MR. G. V. STEWART ON THE WASTE LAND BOARD.

Waikato Times, Volume XIV, Issue 1192, 17 February 1880, Page 3

MR. G. Y. STEWART ON THE WASTE LAND BOARD.

On Wednesday last a meeting was held at Katikati, at which Mr G. Y. Stewart made a long and able address. We make some extracts from the part in which Mr Stewart criticises the action of the Auckland Waste Lands Board. Mr Stewart said : Who are the members of the Waste Lands Board ? The chairman is aMr D. A. Tole. Mr Tole is an official of very many years standing. He is a gentleman 1 have personally a great respect for, but he is a most thorough official. He has got a silvery tongue, and will never let you away without a soft answer. ( aughter.) I therefore dismiss him from the libt altogether. The next we uume to is a little man called Moat. Mr Moat i*> a mau very diminutive in btature, aud equally diminutive in brains. L iiighter.) Therefore I pash him over. The next is Mr Joseph M:iy. Mr JWph M»ty, whoever he w— l believe lie i-> of family— has been uejrleoted w his early education — (luuyht'.V -if I am to ju<lg/. by somo r< *

marks he made when there was a report I was to get the To Puke block This Mr Joseph May said it was •' a most rascally shame— (laughter)— to sell this land to Mr Stewart." I pass him over. The next is Dr. Campbell. Now, Dr Campbell is a gentlemen in every sense of the word. He is the ownet of large possess* ioi.s in the province, and he is at the head of many manufacturing industries in Auoklaud He is also, I understand, a I member of the Chamber of Commerce, but, no matter what position he hods, Dr Campbell is the right man in the right place — (applause) * and he is a gentleman for whom I entertain the very highest regard. (Hear, hear.) Ido not know how it is that Dr. Campbell should give his countenance to any foolish acts of the Waste Lands Board. (Hear, hear.) However, the members seem to be under the control of one individual— Mr J. C. Firth. (Laughter.) Mr J. C. Firth is the only man in New Zealand, I can safely say, from whom I ever received the slightest approach to rudeness, and he certainly has allowed his feelings to carry him a little too far in this case. (Hear, hear.) I see by the reports in the papers that he wa3 the prime mover in carrying those resolutions, urging the Government not to have any dealings with this George Veiey Stewart in reference to land for special settlement purposes. (Laughter.) No doubt Mr Firth is extremely anxious to promote the welfare of the country — he wants to have plenty of land for the people. (Langhter.) He takes up the cries of " Land for people " " there is no land for the people but, with all this, I find my friend, Mr J. C. Firth, owns himself a little trifle of eighty or ninety thousand acres, and, not content with that, he has lately purchased another ten thousand acres from the natives at Okauri. (Laughter.) If he is so very anxious to ! give the people land, why not cut up I Matamata block into sections and throw it open for sale, giving everybody a 1 chance ? (Hear, hear.) Why not get men such as I see before me— men ot capital and energy — to take it up ? Does he want to introduce to this country only paupers and the scum of the manufacturing towns of England, such as we have lately been importing to the colony? When Messrs Foster and Grant,[the deputation from the Lincolnshire farmers, came to the colony, this sapient Board passed a resolution recommending the Government to set apart land for special settlement purposes to accomodate farmers with capital from England, and most fortunately for me this resolution of the Waste Lands Board came to Wellington just at the very time I was urging the same matter upon the attention of the Government. (Applause.) So when I heard of the resolution passed by this most sapient, this most distinguished, and this most intellectual body, I telegraphed to my friend Mr Tole : " Will you kindly again ask the Board to re-consider its decision, and recommend the Minister to grant me a further block of land for special settlement purposes ?" Mr Tole (the chairman) very kindly telegraphed baok the decision of this very consistent Board, which was to the efiect that, till the half of the demands for land in the colony were satisfied, the Board regretted that it could not recommend the < Government to grant any further land to Mr Stewart for special settlement purposes. (Laughter.) However, I did not really oare two rows of pins whether the Waste Lands Board passed the resolution I wanted or not. I applied merely for the purpose of ascertaining what Kind of reply I would get, for at the time I had a promise from the Government that, as soon as the Legislature would allow it, it would deal with me on fair and reasonable terms for a block of land at Te Puke, and I felt perfectly satisfied that any promise made by the present Government would be faithfully carried out. (Applause.)

Laura (with novel)— ''oh if this tale were only true, and i were the heroin- ?•' Kate— "What! with her persecution?, ncr maerj?" Laura——' 4 Ah but then, dear, re mem cv she does get a busband after all." An ludiaua carpenter is so temperate that he will not use » spirit level. The new Pure Cash System now being initiated by G. and C. will certainly prove a benefit to the public. It has been a great success in Sydney and Melbourne, and when strictly carried out the customer who buys at an establishment where the goods are marked low to ensure a rapid sale must be a great gainer. G. and C. sell their draper}', millinary, and clothing at such prices for cash as gives the buyer the advantages of a shareholder in a co-operative society, without the risk of being called upon to bear a portion of the loss should the year's business prove unsatisfactory. Garlick and Cranwell will aim to retain the confidence which the public have hitherto shown them, and are detirmined to give the pure cash system a fair trial ; whether they gain or lose the first year. Country buyers on remitting cash with order will be supplied with goods at co-operathe prices ; just the same as though they made a personal selection. Furnishing goods, such as carpets, floor cloths, bedsteads, bedding, and general house furniture, the largest portion of which is turned out at our own factory, will be marked at the lowest remunerative prices, and a discount of five per cent, will be allowed to those who pay at the time of purchase. G. &C. having realised the entire value of their stock during their late cash sale, the present stock is xkw and CHbAPLY bought. An inspection is invited. — Garmck and Cranwell, City Hall Furnishing Arcade, Queenstreet, Auckland.