The Evening Star WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 1869.

Evening Star, Volume VII, Issue 2039, 17 November 1869, Page 2

The Evening Star WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 1869.

Otago, like every other newly-settled country colonised by recent emigrants from Great Britain, is a theatre for experimental laud legislation. It is unfortunate that old world ideas cannot be left behind when men enter upon new enterprises, for they arc very commonly mere compromises of principle—evolutions of systems out of a long struggle of right with might. The cumbrous and costly conveyances of land in fashion, seem to invest it with a sort of sacreduess that does not inhere in it, and it is very difficult to bring men’s minds to look upon it as an instrument to be used for common benefit, and theiefore as common property for the use of which those who derive profit from it must, pay a rental. We believe, until this common-sense principle is adopted, there can be no satisfactory •settlement of the question, although this aspect of it is one that is most unpalatable to British prejudices. But

it is continually forcing itself upon attention. Not a single Australasian Colony lias yet devised a system that has been found to work well. Victoria patches and re-patches its laud laws annually, and cuts this clause, and squares "that, to try to meet every possible contingency. Otago has followed in its wake, and has already mule several attempts after perfection : but in vain. Its laws certainly are wide enough to meet most difficulties, and were they administered impartially and without prejudice, they might work well on the whole ; but the hitch is in the administration of them. We are met with predominant biases, and are swayed in this direction or in that as one class or another happens to be in power. Unfortunately, the two predominant classes who divide power between them, like Whigs and Tories at Home, are the Squattocracy and the Clodocracy—the grazier and the farmer. One wants to make Otago a land of large sheep runs ; the other to reduce it to a system of farms. Neither seems able to grasp its true interest. The development of mining and other industries are to be made subordinate to these, in which alone those two classes see the chief good. The Clodocracy is now in the ascendant, and show unmistakeably their bias in the deaf ear turned to the reasonable request of the deputation from Roxburgh yesterday. Although ! aware from the experience of Nelson, Victoria, and Otago itself, that the greatest inconvenience and loss to the community necessarily result through selling land on goldfields, the memorial of the residents in the distinct is to be disregarded on the flimsiest possible grounds. We should be sorry to charge such respectable men as our Executive with having any concealed motive for anv course they may adopt, without the clearest evidence. Mr Gillies objected to withdraw the land from sale professedly in the interests of the .Province ; and we are bound to believe that in his eyes. Provincial interests would suffer by doing so. For our own parts we doubt it. The case is a curious one. We gather its nature from what took place at the interview of the deputies with the Executive. It appears that some time ago, the Island Block was thrown open to applicants for agricultural leases. So many applications poured in that the Warden was bewildered. So Mr Warden Wood and the Waste Land Board conclude, that the only fair way of dealing with the question is to lease the land to none; but to sell it, —a very clodocratic way of dealing with the subject. We suppose priority of application is out of the question as no doubt many applications would bear the same (late ; but surely some other plan satisfactory to all applicants was open. In other places such difficulties are made resolvable by lot, and as there are serious considerations involved in selling land on the goldfields just now, we recommend the suggestion to the consideration of the Executive. The objection to the sale of goldfields’ laud were fairly stated by Mr Ireland, and his reasons will be fully appreciated by all who wish for the material progress of the Province. First, he pointed out that it was not ascertained whether the laud in question contained gold or not. Secondly, assuming that it contained gold in quantities so small that with present appliances it would not pay for working, iu process of time improved methods and large capital might obtain a profitable return. Thirdly, that it was the wish of the residents in the district that it should be reserved. Fourthly, the sale would interfere iyjth obtaining water supply for mining. Now, to our minds, any one of these reasons, although others were stated, should induce the Government to pause before committing an irrevocable blunder. The errors of a squattocracy are remediable, for there must sooner or later be a determination of tljeir leases; but the bunglings of a clodocracy are permanent. When they sell the land for their style of settlement, the country has no further control. Just now the subject is assuming greater importance because of the renewed attention given to mining. It is evident that very shortly the question of mining on private property must be definitely settled, and therefore to part with land that may be auriferous, ami which there is no necessity whatever to alienate, carries with it the appearance of indecent haste to secure for some one, or for some purpose, an advantage that might be otherwise jeopardised. Far bo it from us to insinuate anything so base of the present Executive, although we should like to know who is the speculator prepared to outbid the residents in the district; all of whom point to thp probability that the land in question will be .bought at such a price as to exclude them a* buyers. If Mr Gilliks’s description of its capabilities 1)0 true, it must have some special recommendation beyond fitness for agriculture, for he seemed to give it a bad character in that respect. But if so, there is all the more reason why it should not be sold, and ,the special in-

terest transferred to one or a few. We have Just one word more, applicable alike to h'quattocracy and Clodocracy. Their true interest is to encourage mining, if they will have plenty of customers for their mutton and corn. The larger and nearer the mirket, the better for them.