The Lake Wakatip Mail. Queenstown, Saturday, Feb. 25, 1865.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 191, 25 February 1865, Page 2

The Lake Wakatip Mail. Queenstown, Saturday, Feb. 25, 1865.

We now purpose to conclude our remarks upon the message of his Honor the Superintendent, regarding the pastoral lands. In our first article we gave reasons for the opinion wc then expressed, that the time had not yet arrived for legislation upon so important an interest. In our last issue we claimed the attention of our readers to certain of the suggestions that speak of the sale of the pastoral lands. We have pointed out that the message recommends the withdrawal of the 2s tax upon unimproved lands. That tax, however, has never been enforced. The present Ministry will have to ask the Council to indemnify them for their notorious proclamation —suspending its imposition upon lands sold during the first quarter of this year. The ostensible reason offered for its nonenforcement has been the falling off in the sales of land. Its suspension is, we think ? better accounted for by reasons we find in the message we are now commenting upon. The removal of this 2s tax. upon lands purchased and allowed to remain unimproved, would facilitate the carrying out of those portions of the message suggesting the sale of pastoral lands, and we find his Honor recommending that such lands should " be exempt from the " operations of the Otago Waste Lands Act, " 1863, No 2." It is, therefore, evident that' the real intention of the pastoral tenants is to secure immediate legislation upon the subject, and the recommendations in the message, as we have before observed, are of a most favors able nature to that interest. We cannot look upon the message as otherwise than a most one-sided affair. Should tke suggestions it contains be carried out, Gtago's eventual progress would be seriously hampered. The sale of large areas of what are called pastoral lands would lead to great abuses, though it might have a temporary effect upon the Treasury. We doubt if the squatters would be really [anxious to buy what might be called purely pastoral grounds. Their efforts would be directed to obtaining the eyes and natural keys of their runs, and once parted with, the temporary advantage of a sudden flush of money would turn very rapidly into a permanent and lasting injury. We hear a great deal about laying down natural grasses, but a tenure of a fourteen years' lease, together with the proposed clause (No. 1) should be a sufficient guarantee to those gentlemen who beftbve that foreign grasses are better than native ones, that they n.ay sow with safety, and when they part with their runs will have the plea sure of receiving compensation. The people have a right to demand that their inheritance should not be bartered upon false principles. For coolness and assurance, these suggestions of his Honor are almost unequalled. They are directed to the upsetting of all past legislation upon the subject of the lands. They coolly propose to ignore all interests and all views except those of the pastoral tenant. Acts that have even received the Royal Assent are to be treated contemptuously. We do not think the Council will be quite bo cfazy as to adopt all these Nd doubt those gentlemen whose leases expire in eight years, will be quite ready to legislate

for a more extended and profitable future upon easy terras. It is the last chance, they imagine, they will have. They are afraid of a popularised assembly, and we are prepared to see the members go as far as they can. We have no doubt that leases will be extended, and that the following suggestion will be adopted with Others of a like nature *

That in the event of the holder of any Depasturing License for any Run which shall be so set aside and reserved as a Provincial Estate as aforesaid, being desirous, during the currency of such License, of exchanging the same for a Lease, on the conditions before mentioned, the Government shall be at liberty to grant the same at an annual rent to be fixed by them, without submitting such lease to public auction.

We respeat that legislation on this subject should be left until the country has been appealed to, and until the decision of their Honors the Judges, in the case of the Queen v. Jones has been either ratified or put aside. We can, however, hardly expect any scruples like these will be considered worth attention, and have nothing to look forward to of a cheering nature. Fraud and seffishness will succeed in rivetting for a number of years heavy fetters upon Otago.