The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE. SATURDAY, MARCH 28, 1891.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXVI, Issue 2918, 28 March 1891, Page 2

The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

SATURDAY, MARCH 28, 1891.

01 ijursuasion, mligious or politic.-il.

We believe wo ;tru right in saying that ouo of tliu most impoi'tuut and suggestive statements made by the Hon. The Premier iu the course of his spoeeh at Wangauui, was, when after referring to tho comparatively limited area of suitable- land still available for settlement, viz.. 2,850,000 acres, lie said " Tho Government believed further, that the timn had come when there should be purchased by the State, at a fair and reasonable) price, someof the arable and valuable laud tit for small settlements, now iu the hands of private individuals, aud it was probable, that a measure of this character would be introduced, in the coming session of Parliament.''

This indeed opens tip a very largo question. One that sooner or later, —if the population and wealth of the colony is to increase as it should, —must force itself upon tho attention of the public and tho Government iu oilLce. It is no secret that a largo proportion of tho best lands in the colony are hold in hig blocks. Lands which were purchased iu tho early days from tin: natives or the (,'rown at a moderate price. P>ut which, o\v!ny to the vast .sums of money sp-'iit upon them in impi'ovevuonts, aud also to tho increasing scarcity of good land, huve advanced greatly in value. Yet out of many of tLew properties, tho uv, iio'.'si whoLhor companies or individuals arc making Iv.io a bare purceuiago on thoir outhtv, aud would be glad to dispose of them. U seems clear to us, that if .settlors of the right class are to bo attracted to our shores from Great ljvitain, or the other colonies, it cau only bo by otforiug them the opportunity of obtaining, tho first class iv, well a.s tho second aud third rhi-s hind. Tho majority of those we should like to hoc coming in aai'nr,*:it u-s to a;>s>i;;t u,; in the advuiicruient of the colony, and help

u:-. to bear its burdens, are men willing and able to pay for good land in good districts, and broadly speaking they will have no other. Can we bhmie them .- People who have been successful in other jlimes but for health or family reasons, prefer new countries, as giving a larger :>copo to those who come after them, are not going to put up with what we have for various reasons left uuselected.

The ditliculty, so far of course, has been how to deal with the large areas of good land. Much is now occupied as sheep or cattle runs but which it cut, up into convenient sized blocks, would m,i\-i< hundreds, ;ive thousands of |.:v>-|; 'i ous and happy homes. '•'. eh ive come to the conclusion rhnt •-•arrit.-d out with discretion mid prudence, it wnuid be a proper function frr ihn Government.

It, nnv lie uriji'd ilm< n ilnpni , lur-' in ilii'i ilirpirfion vnnld lirwitli ahiisps. Thfil. i-iri's MUM Wulllll 111' ])111. lipfill (111! .Miiiist.vy in power to taki- tivcv iilo.'ks. either misuitii'.ili' for the purposes of settloiiKjnt or at a liigluu , price than was justified. Hut if blacks of liincl were not taken over

until bona lide applications? from iii , '.i'l'iii iji'ttlers wen: nude, and at ,1 jijiv ;m ciivrr tilt; whole cost, of til.' ,M;itr. we fall to StMi w llllt risk the .State would run. The. advaut-ii-_;c In sx-Ulcrs in buying sin;ill blocks at. li.v:d prices from the C r ,,ivii instead of <li::ilin<; with priviil.!: individuals, who usually re i|iiiri: wli.it are termed fancy prices for cutting :i piece ofi a large block is at oiu:e apparent-.

The policy of purchasing larjjn blocks and throwing them open for .settlement is not by any means free from difficulties, but it is fast becoming 1 necessity. To put the matter plainly, if we want good settlers wo must give them good at fair prices.

In bringing this question forward <; Mr l!;ill;iuut:," from tliu vital importance of the subject, will at once arrest tho serious attention of tho public, in as much as ho is Icnown to be thoroughly in earnest in tho matter of land settlement. But oven with regard to his village settlement scheme, we have often thought, how much better policy it would have been for the Government, and how rnuch greater tho prospect of success would have been, to have either set aside, or failing that to have purchased suitable blocks of good land adjacent to and in good communication with a market, etc, to have placed the settlers upon, instead of spending a much larger amount in assisting them to establish homes in localities, in most of which it would be almost impossible with much I urge areas even for experienced and comparatively wealthy men, to do much good.

In any caso tlio <[Uf;stion is a vital one. If wo are m gain population instead of losing it, if we are to pay our way as a people and not succumb to the liurden placed upon us by a long period of lavish and wasteful expenditure, it can only bo by spreading people over the land and making use of New Zealand's vast natural resources. These are undoubted. But it is not when compared with the colony's wealth, that our indebtedness appears abnormal, but when compared with its population. The remedy is obvious, and wo shall look forward with interest to tho steps taken by the present Government towards this now suheino for placing settlers on the land.