COLONISATION.

Evening Post, Volume XLVIII, Issue 66, 15 September 1894, Page 2 (Supplement)

COLONISATION.

TO THE EDITOIt. Sir— Since writing you tho other day, I have Been the following remarks of an Australian. As there is more practical common-sense in them than in most of the utterances of our Liberal political windbags on the land and land taxation question, would you kindly print them ? I am, &c, A New Zealand Settler. Sept. 13th, 1894. P.S.— lt is now twenty-four years since the Publio Works policy was started, ono of the main objeots of starting which was the promotion of the colonisation of just auch country as an Australian refers to. An Australian, who has just made a trip into the King Country, sends an account of what he saw. One Maori chief whom he saw expressed himself as much annoyed that the Government had prevented him from selling land to Eurcpeann. The natives at that place had three acres cultivated, while they possessed miles of virgin land. Our correspondent then procoeda: — "The whole of the oountry I passed over was splendid limestone country, where no grass seed has been planted, but here and there were patches of grass, the need brought there evidently by horses. One can see how this grass is working tho fern out und taking strong hold, very different to the best of the Waikato country '»' I had seen, where the fern will not bo superseded by grass without a lot of work. And all this great oountry doing no good to anybody ! Jt gtruok me as very extraordinary that Now Zealand should allow their Government to buy such a property as the Cheviot Estate, which would cost pounds per acre, whereas there are wiles of grand country to be got for some shillings per aero. If the South Island is so thickly populated that thero is no room for the people, why not open this country and send the Southerners up here ? There is plouty of room without cramping the native. Looking nt the Cheviot Estate transaction, and seeing all the idle country South of Auokland, I can only put it down to a bid for politioal power, and i} is a pity the North Island allows it. If the Government would allow the white man to deal with the Maori, holding tho power of sanctioning all arrangements, there would be no such thing as the land-grabber getting in, and this country would soon be made remunerative to Government settlers and Maoris." — ■ Auckland Herald.