The Waikato Times.

Waikato Times, Volume X, Issue 682, 28 October 1876, Page 2

The Waikato Times.

E<\ual and cxnct justice to all men, Ot whatever state 01 persuasion, religious or political « • * « * Here 6hall the Pren the Peoi'le's right maintain. Unawcd by influence and unbribed by pain.

SATURDAY OCTOBER 28, 1876

A vuky important action on the part of the Assembly was that when on Wednesday the clauses in the Waste Lands Administration Bi 1, having relation to the re-leasing of the Canterbury runs were thrown out. Clause 70, v hich proposed that the reut for the runs after 1880 shouki be fixed by the Waste Lands Board was taken as the test of the question, and was on a division lost by 22 to 20. The Waste Lands Administration Bill was introduced by the Premier Major Atkinson, and though many of its provisions are meant to meet, the changes made in the various Provincial Land Laws rendered necessary by Abolition, a very important part of the Bill is that which has reference to the future tenure of the Canterbury runs. It was on Liiis point, dealt with by clause 70, that Mr Wason's Bill thrown out early iv the session and the Bill now in course of procedure introduced by the Government, differed. Mr Wason was for putting 1 op the runs to public auction j the Government measure proposed that they should be re-let by valuation. In eith-c case the license wus to be granted for ten years. There is little doubt but that to the majority of the squatters the system of re-letting by valuation would be Considered the fairest and best, and by the public generally, as not unfair to the Colony. Where the difference of opinions exists, as far as the meatrre information afforded by telegram would lead us to believe, is, by wbou> they shall be valued. To have delegated aach power and patronage to the Waste Lands Board might possibly, as some thought, have led to a great struggle for the return of men to that body pledged to unduly favour the squatting interest, and if such a thing were possible there can be no regret that the clause has been expunged. The duty of the Assembly is to stand between the squatters and the Colony and see equal justice meted out. None has better claim to the new lease in 1880 than the present holder, but at the same time due cure must be taken that the Colony gets tair value for the use of the laud. The amount of capital invested on runs is something enormous and any action that would rudely imperil it would be not merely a private loss to the individuals more directly concerned, but a public calamity. As to the renewal of the leases themselves, even for a ten years tenure, no one can object to thut, provided the ' quid pro quo' is fairly exacted. A great misapprehension exists as to the character of the tenure of these runs. Tne sqatttter holds them simply as against other run holders, not as against the ' bona fide* purchaser | who .can have any portion of the run put up for sale on application. With this safeguard the objection to the squatter ' qua ' squatter should not exist. He in fact atilises to himself and to the public the lands not as yet required for settlement, and which for purposes of * bona tide 1 settlement he can be called upon to sur vender at a moment's notice. Naturally a large squatting interest within and without the Assembly has been anxiously looking for the turn legislation would take in reference to the re-leasing of the ruos in 1880, and so too have the public at large. It is therefore with nil the more regret that we have in common with the Press generally to acknowledgeso very great an ignorance of the provisions in detail of the Bill now before the House, owing to the non-circulation out of doors, contrary to the usage of previous sessions, of the dratt copies of bills along with other Government papers. The squatters are anxious no doubt, to secure the best terms possible in future arrangements. On the other band the public are equally iiiixiuua that in getting- jus

tice that class gets nothing more ; j tlmt if they have the same tixity of tenure for amther ton years they should piy a reasonable price For the consideration, for aftor all, despite the fate of Mr Whitakor's Land Fund resolutions, we cannot but feel thatfioonpr or later, lou<* before the expiry of the new leases, the North will equally with the South be participating in the rents to be derived from these publit? lands of the Colon v.

We loam, with, satisfaction, that it is intended to bring a penny savings bank, in connection with the School of Hamilton We^t, into operation at once. Some time since, the project was agitated by this journal, on the occasion of reviewing a small pamphlet, "The Savings Bank iv tho School, an Economic Experiment at Ghent," which advocated the introduction ef the system into New Zealand, and pointed out the public I schools of the colony as the obvious machinery for working it out There was some talk recently, at the commencement of tho Session, of the Governments extending the operation of the GrovernniontSavings Bank to tho receipt of deposits of a single permy — the lowestdeposit now received is one shilling— but this, doubtless, would be found to entail a very large amount ol' work and correspondence on departments. The making the public schools auxiliaries iv the work of carrying out penny saving's b.ink operations removes this difficulty. Tlio muster of the school opeus a set of books with the scholars or other children, and receives deposits. When deposits amount to one shilling stand against any childs name, they can either be transferred to his or her ace »unt at the Government Savings Bank; or tlie schoolmaster and postmaster may meet, by arrangement, at given times, say monthly, go through the books of the former, and then and tbete make the transfer of nil separate accounts of one shilling and upwards. This, we believe, is the method proposed to be adopted in the present istarice, and the one, doubtless, most satisfactory to all parties. We are not of those who *cc in the inculcation of principles of saving and thrift, such as carrying spare pence to the savings bank rather than to the lollysbop, any danger of training up children to become niggards and money-grubbers. The tendency of the age is in the very opposite direction. Extravagance and improvidence amongst all classes are the rusks on which society in the nineteenth ceutuary is drifting 1 , and nothing, perhaps, will more serve to check this tendency in after lite than the encouragement while young, of careful and thrifty habits — to quote the words of the pamphlet above mentioned, we may say : " The best remedy for thi* evil is, to train children very early i» the habits of distinguishing- between real and unreal wants." As regards the practical working of the system iv a colonial population, we have the evidence of what has been already done in the city of Auckland. Writing as far back as the 17th of July last, the Auckland ' Star ' says, " The opening of a Penny Bank by the trustees of the Auckland Savings Bank has been attended with remnrkable succes*. The juvenile depositors, belonging to all cJasses, have shewn their readiness to profit by the thrifty habits thus inculcated, and we learn that tho deposits now foot up a total amount of ,£561 103 GJ, divided among 1302 depositors. The payments made into these accounts since the opening of the Bank number no less than 6332. Parents will do wtll to encourage their youngsters to early acquire the habit of saving something of their income, however little that may be." We think so too, and wish the new movement in Hamilton such success that it may become general in every township throughout the district.