CO OPERATIVE LAND AND LABOR COMPANY.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 1836, 10 January 1880, Page 3

CO OPERATIVE LAND AND LABOR COMPANY.

A deputation, headed by Mr Treadwrll, waited upon the Hon. John Hall yesterday afternoon, in reference to the special settlement question. Mr Stevena and Mr Andiewe were also present. Mr Treadwell submitted the following statement, which had been prepared with a view to more clearly and concisely expressing the desires of the deputation : 1. As far as the objects of the Company are coucer ed the lawyer’s opinion, which the Company left with you, shows our intentions, and as far as any prospectus which the Mini-ters may have seen is concerned it may he left out of sight altogether, our terms being left as the Governor in Council miy fix them, leaving out the suggestions made in the interview with Mr Rolleston.

S.BThat we propose to take 25,000 to 30,000 acres at the rate of about 50 acres per man for a body of 500 or GOO workmen, ablebodied and partly unemployed, subject to any terms and con ditions which the Governor in Council may see fit to fix.

3. If the Government do not see their way to give ns a part of the Waimate plains, would they kindly point out any suitable block of good laud in the North Island to which they could remove us with as little delay aa possible. Mr Treadwell added a petition had been sent to the Governor.

Mr Hall, in reply, said there were two questions before them ; the first being the practicability of the scheme proposed by the company, and the other the locality in which it should be carried out. With regard to the Waimate Plains, the Government was not in a position to deal with that at present; nor could they say at the moment when they would be in a position to do so. The settle mont of those plains was a matter affecting the peace of the colony, and if any disturbance were to commence, there was no knowing where it would stop. With regard to the other suggestion touching a block of land in the North Island, he might say that Mr Rolleston was haying prepared a list of all lands open for sale and settlement in various parts of the colony, both in the North and the Middle Island, and the matter would be dealt with in as short a time as possible. They could not have a Minister more anxious to settle the land than Mr Rolleston was, and anything that could be fairly done to settle the people on the land would be carried out.

In answer to statements from another member of the deputation as to the number of unemployed in the colony, and the anxiety felt by the working men with families to obtain land for settlement, so that they might be independent of changes to which the labor market was subject. Mr Hall pointed out that the speaker (who said he was a late arrival), had come to the colony at a time of depression, which had also been experienced in Europe, and for which the Government were not responsible. At the same time he assured them that the Government wore quite as anxious to give them work as they were to get it.