THE Mount Ida Chronicle AND St. Bathans Weekly News. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 1882.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume XII, Issue 646, 16 February 1882, Page 2

THE Mount Ida Chronicle AND St. Bathans Weekly News. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 1882.

The full significance of the proposed releasing of the whole of the runs, with the exception of the big settlement reserves, which, are to be- dealt with no one knows how, is now being comprehended, and consternation is felt on all hands. The runs, as they will be released, are of small area, and probably a high price will have to be paid for them. The purchasers will not be able to afford to allow a hoof of any other person's cattle to remain on their holdings. The land will be leased right up and around many people's doors. The milch cattle of residents in all the County ceutrps, even, will, as soon as they go off the streets, be trespassing, and may be impounded. Runholders will no longer be able to allow the small privileges given at, present. After March 18S3, no person ivill be able to keep a cow unless he-has a paddock to put her in ; and that would seemingly require tu be freehold, fop the Government appear to be offering for the whole of the lauds t ndosed, on the strength of the runboKLv\s consent, as paddocks. "Freeholders, then, will alone be able to graze, and the. miner, too poor to buy a freehold, mid therefore more urgently nepding a small grazing privilege, will have to get rid of his cow , a<d the miner, who has saved enough out of his hard-earned money to buy a small freehold, but requires some additional grazing right, will also suffer. If hundreds are declared, none but those holding lands within their boundaries could graze cattle; and, at any rate, milch cows can hardly be driven 28 mi'es a day to their pasturage—which is what will have to be done, at least in the case of Nasebv, if no land is reserved nearer than the banks of the Taieri. Unless something is done at once, a serious blow will be dealt to the already not-too-prosperous mining communities. Another extraordinary thing is that the Government, after sending to the local governing bodies, askiug them where they would like reserves for different to be made, have not made a single reserve. There is but little use in telegraphing to ministers. Applicants are put" off and humbugged. If anythkg is to be done Ministers must be bearded iu their dens. A deputation will have to be sent to Wellington. The sale takes place in ten days' time. NOTHING OF StLCH IMPORTANCE TO THE WHOLE BODY OP MINERS HAS EVER OCCUBBED IN THE HIHTORr OE OTAGO.

We have received a copy of a letter sent by Mr de Lautour to the Minister of Lands in reference to the grazing difficulty in this County. Mr de Lautour writes : —"For more than fifteen years these townships have been retarded, because of the difficulties the inhabitants have had to meet, which have arisen from distance from the seaboard, and the absence of all facilities for grazing stock, except at the will of the pastoral tenants. The expiration of the leases in 1883 has been long looked forward to as the time when some provision would be made, enabling grazing rights to be given for the benefit of the people who, from their position, are so heavily handicapped." He then points out that the reduction of the.sizes of the runs will not alone settle the gra?.ing difficulty, and admits tiiaf, under the present Land- Act,, there is no means of satisfactorily dealing with la d that might be reserved, but su ge.-us that the land could be dealt with by special le«i.*laiion. when Parliament meets, in May or June. We are glad to see that Mr de Lautour in taking active interest in this matter. Our only regret is that he is not in our midst to perform the work that prot>pr!y belongs to- him, to take the leading part, in endeavoring to set right a matter such as this. There is no use, however, in crying over spilt milk. We understand that Mr rle Lautour has been telegraphed to, asking him if. he will be prepared to meet and assist a deputation in Wellington, if one is sent there by the local bodies, as is proposed. This is one of the most important crises in the history of the Countv, and we hope our member will be sufficiently alive to its interests to make the effort mentioned, if it should be asked; and we were never more clearly convinced of anything than that such an effort should be made.