MR BALLANCE AT TE AROHA. [FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.] Te Aroha, Monday.

Waikato Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2082, 10 November 1885, Page 2

MR BALLANCE AT TE AROHA. [FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.] Te Aroha, Monday.

Tick Native Minister, Mr U ill.inco, accom pmiii-d 1»y Mr Hutler, priv ito «ecietiry, and Mr.T. H. Whyte, M.H.K., arrived hero on Saturday 1 ut. Ho lost no time in making himself acquainted with tho chief features of interest, and was occupied until dink in \iMtui!,' the. Hot Spring reserve, and olnerving wh.it el-e w.is worth) of note in the township. In the evening ho was waited on by several deputations. The fir*t to leceive a hearing was a deput ition <>f Te Vroh.i We-t deferred payment settler-, who were intro dueed hy Mr ,T. )\. Whyte. They ->ib tmtted to the Minister a statement of their grievance-, which, briefly -tited. weie tli.it th-ir land was not what it Ind been represented to We w ben they were induced to take it up: that too high a \aluehid been put upon it by <!o\ eminent ; and til it the diamage \vork-whieh the < i«\, m iftit should h n c c.ti i led out, an 1 vv ithout w hn h iiiulli of their land w ts useless, weie most defective. Mi T.ulor, one of the deputation, mule :i clear statement of the dith cuKu 1 - .md disad\aiita^M under w liieli lio and his fellow settler- had labonredevei since the> ocenpieil their sections. Under piesent eircuin-t inees the laud was worth li->s to them, and unless Coveniment alford-d relief in some vv »y it would bo impossible for the.ni to fulhl the conditions oi which their sections lu\d Ixten taken up. Seven! other speaker- followed in the same . strain, and were pitiently listened *o In Mr Ballane'. In reply to their leqnest for .1 reduction of the puce from £2 to tl an acre, he - u<l lie could not hold out any hope that this would lx; done. Similar application-, hid Wen made to (Jo\ eminent mid the Home fiorn other quarters and hid failed. In fact, < iov eminent had not power to alter the pric •. Tint could only be effected by special legislation ; but even by that method he did notb-heve they won Id succeed, for an effort had been made in that direction to meet a sinnlai case bj a ninth more powerful organisation than that of the sottlen lepre^euted by the deput y tion, and had completely failed. He thought the ln'-t method of obt lining relief would be for tho'ii to exchange tboir pi e-ent tenure for a perpetual lea«-e. by which means the amount of the annual payments wouldb 1 reduced by one half. The lease could l>e dated hveyoirs back, and those settle!-, who had paid all their instalments of tht piirdnse money dining tin wo five years w<iuld Ihj free from furthei pa\inent for five years to come. Another plan « mid be tlic cipitibsition of the ptyment tint hid yet to be made on their st-ctioiis. They would then be requued to piylive p< r cent, anini illy on th 5 atuount, but this \r.»iild 1m- easiei upon them than piying the pt.o-.ent yeaily in-t iliuent, and they could at any time bv pa) ing up what was -till due on their -rumns obtain the fieohold there if. With regud to the question of dr.nna^i', he (Mr Hillanee) would i 'quire to havi the repoit of a competent -urvevor befuie utikiii^ any deliinte viromw. He thought if the (;o\urnni"nt cime totlnir .i«s,,t.inte th it the settlei, should also help tiienwelvfs. The io,\d boaid*. should al-u assist. In iei>ly to a (iiiestion by Mi •>. 15. Whjte whether in the event of (iovern incut coiitnbntinj» a «nm of money tow aids the w oik, the -ettlei-, would assist t > the extent of one third, a member of the depn tation stated they would not be found be hind hand. Mr liillancp (who evinced all through a strong de>ue to aid the s.>ttler-) said that in any case he would require the swiveyor'., report befoio doinj,' anything in the matter, and as soon as he received tint he would see what could be done to a—iht them in oveicoimiiK their pre-ent dilhcul te->. The deput ition then thanked the Miniterand withdrew, and was Mict-eedul by another fr.iin the townMup resident-, for wiioin Mr Y. Tavitt acted ,h «pokesni.in. The first in itter refened to was the_pie->nt un-iati-ficton tfnuro under which the town allotments were held. The-e weie tiken u|> under the (joldhelds ie>rulations fni a period of twenty-one years nrarly h\e of wjiich had aliendy expired. The re-i-«l^nts weru de-iious that the restrictions [ upon the ■.ale of the lands both town and suburban might bo removed so that <lie i nitive owner- could have the powei to -*•]! the freehold of allotments toMich oceupints as desired to purchase. Mr (ieortfe Lepsey (who was present aH trustee for his wife and children, the native owners of the land in questio'i), said tl.it he was anxious to tl,l>C tins matter ~.iti-f ictonly ,irr uipi-d, ~.. thit the holders of sections niivrlit have some inducement to improve then propui ties, and some kind of secuuty that they would have jienuanent occupation of the allotiii'Mits on which they expended their money. He thought that by granting pei - pet nil leases the recpiiieinents of those per«ons who were de-iinus to establish themselves in the place and to permuiently iui]>iove tlieir properties would bo fully met, and in this nay he would be k\m\ to in^t the wishes of the townspeople. Mr I.illiince was aUo of opinion tliat this would be ii wise aiianp'iiient. It would the les-nes the ri(,'l»t to comi»ens.ition for all im pioTements, and many persons piefeired this system to the fioohold. Moreover, both the (Jovernment and the Legislating had a strong aveision to the removal of the lestiictioits upon tho sale of native »c serves. If the on nt'M weie empowered to disposi of them, the money would quickly be squandeied, and the object for which these reserve- were set apart, vi/ , to pie -erve the natives fiotn sinking into n state of pauperism, would soon be defeated. He (Mr li.illance) would endeavoui to tfive effect to Mi Lipsey'ft i»ropos.il at the curliest oppoitunity. He was not quite sure whether speci il legislation was requited, or w hether tlio «tt refoiiimj to nitive ieseiies tjavo power to tho (io\enn»s to irK-ibse the Kiautinj: of pei petual leases. If the (iovernorhad that power, he (the Mini-ter) would endeavour tojjet his Mnetioiito tlmairanxemftiit w if liout d« % lay, and if it was necessary to legislate, he would see that the mattei was dealt with as early as possible no\t session. Tlio next subject biouf»ht fnrwaid by tho deputation nas tho sit^ for tho rail way station building-, which the inlnbi tints «twnf»ly de^ireil to have erected on the tow nship side of the rivei. Mi Ihllance s.nd that Mi Whyte had, on their way to the place, pointed nut to him the two sitrs and the Advantages whuh thi) selnction of the eastern one would confer. He wai decidedly of opinion th it the station ought to be there, and though ho could not stite absolutely tlmt it bnd or would be tho site chovn, he would makf such ri)presentatinn« to his colleaf,' 1 "", the Minister for Public Woiks, as would, he believed, be the moans of effecting the object de-Mrod '»r tho tovvn^prople. Another m\tter infened to was an endowment for hospital and othm pur port! •«, 111 disoiw^ing tln« xiibjaot, Mr lUll.mee made casual allusion to the >*tato of the stieets of the town, which ho had noticed ueie in a veiy bid htate, and he strongly advised tint tho inhabitants should tike steps to hive a town boa id formed so that they ini«ht themselves be enabled to cniry out the improvement* nfcexsary to thr advaiuouioutof thu town, which he believed had a blight future in store. Tho deputation informed him that a luge re>.<»ivo on the we-t side of the nver had bjen set ap.nt foi recreation and othei purposes, but owing to tho depirtuic from the distnct of thiee of the timtee*, the two remaining had not the powci to deal with it. Mr P> illiincc said that if the names of tlneo tuistees to fill the places of tho-e w ho had left weie submitted to him he would spe that their appointment was duly gazetted, soth.it the teserve lofened to might heooiua nvailable for thu purposes

tli.uikeil the Mmi-ter foi tho courteous hearing he had accorded to them and then withdrew. The members of the. Doimin IJo.ud, hoidod l>j their chairman, .Mr (Jeorge Wil-on. tti-ro tho next tn have .in interview. Tho Chairman explained to Mr li.illance their rei\son-> f«ir waiting upon him, which wen- to p unt out to him the necessity for pro\ iding \\ ithont delay increased accominod.ition at the bath-, and to obtain funds at once to en ible them to do -n. The board vva- already £100 in debt, but had provided fui pavniiMit of tint out of the receipt-* of the coming -oason, and moie monej m,\» roquiri'd to cairv on the works now in hand. YumV >urn of t'lOW hid been granted l«-t se^ion, but that was not sufficient to do all tlntwat required, mid the board hoped t;o\ eminent >vould be able to reitdei further instance. It ua- also <JeMir.ililcth.it the boundaries of the Spring reserve should »>c extended southvvaid and ea-tward, t iking in about 2"> acre- more, and embracing the ri-ing ground above tho present reserve. Mr Lip-ov here suggested tint the board might have a lea^o of the ground required, -a\, for '>'.) yoars at a nominal rental if applied for under the (JoldhekN Ueguiations. With refeience to the nutter-* submitted to him, Mr liallance, who ex pros-cd him-elf as greatly plea-ed with what he bad *<ccii at the baths, -»aid he would at once procure by wire an imprest of t'2oo tn c.ury on the works now in hand. Ho quite belio\ed that more accommodation would quickly be required, for the opening (if the railway would bring a 1 irge increase in the number of »i«itors but lie did not think that anything moie than the i'looo c.mld lx> obtained before tho Houwe met next ses-ion. Ho would endeavour t.i give etrect to the wish of the board in the m.ittei of extending the boundaries of the receive, and believed the addition il ground would lx» .m exeellont acquisition to the dom mi. The chairman produce/I a plan of the pro p.wed improvements and explained them to the Minister. Aftei further referring to one 01 two minor matter-, the members of the Domain Hoard retired, well picked with the reMilt of their interview. \ deputation of member- of the Cordon Specnl Settlement A-mm latioii were then mtioduced. Mr Munio, acting as spokes in m, <aid one of the chief dirh-nltii-- the ■>ettlor-> would labour undei would be fiom baring no io.id b.urd. i|He u-feired .il>o t > the need for a bridge on one part of the road, the estmi ited c»t of which wis yi"i(), and asked that ,i-.M-t me luu'itt be The -»ettl>-r>, too, vvjre d.'-irou-of knowing what would be the price of their land, which li.nl Iweu cl.ix«o 1 by Mi Percy Smith as of iisoful -«ocotid-cLi-.-qu\lity. Mr Killance, in leplying, s.ud h" would ad \ isc tlie settlers to form .1 load board, and that (5000 acre- would constitute a. f iir-t/e.d di-tnet. They would then h.ue tli- cvpenditnie of their own i.ite-. within their own bound nie*. He wished to be informed how much a-<-»ist nice the county council was prepated to givo in the construction of the hridize, and would then rimiil T the que-tion of (io\oinm.>nt aid. With regard to the price the settlers w mid h ive to piv for the I md, In- did not think it would be loss than I'l per acre, anil might possibly be as much more. He would endeavour to ascertain, and let them kn>n in a f.-w days. -Some di-ui-M«u thru took place u-peotmg the qn intlty of 1 md available, for settlement in the block. It w.i-, at tir-t -uppo-ed to be over 4(KK) acres in extent, but it h id be-»u found to be only little more than MOO acre-, and a- meuilx-r-hid been admitted m juopoitmn to thi/e of the larger area, difficulties would iin-ein reducing the number to mike it proportion ite to the -m iller one. -Mr Bill moo suggested that 1100 acre- might be taken up on the other side, of the river. but this was not approved of by the deputation, and the matter wa- left to bo settled by the nwinli ti them-elvo- -One or two Rinall re-erves in the neighbourhood weie asked for, and the Ministet promised to giant this, if p i— ible, mi apphc ition being mule to him by letter. Vfter the conclu-ion of the (Jordon settler- business, a few Waiorongomai resi dents sought the advice of the Mini-tei w ith icganl to the conduct of the governors of the Th imes High School Endowment, which body had roe-ivod lirge -uni- in the shapy of rent for allotment- in the Waioro ngiinii township, ami had expended nothing whatsoever on ioid- or in niipiove ment- of any kind. -Mi I'.allance -ud he feiri-d thn (ioveiument could not alford the re-ideut- any redrc— . The title to the ciklow unit tould not now be altered, and there w. i. nothing in it that would justify interference. Tin- concluded the more impoitant bu-i lies- of the fvemng. Vo-b rday Mr Balance, accmnp lined by Mi Whvte, diove ovoi to Mi Stiange'f inn, icturniiig in the .iftmnoon. To d.ty the Mmistei will meet the native-le-idrnt n» tin- m-i^hlnivirbood, uul will lively leave for the Th.ime- to moriow nioiniiig. Mr Whyte icturns to Waikato to day. _______^__