NELSON.

New Zealander, Volume 1, Issue 38, 21 February 1846, Page 3

NELSON.

In 1 839, it is well known the New Zealand Company first commenced their colonizing operations, by selling to unwary persons, — some intending to emigrate to, and others with a view to speculate in, the eldorado of the Southern Pacific, • — about 110,000 acres of land, at some undiscovered, unknown spot in the islands of New Zealand, and destiny led their accredited agent to form the settlement in the stormy, pluvial region of Cook's Straits. Before the difficulties, disappointments, and the real truth, respecting that settlement, — as to the quantity of land available and attainable, — could be well known in England, the Company induced other persons, and proposed to them a scheme for a new, and more extensive settlement, to be founded under the guidance and superintendence of Captain Arthur Wakefield, R.N., brother to Colonel Wakefield, the Company's agent at Wellington. It was proposed by the projectors, to the Company, that the site of the new settlement should be chosen in the colony ; that, for the first sale, there should be surveyed and laid out, exclusive of the reserves for natives, of one tenth proportion, 201,000 acres of the greatest value, in the whole settlement, with respect to fertility and position ; this quantity of land to be divided into 1000 shares, of 201 acres each ; and this 201 acres, to consist of one town allotment of 1 acre, of one suburban allotment of 50 acres, and of one rural section of 150 acres. The price of each share was £300, and the choice of selection to be decided by ballot. The Registers were opened on the 25th March, 1841 ; and one month afterwards the preliminary expedition sailed from England, —'but on its arrival in New Zealand, Captain Hobson would not allow Captain Wakefield to go where he pleased ; but restricted him to certain districts, in consequence of which, Blind Bay was selected a& the site of Nelson. The Company reserved to themselves, the right of purchasing at this second settlement, one hundred allotments, but not more, at the same price, and subject to the same terms, in every respect, as other purchasers. Previous to the selection by ballot, the Company sold 371 allotments, and subsequently 68, making a total of 439, exclusive of their own 1 00 ; of theso 439, only 85 were purchased by in-tending-colonists. The injudicious system of such large areas, as allotments of one acre each, for a town, with so few resident proprietors, was most , apparent at Wellington, but it has operated still more banefully at Nelson. According to the plan, there were 1100 town allotments ballotted for, the purchasers ballotting in order of their registry, and so obtaining priority of choice in the colony. When the town was laid out, and the allotments chosen, according to this lottery system, there remained 561, besides the Company's 100 allotments, intersecting those selected, in all directionsBut, far greater obstacles to the advancement of the Nelson landed proprietors and settlers, have been the difficulties attendant on the splection and 'occupation of their suburban and rural sections. These difficulties have arisen from precisely the same reasons as those previously so disastrous and inimical to the prosperity of the settlers at Wellington ; namely, the fallacious, extravagant statements put forth by the Company, as to the quantity of fertile and available land, in the localities which they had already purchased, or could obtain from the natives. In and near Port Nicholson, the New Zealand Company, sold, including what they termed the second series of rural sections,

nearly 200,000 acres, — which they declared could be easily obtained, in. continuous annexed areas. How such assertions have been fulfilled is well known. The same system has been pursued at Nelson, until at length the landholders and settlers held a public meeting on the 31st December, — "to receive and take into consideration the Report of the committee appointed to inquire into and report upon the actual condition of the settlement, the measures most conducive to its future prosperity, &c." It appears by the Nelson Examiner ; that a report was read at that meeting, for which the committee received unanimous thanks: but.it was subsequently, for reasons which are not mentioned, withdrawn by the committee, and the meeting nominated another committee of eleven for the same purpose. However, Mr. F. Dillon Bell, who is agent for several absentee proprietors, summoned the resident landowners, and other agents for absentees, to a meeting on the 15th January, when ho laid before them a " Proposed adjustment of the Nelson Land Question." It is an able dispassionate exposition of the difficulties and disadvantages under which the Nelson colonists are at jjresent labouring, in consequence of the injudicious conduct pursued on the foundation of the settlement. In reference to the total amount of land required to carry out the original intention of the projectors of that part of Cook's Straits, Mr. Dillon Bell remarks : — But the most extravagant ideas were entertained at fiist of the quantity of fertile or even available land on the shores of Blind Biy ; the most moderate concurring in the report that there w oukl he plenty to satisfy the requirements of the scheme. Many spoke of 70,000 acres in a block round the town, and Mr. Heaphy went as far as 500,000 acres of available land. * Now the fact is, that there does not exist, within any limits of distance from the harbour that could have been contemplated at first, sufficient land to cany out the scheme. Moreover, within limits which are already stretched too far to maintain even in name that character of unity to the settlement which we had reckoned certain, sufficient available land does not exist for the accomodation sections alone. Ido not say there is not good land enough within such a distance as to permit its being yet annexed to Nelson ; the Wairau plain alone may contain good land to supply the whole extent of the settlement, and to spare. I speak of the quantity included in the block round the port and town ; and it is very material to bear this distinction in mind. When the lands were bought in England, the Company undoubtedly contracted equitably and implied 1 with the proprietor, to deliver land of a fair quality throughout the sections outside the town, in addition to their express stipulations as to contiguity and prospective value. With respect to the town acres, indeed, it was acknowledged that file ballot was n lottery, in which No. I might be a great pnze, and No. 1,000 nearly worthless, because the value of town land was altogether dependent upon locality in the best situations for trade. But it was clearly understood that, as good land only would be given out for the other sections, their relative value would almost entirely depend upon proximity to the town, and not upon any great difference in fertility. In usin» the term " available land," therefore, 1 mean land of a fair agricultural character, such as the Company were equitably bound to give out. Instead of confining ihe surveys, or at least the delivery of sections, to land of this kind, a great quantity of inferior and even worthless land was included and given out: while it was, notwithstanding, cet tain that only the quantity for the acfomodation lands could be found in the wide limits mentioned, and that the rural seclions would have to be taken jet fui ther off According to out suppositions in England, — and I have witnessed and joined in many a calculation on the subject, — that the accommodation lands would be obtained in a block immediately round the town, an arc with a radius of rather more than seven miles would include the 55,000 acres required for them. Whereas the distance from the last section in the north district to the last in Motuakais nearly sixty miles by land, from the town about forty-eight miles j and from the town to the farthest section in Waimea South and Moutere districts about twenty -five and thirly-five miles respectively. Within the radius that we imagined would contain the whole of thesections, there are onh 230 ; and even of these, ninety are more or less hilly, many containing not more than 'io acres of cultivable land, and some being utterly unfit for cultivation: the s°ctions nearest the' town being, moreovei, with few exceptions, among the worst in the settlement. Nor is this all ; 1 have made an estimate of tue number of accomodation sections which I consider fair and available land, in all the districts: and I cannot make them amount to more thpn from 57n to 600, excluding of course, some excellent land that has been laid out in rural sections, some of which is very near to the town. From the fiis>t, therefore, it must have been notorious to the resident landowners that the scheme of the settlement could not be carried out in its integrity. I have always been of the opinion here that, when the limited quantity of land was known, it should have been given to the actual purchasers, and the bad hind rejected fiom the sui vey. It is no answer to say that the propiietorsacceptedthe land which was offered to them. There were very few of them who had any idea of the character of the sections they were called upon to select froln : and besides, by fur i he gieatest number were selected by the Company's chief surveyor himself, not 150 having been chosen by landowneis or their agents. But if these placed bullicienl confidence in the Company's surveyor as to accept his choice.--, can it be supposed that the) are equitably bound by them when in contravention of the contract under which the lands were paid for? The Company were then themselves ignorant of facts winch are now notorious, and gieat errors took place in judgment about land : and can you believe t; ( al the Diiectois would endeavoui to compel those

who have got stones aud ravines or scrub for their money, to abide by the mere passiveaccep* tancc of a selection they were incompetent to judge? But it was not alone the limited field which made the state of things so different from the early, brilliant anticipations of all the founders of the seltlement. This limited field was itself again restricted by the quantity of unsold sections, winch created wildernesses between each tract of cultivation, besides driving the purchasers into all sorts of nooks and cornets for their land. And to crown all, even the orders of choice were not represented by the selections, so unfoitunate w ere a num ber of them. There seems to exist great difference of opinion, among the resident landowners themselves, as to the plan to be pursued for the satisfactory adjustment of the existing evils. Exclusive of the suggestions of Mr. Dillon Bell, which are too diffuse for insertion in our columns, there has been a plan put forth in the Nelson Examiner, by Mr. John Beit. Both these schemes differ from the opinions of the general committee. When it is considered, that of the 85 actual settlers, who were originally purchasers of allotments, 29 have since left the colony, or are deceased, and that the interest of the 56 resident landowners are opposite to those of the 354 absentee proprietors, independent of the company's right of ownership of 100 allotments, — we think, that any arrangements in the least degree satisfactory to all parties, to be almost hopeless and impracticable.