THE FUTURE RUN POLICY—WHAT IS IT?

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume I, Issue 11, 5 December 1857, Page 2

THE FUTURE RUN POLICY— WHAT IS IT ?

To the Editor of the Ilawke's Bay Herald Sir. — May I beg the favour of your republishing the accompanying letter from jne, which has appeared in this day's issue of the ''Independent." Your obedient servant, A Squatter. Sir,«— Can you, or any of your correspondents, enlighten the public generally, and the squatters in particular, as to the proposed policy of the Radical Reformers, especially with reference to the main question with New Zealand politicians, the administration of the public lands ? We country

settlers are at some little disadvantage, having almost nothing but the newspapers to assist us in forming- our opinions on such subjects, and really we find, (not meaning any disparagement t j y< urself,) that the said papers are, just now, little better than blind guides ; for you, supporting as you do, the Featherston party, can of course only be expected to explain their policy ; whilst your contemporary so wavers in his opinion as only to make confusion worse confounded, one day violently opposing certain politicians, the next day holding out the olive branch, which his third issue shows to have been accepted by the total reversal of former opinions and the announcement of a coalition with the very party whom he yesterday so violently opposed. Whither then are the poor squatters to turn in their extremity — to whom to look for salvation from their foes, the leaches of Wellington beach, who have grown fat and lusty on their blood ? I suppose we must look upon the Featherston dynasty as, at any rate, scotched for the present, if not killed outright ; and we are, in so far as I can see, left in this position : either we must succumb to those who have so triumphantly decreed our destruction, and like the goose in the fable, meekly stretch out our neck to be cut by those who, discontented with our daily golden egg, want to grab it all at once ; or if we don't like that fate, why I suppose we must, however foreign to our nature, lay aside the crook and the pipe, gird up our loins, and try if we cannot find some means of righting ourselves. Eut here we find the difficulty ; who is the enemy we have to fight ; with what weapons does he mean to make his attack 1 and this is the difficulty I, for one, wish you woxild help us out of it. It would be tedious to pass in review all that has been "heard" to have been said on the subject of the management of our runs, and the fate that awaits the holders of them. But I may simply say, to show good cause for our perplexity, that from all I could ever learn, the intentions of the Radical reformers are as various as the number of their party. First we have Dr. Welch, supposed, until last Thursday's banquet, to have been put forward as the best man of the party, since he contested the election for Superintendent. He, at his nomination showed a tolerably bitter spirit of dislike to the po:;r squatters. Then comes Mr. Wakefield, ten times worse than his Superintendent, vowing death and destruction to us all, fearing that Dr. Welch would give way too much to tlv 1 hated class ; but congratulating himself and the electors that he should be able to induce the Dr. to modify some of his ideas. Then we have speeches at public meetings and on the hustings breathing envy hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness aerainst us ; until the wonderful coalition takes place, when Messrs. Hunter, Stokes, Moore, and other present and prospective runholders having joined the ranks — we hear of "concessions," forsooth ! of "meeting the views of the runholders," and so forth — until at last, Mr. Hunter, (the second applicant for a run not yet purchased from the natives) lets out at the banquet that the system of deferred payments is to be extended to large purchasers as well as small ; in other words, that the runholders are to have the bait thrown out to them of being allowed to purchase on credit as much land as they please — on condition, I persurae, of their joining the Rads. Now, Sir, let me tell these gentlemen and the public, once for all, that the Squatters don't want any 'concessions' at their hands, nor do any of their views require particularly to be met at this moment, that I know of. All we want is to be let alone, and we shall go on very well, not that we object to a reconsideration of the squatting regulations — they may reconsider as much as they please, and we will assist them as far as lies in our power, for we feel convinced, that the more the subject is ventilated the more apparent will the fairness — to the public as well as to the squatter — of the existing regulations become. The true position of the Squatter is that of the interim occupant of such portions of the public Lands as may not be otherwise made beneficial use of by the public. Any part of his ran may be sold at any time, or the whols of it, should the convenience of the public demand it, may be proclaimed a Hundred, or it may be taken for a small farm reserve ; and the squatter cannot complain, because he accepts and stocks hisrun unde"r these conditions, clearly understood , "by both parties to the contract. With this position we are perfectly satisfied, so long as the conditions under which we accepted it are faithfully fulfilled by the government. We do not want deferred payments, or any other baits held out to us. The question

of deferred payments, is much too extensive to be discussed in the limits of such a letter as this ; all I wish to say being that the squatters desire no such unfair advantagp over the general public. Talk of locking public lands — why this would lock them up with a venge.tnce. They are not locked up now, and we don't want to see them locked up ; we have no desire to see class arrayed against class, and none (or very few) of us have any objection to see portions of our runs bought and occupied by honajide agri-cultm-ists. At the same time we don't choose to be dictated to and ridden rough-shod over by a few Merchants and Retail Shopkeepers on Wellington Beach ; and- let me counsel these gentry to beware how they fire the first shot in war of classes : perhaps they may find the peace-loving shepherds not quite so unprepared for war as they may fancy.

Let it be remembered that the principal exports of this Province consist of Wool and Commissariat Bills. The latter may be withdrawn any day ; and if the former be driven to some other market by the act of the people cf Wellington, what is to become of this flourishing town ? I don't wish to use idle threats, Mr. Editor, but let Wellington look to it in time. I can tell them the country settlers are not the men to be trifled with.

Just let us suppose a case — not a very probable one as 1 hope ; but by no means beyond the range of possibility — let us suppose for a moment that the proceedings of the new Council were such as to drive the East Coast and Wanganui Settlers to appeal to the General Assembly for separation, and that they obtained it, and that a new Province were proclaimed, bounded on the west by the Ruahine, Tararua and Rimutaka Mountains, on the South and East by the Sea Coast and on the North by the 39th parallel of latitude ; suppose further that another Province were proclaimed bounded on the North by the Palea River, on the East by the Rifahine and Tararua Ranges, on the South by the River Waikanae, and on the West by the Sea Coast ; suppose again ] that the wool of the East Coast Province were shipped through Auckland (two Auckland firms are already established at Napier) ai:d the produce of the Western Province, direct to Sydney. In this case let me ask, where would the inhabitants of Wellington Beach look for future supplies of the unctuous matter that has made them so fat and well liking ? Again I say, let the Wellington merchants and shopkeepers look to it, and beware how they throw down the gauntlet to the Country Settlers. I am &c, Squatter.