The Waikato Times. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9, 1879.

Waikato Times, Volume XIII, Issue 1137, 9 October 1879, Page 2

The Waikato Times.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9, 1879.

Equal and exact justice to all men, Of whatever state or persuasion, religious or political. Eero shall the Press the People's right maintain, . Unawed by influence and anbribed h y gain.

Mr Murray, on two occasions bas brought to the noiice of the House, the desitablenes.. of initiating a Government scheme for assisting settlers in the dravnage of their lands. The idea is not by any means a novel one, having been adopted and worked in Great Britain for very many years, with eminent success, by the Imperial Government. Not only is a benefit conferred upon the individual, but oa the community also. Tbe productiveness of lhe lind generally, is very largely increase:!, and the public wealth and prosperity advanced as a natural -consequence. All will admit that, in stepping somewhat out of its usual course, in the establishment of a Lifo Insurance department, the Government has conferred a vast benefit upon iSew Zoaland. The Colony is now no longer the field for operations ot scores of Insurance Companies cutting below each other with an unhealthy cheapness to secure business. Investments will no longer be made which may, after long years of payments, leave the insurers in a far wor.^e position than if they hid never insured at all, bub the best of s p curit'es, with tbe lowest possible healthy scale cf premiums bave been 'made available for the public. We do not hesitate to say that, if the Government were to take iti hand the matter of land drainage, making it a separate department, as in the case of the Life Assurance and Annuities department as at present working, it would be found in its degree equally beneficial to the colony. As it is worked at home, a landowner applies for a loan for drainage purposes, the land being given as security for repayment, and the money is spent according to plans prepared and under the control of an engineer appointed by the Government for that purpose. The money borrowed, for a certain term of years, is p.iid back much after the same fashion as in the case of sums advanced by our local building societies, in yearly annual payments which cover interest, sinking fund, and expenses. Large swamps, the reclamation of whicb, now,, can only be attempted by large capitalists or a compauy, could then, in smaller blocks, be taken m band by n'.on of moderate means. But, it is not in {.lie re clam :i tiou ot such swamps alone that the advantages of such an i:istituiii)i_ would be found. There are few farms in the colony which would not be largely improved hy a regular system of under-drain-ing. There are many on which farming cannot be properly, or profitably, carried out, go loug as the land remains mid rained. The oparatians of a Drainage Department would reach tho smallest farm. A mm with only 50 acres of unonewmbored land could apply for the necessary amount to under-drain it. Where the .chemc is worked in England, on the application being made, the department ascertains the J satisfactoriness of the title, and the unencumbered value of the estate. Tiie Government BJngineer then inspects the land, aud lays off the ' necessary linos of drainage, fixing the depth of drains and their width apart, according lo fcho nature of the soil or peetriiuritiesofitsconfoi. relation, and the work is carried out under his iliioctiona. A. reasonable sum for professional charges nnd supervision is added to the loai», and the whole amount, as we have said, m id'.; a chargo upon tho estate, of so much ! per annum fur so many ye^rs.

M-iny an estate and many a f »:m in Groat Britain, tho owivr of whttjh could not hfive put his. hand in hipocket and at once have drained tlr lnnd, li »s been dra ined, and brought to a high sta'e of fertility by snch assistance. It has cast the State nothing, but it has very much raised the productiveness of land in Groat Britain, nml, lo a considerable extent, locally influenced the climate for the bet'er, and improved the the publi. health. In this colony, (he public benefit would be mnre marked. The reclamation of our waale lands is the alph\ an:l omega of our pi'osperity. It is a sure and nbding stepin the march of progress, irom which nothing cm cause ns to fall back. Mere public expenditure may benefit us for a time, and give trade a fillip, but every acreof land reclaimed, every aero of inferior land made good in quality, is so much abiding worth added to the resources of the colony. The difficulty will be the absorption of capital, but we cannot see why money should not be borrowed for this purpose as well as for public works and other objects. On the contrary, there is very good reason why tho borrowing of money for this purpose should jrive less concern than in ordinary case.., because there is no risk attending ifc. If the colony borrows money for railway construction, for instance, ifc may be years before the intere.-.t and sinking fund will be earned by the line; but from the momentthe money is expended on drainage purposes, it commences to pay both interest and sinking fund. If a million sterling could bo profitably employed in such a work, it would oost the colony nothing save the nominal addition of such a sum to its general indebtedness, while it would largely increase its prosperity and productiveness, benefiting both landowner and laboring classes ; and enable individual landowners to obtain the means of improving their estates ! and incomts, at the lowest possible rate of interest for the money used, and upon the easiest and most con- , venie it system of repayment of principal.