue a resume of ail " questions that come within its range in a manner worthy the attention of educated and thoughtful men, and to prove a Christian paper for the people." Its success would seem to rest on a sure foundation. A correspondent of the Colonist states: — "If any one desires an effectual cure for tape-worms let him apply to Messrs O'Conor, Bout, and Pitt." His precise meaning is mystical. The soiree musicale at the Theatre Koyal continues to be numerously attended. The local songs are very well rendered and received. Oa Saturday and last evenings the entertainments concluded with a ' melange,' full of striking situations, and which was successful on both occasions in securing the hearty applause of the audience. Three small errors enpt in among the figures referring to freehold sections sold on Thursday last. No. 75 sold for £55 not£7s. The total number of seel ions withdrawn were 90 not 95. The total amount realised was £1614 10s not £1514 10s. In each instance the mistake occurring in the numeral 5. Tho Rev. Mr Parkins officiated at the Wallabi street church on Sunday, morning and eventide. There was a good congregation on each occasion. Mr John Hughes, of tho Empire Hotel, disbursed prize money on Saturday on the Melbourne Cup Sweep. In the £IOOO event the nett money coming to the winners was first prize, £360; second, £lS0; third, £9O; fifteen starters, £l2 each; Gl non-starters, £1 9s 0d each. In the Supplementary Sweep, first prize, nett, .£25 4s ; second, £l2 12s ; third, £G ; starters, £1 5s each. The Westport Amateur Dramatic Society is freshening up, and will soon show signs of vigorous vitality. Some changes in the personnel of office bearers has been arranged, and the members are going in for active preparation for one or more performances to come off in the Christmas week. The Grey River Argus states with authority that his Honor Judge Harvey has definitely accepted the offer of the Government to relieve Judge Gray on his retirement from office. Judge Harvey will continue the duties of his present circuit until April next year, when he will assume tho functions of his new position in Otago, The Central Board of Education of Westland invites applications for the combined offices of Secretary and Inspector to the Board, at a salary of £4OO per annum and actual travelling expenses. A carter named Felix Campbell of Greymouth has brought action against the Mayor and Corporation of Greymouth to recover £IOO for injuries done to a horse through defective construction of a tramway crossing opposite the Albion Hotel. Judgment was to be given on the 20th instant. Mr T. Horton late of Westland has been appointed Colonial Treasurer under the new Fiji constitution.

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