THE Mount Ida Chronicle AND St. Bathans Weekly News. THURSDAY, MAY 19, 1881. THE LAND LEAGUE.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume XI, Issue 607, 19 May 1881, Page 2

THE Mount Ida Chronicle AND St. Bathans Weekly News. THURSDAY, MAY 19, 1881. THE LAND LEAGUE.

The well-attended and otherwise successfuluublic meeting which took place at the Town Hall on the 7th mst; resulted in the formation of an association which, we have every reason to suppose, will in course of time give a strong impetus to settlement throughout this district, and tend in many ways to promote the interests and further the welfare of of the entire community. A branch of the Otago Central Land League has been established in Naseby under circumstances and at a time which gives every augury of a useful and prosperous career. In the courae of nine or., ten months an immense tract of the waste lands of the Crown will have to be dealt with afresh, and there is but little necessity for us to point out the important relation which such a crisis in our history (for crisis it certainly is) bears to the welfare of the whole population. The progress of settlement has been unfortunately slow in the past, but it has been sure, and it has so far laid the foundation of an amount of agricultural and pastoral prosperity which, in order to be complete and solid, only now demands that the leases about to fall in shall be dealt with with care and circumspection, and in the interests not of the few but of the many. Within the last few years the face of the country round about us has become very pleasantly altered in its aspect. The smiling homesteads of which we hear so much have at last become a reality, and are almost daily springing up over the Maniototo Plain. Farming has taken a firm hold ; and, now that an outlet for produce has, to a certain extent, been provided by the Flour Mill recently erected, it may fairly be expected to make its way until success is assured by what we hope at no very distant date to be the crowning result of all our efforts—the completion of the Otago Central Railway. As far as it goes now all this is excellent, but it is not enough. Farming must be combined with pasturage stock-growing, and wool producing. That is what is now wanted to complete the prosperity of our settlers, to increase our population, lessen our burdens, and add to the wealth and importance of the district. At the present moment huge tracts of fine pasture land throughout the interior of Otago are parcelled out to a few individuals. At the time that they were first so parcelled out it may or may not have been the best method,—perhaps it was the only method of dealing with them. But that time has now happily gone for ever. These tracts must be cut up into runs as small as can be profitably occupied by individuals, and this must be done in such a manner that every individual settler who ma.- be so minded will have the utmost facility given him for competing with his neighbor. All this is contemplated by the law as it now stands, but the law is not always carried out in its integrity. Au amendment should be made in the direction of limiting the area that one person can acquire, so that it may not be possible for capitalists to combine and by their joint efforts, completely set aside persons anxious to ofctain one section only. To see therefore that this is done—to assist, to advise, to force, if the use of force be necessary, the Government of the day to deal with this momentous matter in the common as distinguished from the class interest is the chief and central present duj;y of the Land League, and one towards the successful of whifch itmust strain' every effort, v Besides thle above-the Land League will have ample scope for its energies in preserving and fostering the mining interest. While it does what it can for the furtherance of settlement, it must take care that the miner does not. suffer at the hands of the farmer. It must take especial care that auriferous land is not alienated or locked up in any way what. ever, and indeed that all mining outlets are carefully and very liberally preserved. Mining in this neighborhood is probably only in its infancy yet. As time goes on ground will be profitably worked which is left untouched now. As the population of New Zealand increases, as wages come down, and trades begin in a comparative sense to fail, mining will always be a sort of reserve means by which a large population may be comfortably and steadily supported. It will therefore be necessary for the Land League to take care that their efforts in favor of one important class in the community may not result in injury to another quite as important. It only remains to say that in order to give force and weight to the views and efforts of the Land League, its operations must be conducted with moderation and good sense. We have not the least doubt that this will be so. In fact our experience has shown us that what we have most to fear is insufficient energy and too great confidence that things will be all right. The name is borrowed from an association existing in Ireland, but with that we have nothing whatever to do. It is not the purpose of the League to try and oust one set of individuals in order to put others in the same position. There must be no spite or malice displayed against anyone outside the League nor any efforts to further the private interests of any individual within its circle. The whole scope and aim of its operations must be towards the furtherance ©f settlement, and the promotion of the best interests of the whole population. •If this is recognised, and we believe it is, the Land League may reasonably hope to be regarded as a power in the district, and one whicfr shall work only for the general good.

Coumty Councillors and the public should not forget that the matter of aid to prospecting for deep leads will probably come before the Council at its! next sitting. The'subjectshould be welli considered before being.fihally dealt with.! The enterprise has seemed of such good' promise that the Monicipal Council and the residents around Naseby have resolved to support it largely. We trust the County Council will do so likewise.' It has affirmed the principle of aiding 1 prospecting parties, very wisely, as moßt people will say, but hereto the prospectmg that has taken place under its auspices has all been of one kind—viz, that for ordinary alluvial deposits. Pros* pecting for deep leads or for auriferous

cement has not been attempted. Though the Council, at a recent meeting, decided to give no further grant in this direction, we trust that now a completely new de-parture-M* to-be made it will give the project that measure of support which it is generally considered to deserve. The vOMPU.haBa material interest in the abstraction of gold, for for every oiiuce that is obtained it receives over 2h in taxes. A payable deep lead is almost certainly known to exist near Naseby. At;St Bathans it is well known that tbe Scandinavian Company worked one paddock to a bottom, and then some time arter it was discovered that there was payable gold, under the level at which they had stopped, and which a then and payable face was opened out. If deep leads exist there and at Naseby, doubtless they exist elsewhere. The money now proposed to be raised, provided the Oouncil gives a fair degree of support, will test the matter as far at least as ono locality in concerned, and if a result be obtained good similar movements will probably be made in other parts.