The Press. TUESDAY, MAY 7, 1872.

Press, Volume XIX, Issue 2812, 7 May 1872, Page 2

The Press. TUESDAY, MAY 7, 1872.

Ax important question is to be brought before the Provincial Council this evening, in the shape of a resolution recommending the reserve of certain specified blocks of land as an endowment for a school of technical ecience. The first practical step was taken, in the matter last session. A resolution was passed requesting the Superintendent to reserve 100,000 acres of " purely pastoral hilly country," as " an endowment for a school of technical science, and other educational purposes contemplated by the Canterbury Museum and Library-Ordinance 1870." The Government -were further desired, when the land was Crown-grante<J to bring in an Ordinance to authorise the leasing of the country so reserved to the present holders upon the same terms as it is now held. The object of the latter clauee was, of couree, to prevent' injustice to the pastoral tenants, whose rights of occupation might otherwise be abruptly, and very unfairly terminated. The revenue accruing from the amount of land set aside, being in pastoral occupation, was supposed to be about; equal to the requirements of the proposed school. The resolution seemed to follow pretty closely the precedent set in Otago, where two large runs, comprising 100,000 acres, and bringing in £1600 a year, have been set apart as an endowment for the Otago University.

His Honor the Superintendent referred to this question at come length in his opening address to the Council. But he Bcarcely succeeded in expressing himself with his usual clearness. He stated plainly enough that the desirableness of the proposed reserve was, in his opinion, open to grave doubts; but he was somewhat obscure in his exposition of the reasons which had led him to that conclusion, or of the consequences which would follow if the course proposed.by the Council were adopted. His Honor began by observing that " the legal rights of the pastoral tenants would absolutely cease on the reservation of land held by them; " and that " without express sanction of law it would not be proper to deal with reserves made for educational purposes otherwise than so as to promote to the utmost the objects of the trust." The Council, he contended, did not wish the tenure of the pastoral tenaats disturbed, and proposed, as soon as the land was Crown-granted to the province, to make legal provision against such a course. But he proceeded to point out that, between the Crowngranting of the land and the passing of the intended Ordinance, an interval would elapse, "during which there would be no law to prevent that being done which the Council would con- j side'r unfair to the present holder." Mr Rolleston appears to consider that to lease the reserves to pastoral tenants would not be a fulfilment of the trust. He assumes it as included among those methods of dealing with the land which would not promote to the utmost the objects of the trust, and which therefore could not be adopted without express sanction of law. He holds that immediately upon the reservation of the land, Government would be bound to employ it in the manner best calculated to further the

puposes|br which it was reserved; and that, being, uudfcr Buch an obligation, they would'be unable in default of en express enactment, to respect the wish of the Council that the pastoral tenants should not be interfered with. This objection seems to us much overstrained. As we have said, His Honor's meaning was not conveyed very clearly, and we may have not quite caught his point; but if one followed his argument aright, we certainly do not think the difficulty he has raised deserves the importance he seems to attach to it.

Another objection —suggested rather than explicitly alleged—is that the reserves might be so managed aa to be detrimental to the settlement of the country. His Honor reminded the Council that " much laud that is not now considered available for settlement might become so by greater facilities of communication," by discoveries of coal, leading to the development of further industries, and in other ways — the inference being that no such land ought to be reserved. But whatever force this objection has, lies to the making, not of this particular reserve, but of any reserve at all. Eor there is no land which might not under conceivable circumstances be brought within the reach of settlement; and it is not said that the land defined in the resolution before the Council is likely to be in any special request. Nor does it follow th&t the reservation of land must necessarily be an impediment to settlement; though the Superintendent rightly calls the attention of the Council to this as a danger to be guarded against.

The real ground of Mr Eolleston's objection to the reserve is, we fancy, a fear lest it ehould involve a disturbance of the land laws. There is room for a not unreasonable apprehension on that score. For if any considerable proportion of the waste lands of the province is taken out of the operation of the land regulations, the same evils will appear, on a smaller scale, which we showed (with reference to Mr Gisborne's circular) would follow the transfer of land to the General Government. There would be in effect two land offices in the province, and two conflicting land systems. No doubt a liberal landed endowment for a school of physical science is most desirable — in no other way can such an institution be supported—but the benefit would be dearly gained if it entailed a disorganisation of the provincial land system. Tet we see no reason to believe that such a consequence is unavoidable. It might be obviated in several ways. We suggested some while ago that the requisite amount of land might be set apart —whether it be for the endowment of the museum, for school of science, or for any other educational purpose—on the condition that it should not be withdrawn from eale, but that the proceeds of the sale, as they accrued, shall be invested on behalf of the institution. Mr Hall made a similar proposition last week, when he moved as an addition to the resolution, that the land comprised in the runs to be reserved should be "sold and disposed of on the same terms and conditions in which the waste lands of the Crown are sold and disposed of." Of course precautions must be taken not to reserve land possessing any specially valuable features. It would not do to reserve land along a line of railway, or land likely to prove auriferous, or where coal was known to exist. The Council must ascertain that the reserves submitted to them to be confirmed include no land of this description. But if they give the matter careful consideration, we do not see that they need despair of hitting on a plan for providing an ample endowment for all the educational institutions of the province, without acting unfairly to the runholders, without prejudice to the land laws, and without interposing any obstacle to the progress of settlement.