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Clutha Leader, Volume II, Issue 74, 9 December 1875, Page 5

In the course of hia address on Wednesday night, Mr Reynolds,, speaking upon the land question said .— -, Your representatives shoTild be chosen 7 with a view, to the protection of your [land revenue, and to secure proper administration of the lands not only of this 'province but of the colony. ■ The day has passed away for the Legislature to allow this important question to be settled by cliques. What the colony requires is ah increasing and prosperous population, and i_this can only be secured by granting every possible moans for settlement on the. waste lands. Yom* representatives ought, therefore, to be men of liberal views on this question of questions, for you may depend upon it that this will have a far greater influence on the future prosperity of the colony than" any other. :•■■.--.

All will agree with Mr Reynolds that this is a most important question, and one which will have a very great influence on tho future of the colony. This being .the- case, it is to.be regretted he did not. explain what he meant by " liberal ■views;" €t settlement on the waste lands," "proper administration of the lands," and' similar expressions. Does he, by " liberal views," mean that the runholders should be liberally dealt with when their leases run out 1 Does he mean that " proper administration " of these liberal views should include a " fixity of tenure " to runholders as Sir F. D? Bell advocates ? : Does he mean by "settlement of the lands" that the whole waste lands should be sold off in large blocks to runholders to satisfy the public creditor ? It is a pity Mr Reynolds did not explain his views upon these points, and indicate " the policy " of the Ministers and their supporters upon the land question. Probably he was aware it might have been inconvenient for him to have done so before the audience he had then to face. We (Eire not, however, left altogether in the dark upon the subject. Mr Teschmaker, an ardent supporter of Mr Reynold's party and abolition, 13' a candidate for th*. representation of the Gladstone district in the House of Representatives, and in a speech to the electors at Waimate the other day, he fully ' explained the policy upon the land question. Here it is : —

He though, that the squatters having held the rung for tLe last twenty-five years, and bavi nobeen a very serviceable class, should have every consideration. His idea was that when the Inases did run out the runs should be equitably classed by competent authorities, that a fair rental should be fixed for tho land, and that the runholders should have tho first offer of taking up the land at tbat rental. — (No, ' no.) He labored under the suspicion of beipg a squatting representative. His r position was that of a frea-l-older, a3 anyone would see by reference to theratepayers roll. Although he was a freeholder he would most strenuously object; to such, an important class as the squatter being trampled upon. An injury could not be inflicted upon the squatting interest without causing a corresponding injury, to, the country genenJly. . He thought tliat those people who proposed to put up the runs into small blocks were not practical men. This system-could not be successful.- No mau would take up a block of 20')Q acres. and fence it without tbe land w-*a Secured to him for a long period, because another person, might at a moment's , notice buy the.place over, his head. The land, of the colony were the- principal security for. tho public debt. Tlie landieriuro would therefore be always most uncertain. If people wore to take uj> these 2000 acre blocks they would do so at endless risk to themselves, aa the whole of the waste land*, of- the colony would in a few years have to be realised to satisfy the public creditor. He should advocate selling everj thing "they had rather than resort to direct taxation. He would make the squattera pay the utmost farthing for their .runs that they wore worth, and considered that they should have the firat refusal of thorn if their leases expired. He was of opinion that they had a legal right to them, but he. would waive that.

How generous ! Arid how anxious he is to reduce the. burdens of the people! He would, sell anythirig'and everything (the squatters "to have the first offer") rather than resort to direct taxation ! But what bf the " increasing and prosperous population," . and " settlement on the waste lands ,y .? Mr Teschmakor has acted imprudently. He has prematurely disclosed. " the policy " of his party on this . 'f* 'question of questions," and no doubt will get a rap over the knuckles 'for it,' but the evil has been done. '. " .

If we have not i( . the policy" of the" Opposition upon this question, we now at least have that Of the Abolitionists. Let us -be thankful for small mercies. The electors i _, will perhaps take a note of this' policy ' for. their guidance at the approaching elections.

In a leader of the « NewZealand'Tin.es J of the 24th November, the/.\tfritefr-4-in that style .peculiar fo certain, defileirs i of waste paper in New ; Zealand, .arid .to sturdy females of" fishy occupation^. aAd doubtful reputations in the' cities of Europe— comments on and fallifdulof Sir Francis, Dillon Bell,', for \j_s Speech at Waikbiiaiti,,the, members^ ffif.'BuW lor, and Bruce as the betes notf of ysuch', scribblers coming- .'in. incidentally foi^ a' customary; share of abuse. J We must hiake aUqv/arices, . however 5 ,, for *dVticles' ; written. to' orde>j . if the r.W.riter 'ddbpts'

the language .which; .comes., "patwral .to him; at the* same tithe we- are thankful to him for. making* .cl^at, .th,e ; cause of this tirade. Sir 'X>iilon.'_'._!Bell.. /has,', it appears, presumed to hint-thal;,the. great public works, scheme has : been a g*igantic system of political, patronage, to7he ■worked fqr the advantage .of .those dis'-^ tricts which returned'iGfoverjiment'supporters; and to the correspon.dJ.n^detri-T ment of those whicb-. returned, its opponents/ Hear .the text, /rom -which this P.p. makes " } funereal; thunder "—- Sir Dillon Bell is reported to have said; "Had he been member for, Waikouaiti instead, of for- Mataura,- h,e wpuld bave had trains runnino*, .from- 'Diinedin through Waikouaiti and Palmerston to Christchurch at the- " present ; - time." Were Sir David Monro. .and 'Mr. Gillies, men of at least .equal, ability to Sir Dillon, Government supporters ? Is Mr 'Lean, the sitting member, a Government supporter iy '„ aught save Abolition ? The views jahd action^ of the first two gentlemen: are well known,' •and the short time that Mr-M'Lea'n has been in the . Assembly lead us to the conviction: that Government .extravagance and jobbery have a;ao ; more determined.antagonist., ... 7— t , .7. ! '"; While the line :from Invercargill to Matura has been open for months, the railway in the immediate vicinity of the greatest City and-commercial'meti-opo-' lis of New Zealand, and to ' connect it, the - Taieri,. Tokomairiro, '-.. Clutha, and •Tuapeka with the vastly important districts of the North, and with the whole of the rest of the cploh} 7 ,. will probably not open for years to come 5 but in this the blame may be due to the incapacity of the Public Works Department, as well to political partialitjv - Sir Dillon Bell. was member for the. Mataura, but the members for Dunedin, though Go-' vernment , supporters, lacked the in- ' fluence and intelligence which he possessed, arid which would have enabled them to dispose of their votes to the best advantage for their constituents, even though they did attain to the honors and emoluments of Ministerial positions, and got all they wanted. What a telling criticism upon the Government policy of which he was and is a supporter, nnd wbafc a powerful confirmation of tho statement made by Mr Murray some years ago to his constituents—" The whole policy of Government seemed to be one. of rewards and punishments which placed independent members in the invidious position that they.must either sacrifice the in-

terests of their constituents or their own political principles and honest convictions."