The Waikato Times. TUESDAY, MARCH 26, 1878.

Waikato Times, Volume XI, Issue 898, 26 March 1878, Page 2

The Waikato Times.

TUESDAY, MARCH 26, 1878.

Equal and exact justice to all men, Of whatever state or persuasion, religious or political. * * * * * Here shall the Press the People's right maintain, TJnawed by influence and unbribed by gain.

A long list of incompleted land purchases jin the Thames, Coro mandel, and Patetere districts, has been published by the Government for public information, and • with them the proclamation issued by the then Governor, Sir James Fergusson, in 1874, under the provisions of the 42nd section of the Immigration and Public Works Amendment Act, 1871. The object of this notification is to caution private parties from purchasing or acquiring- from the native owners of these lands any right title or interest thereon pending the completion of their purchase by the Government. . The lands enumerated embrace a very large area of country, olose indeed upon a million acres. The largest is the Patatere block of 249,000 acres, and there is the Piako block, also, of 200,000 acres; the latter may indeed be all or nearly all swamp land, but we have seen that even a Piako swamp, if rightly dealt with, may prove of largo public benefit and importance. The fee simple to be obtained for such land is nothing ; the use to which it is to be put—the expend ture of capital—is everything, both to the Government and to the neighboring district in which such swamp land is si.tuated. Where now would be the rapid advance that Cambridge and Hamilton have made within the last two years but for the expenditure incurred and settlement fostered in the reclamation of the Piako swamp so far as that work has gone. Nor is it these two districts which alone have profitted. Indirectly and in a lesser all Waikato has shared in their prosperty, while as a matter of colonial concern we make bold to say tnat in the increased sale of dutiable goods the Piako block has brought more money to the colonial treasury than the best priced block of equal size size that the Government has ever parted with. Amongst the blocks advertised are several also of importance and local interest, the Te Aroha block of G2,000 acres, the Waihou blocks of 45,000 acres, and others. We take it that the notification is an earnest of the intention of the Government to proceed vigorously with the work of completing these and throwing into the market a large quantity of valuable land for .settlement It is high time tbey did sc. Since 1874 this land has been virtually locked up Private speculation has i been forbidden, but the Government 1 has done little or nothing to perfo m that which it forbade others to do. The matter has at last become a grievance too heavy to be borne. The Thames people can find no outlet for their surplus energy and

capital—immigration schemes, for) which there ought to he land enough, alter locat wants are cared fo-, are rendered practically abortive, while ahe Government assumed the unpopular and undignified role of dog in the manger. All this, however, we take it, is to be altered now, and if these lands can within a reasonable time be added to the public estate, we may look for a Urge increase of settlement in this part of the country.