THE MATAHIWI STATION.

We hoar that the leading liberals of Masferton Imve prepared a petition to the Government asking it to acquire the Mafahiwi Station under (he compulsory clauses of the Land for Settlements Act. This property consists of between six and seven thousand acres of good land situated about four miles from (bis town and is undoubtedly suitable Jor subdivision as it contains some land that may be regarded ns first-class and the balance is probably fair second-class land. From the Government point of view it would probably be a better investment than many properties that have already been acquired,

We believe the Land for Settlement Act is doing injury to the colony, but it is the law and we most accept it as such. Under it any area of one thousand, or more than one thousand, acres of first-class land can be acquired corapulsorily at the pleasure of the Government, and we shall probably soon have an object lesson in this district with the Matahiwi property, A freehold title for a thousand or more acijes of land is no longer worth the parchment on whioh it has been granted, aud the effect of this on the value of property in the colony is very serious, As far as we understand it, the process with tlio present Matahiwi raid will be ns follows:-The petition will be carried round for signature,and every Tom, Dick and Harry who does not want land, and has no money to invest in it will sign the document, which will then be presented to the Government by Mr Hogg, M.H.R., who is understood to be a promoter of the raid. The Government will gazette a notice to .take the land, and Messrs Holmes, the proprietors, will have to lodge a claim for their estimate of tbe value of it, If this be not to the satisfaction of the Government, a Compensation Court will be set up consisting of a Judge of the Supreme Court and an assessor appointedion either side, and the value of the'estate will be impartially determined. As far as we know, some such process will be gone through in order to despoil the present proprietors of the property. We do not know whose turn will corao next, but practically no man is 1 [safe who possesses a thousand acres 1 of Woodland, 1