THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 1881.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVIII, Issue 6270, 21 December 1881, Page 6

THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 1881.

Has tlie Government done anything, is it doing anything, or does it intend to do anything to attract to our shores some of the British farmers who, wearied out by adverse fortune, are going far afield for fresh homes 1 It may be that it is displaying that capacity for taking the initiative -which is the last quality to be found in Governments. It is much more likely that it is doing absolutely nothing, because, -were it otherwise, something vould have been made public on the subject. The farmers of England and

• Scotland - arer profoundly discontented, 'and it is quite .unlikely that they"will" be satisfied with the legislative changes j whicli Mr. Gladstone -will give them* j Large as has been the abatement of rents ! temporarily conceded by the landlords j land has become greatly depreciated ,in value, and farms are going abegging. | The reasons are these. Success! : seasons have not only prevented profit, - but caused a large loss of capital, and : consequently the farmer has not now ; the stock he requires, and cannot farm : as he -wishes and as is necessary to make his efforts successful. Again, the burdens on the land in the shape of taxes of all descriptions are so Excessive as in some instances to equal the rental. Although it ia probable, there is no absolute assurance of a permanent and large reduction of rent, and still les3 of any effective reduction in the charges on the land. The farmers therefore are casting their eyes towards new countries, where, besides being proprietors/ instead of tenants, the capital remaining to them will be sufficient for a virgin soil. The fact that discontent is wide spread is proved by the formulation, both in England and Scotland, of proposals for the alteration of the land laws which hare the approval of tens of thousands of them. The landlords have been so exacting that the patience of the tenants has been worn out, and they are disinclined to accept inadequate concessions. Furthermore, the Irish Land Bill has excited expectations which are not destined to be realised.

The British farmer is therefore bent on seeking " fresh "woods and pastures now," and his decision 'will be influenced not by one, but by many considerations; It may be conceded that New Zealand does not offer him all the temptations to be found in other countries, because the present condition of his purse renders it necessary that he should husband his resources, and thus he wants cheap land, and access to it at small cost. For these reasons the United States and Canada have a great advantage; but the fact of the preference given by the party of Messrs. Grant and Foster to this colony proves that if we are on the alert we may secure no inconsiderable number of those who have determined to make a fresh start in a new land. But they will not be secured without effort. In Manitoba and Dakota the land is ready for the plough, the soil is excellent, the yield of cereals large, the climate favourable, and the land cheap. In Manitoba any head of a family, and any male of the age of 18, obtains IGO acres on the payment of ten dollars with the condition of partial cultiva-, tion during three years, and the erection of a dwelling 18 feet by 16 feet. He may be absent sir months out of the year, or altogether if his family fulfil the conditions He can pre-empt another 160 acres by a payment of from £36 to -£81 by instalments extending over six years, and may obtain a further 160 acres for 10 dollars if he plant a portion of the land with trees. In Dakota a head of a family or a male of the age of 21 can obtain 160 acres on payment of 20 dollars with conditions somewhat similar to "chose referring to Canada, and can obtain 320 acres additional in much the; same way. Thus his land is virtually given to him, and the cost of transferring his household gods from England to the United States or Canada is small. It will be seen, therefore, that notwithstanding that climate and the yield of crops are in favour of this colony, the price of land, and the cost of reaching New Zealand, place a heavy weight in the other scale. Then again the "Yfestern Railways of the States are large landowners. They sell at from 2 to 10 dollars an acre, and frequently make a rebate of 25 per ceut. on land cultivated within two years. As regards Government lands, any adult male or female may secure 160 acres for a few dollars, after residing five years. A hard working man succeeds by, at intervals, working for others at a dollar and a half or two dollars a day. What we hare said will show how formidable are our rivals, and why, if we mean that the difficulty of the British farmer should be New Zealand's opportunity, we must put our best leg forward. Our rivals are not content with the terms they offer, they are making the most strenuous efforts to give them publicity. The Dominion Government has given the widest circulation to a pamphlet, "What farmers say of their personal experience in the Canadian North-West. 1 ' It contains the opinions, names, and addresses of 152 farmers. It speaks in terms of unqualified praise of Manitoba, and it will be understood how prodigious is the effect. As regards Dakota, the Land Commissioner of the Northern Pacific Railway Company has adopted a similar course. Under these circumstances, with these splendid territories favourable, and these efforts being made, is there not ground for complaint if our Government has been doing, what we fear is true, absolutely nothing. Should not the great difference in the price of land in the United States and Canada and in this colony have received its serious consideration? Should it not hare carefully weighed whether there was any means of overcoming or greatly reducing the difference in the cost of passage to America and this colony 1 Should it not have published in pamphlet form, or in the columns of some of the English papers having the widest circulation, the experience of some of the farmers of this colony 1 The visit of Messrs. Grant and Foster gave an incentive to exertion, the

: res^ ) wa ! stimulative 0 ® •and if, notwithstanding, notWi' ,say that the Government i a o pe n !° the charge of culpable ne-lect J 5 •present is the tide in the affairs off* .colony, and to allow it to ebb withl ? takmg advantage of it would b P , supreme folly an d infinitely discmi* able to those who, when well-direr^ 1 ! energy was requisite, were found tr.t! Ministerial Rip Van Winkles.

. A cablegram, in another column, anno,,* the death of Mr. George Edmund ? the eminent architect, at the age of y~ was born at Woodford, Essex, Tn 1304 edueatedat the Collegiate School, Camh M ' well, studied architecture for three v under Mr. Owen Carter, at Winchester • for five years nnder Mr. G. G S \ Ett whom he quitted about ISSO ; and hi* been engaged in various works on h;- SIDCe account. Mr. Street has written num essays and lectures upon architecture was a Fellow of various English amir tinental societies. A meeting of the Board of Gorernnr= ■ the College and Grammar School Tra/h u yesterday. A letter was received c iJ F. D. Bell, the Agent-General n r 'T Sir the effect that the new head-mast"r ' ta his way to thecolony. His name is •' Bo" °5 not Broome" as announced in the r ,w grams. He wa3 a master in "U, , e " Grammar School, and chosen out selected candidates. He will arr ;° 1 ? ,ne about the middle of January. new boarding-house were receiW t important discussion arose on th„ of water supply to the GnZ" perty m Parnell. A report of th»* \? ro " appears in another column. P ro = e^m £3

The Telegraph Department are at nr. busy erecting the necessarv P sett 3rr,a^£s",;sfez of the city. It is exposed n t ,:r t U h, Parta system will be in full working o >l r T Christmas or the New Year. \U;L t hy work is being carried out it is as W *U tW it should be made complete at once a-t i so at a later period. It will be to connect tne guard-house at the ce nlsi Police-station by telephone with th ei -V e Brigade Station, so that the ,ir might be apprized of a fire alarm hiri™ been given, and the block of the cih ' g which the alarm has come. the body of the police do not sleep in the •',? rl house premises, it would be iiecessar? the guard-house be connected with tb sleeping quarters by telephone, so a useless waste of time need Mt 'S incurred making inquiries as to the W-';< of the fire. The same reasons eouli' te pleaded for each of the police stations in the suburban districts being telephoniealk con. nected with the central station The em<would be but trifling. The poles are airovlv erected to carry the wires, the cost of'th, wire would be small, and the addition-,! instruments of such an extension as we propose would be more than compensated by the additional efficiency which would be given to the police force. Of course telegrams could be sent, but that plan entail* i greater loss of time, which in the ca=e of a robbery, as in the case of a fire, defeats the object sought, prompt action on a report of enme being made to the police. It is the duty of the Government to make the police tor which the country pay, as efficient 3 possible, and it is ridiculous to expect tke best of work unless the appliances wh'oli science and art provide are placed at their disposal. There is less excuse for neglectin" tins in Auckland tlian in places where it would cost a good deal of money to place such appliances at the disposal of the police « ithin a few feet of the sleeping quarter* oi tue police a pole for carrying telephonic and other wires is erected, and one of the electrical alarms will be creoted alongside this pole; there is, therefore, no excus°e for not carrying out the suggestion of having the various suburban police stations in telephonic communication with the central police station, and thus in similar communication with the Fire Brigade station. The cost would be trifling, and the advantage to the public immense.

Mr. W. A. Murray, the late member for Bruce, Otago, was a passenger by the Rotomahana yesterday. ~ Mr. Murray was a candidate at last election, but was defeated, the principal reason, no doubt, being that he has not had any connection with the district for some years, having resided at his farm at JSiako.

The new building to be erected for the Auckland Savings Bank will soon be begun. It was at one time intended that the re-moral should be made this week, but as the new building in Darby-street, to which the bank will be temporarily removed for twelve months, is not quite so far advanced as was expected, and as the annual balauciug is close at hand, it has been decided by the manager, Mr. Cameron, and the trustees, that the removal will not take place until after the New Ve.ir. The bank will open for business in the new place probably towards the middle of January. As there will not be a strong-room in the building temporarily occupied while the perinanant building is in course of erection, we learn that arrangements have been made that all the money in possession of the bank, books, deeds, and other documents of value, will be kept in the Bank of Australasia for the time being. The takings each day will also be deposited in the Bank of Australasia, and nothing of value will lie left any night in the temporary building. On Saturday evening, when the bank will be kept open at night for the benefit of depositors, the clerks will be accompanied by a constable or detective in conveying the money taken from Darbystreet to the Bank of Australasia, to guard against any undue interference with those who may desire to obtain a living by other than honest means. The temporary premises will be fairly commodious for the general public. The two shops nearest to the Thistle Hotel will be devoted to the accommodation of the public, and the third or westernmost shop will be used as a boaniroom.

The time for the railway employes picnic is coming round. As in former years, they do not expect to get their holiday until alter the general public have enjoyed the holidays usually allowed at the Christmas seasoned New Year. The event this season is iiiea for Saturday, the 21st of January, at Hum:3, as last year. There will be races and other sports, and it is to be hoped that the merchants and others will so arrange their business as to make no difficulty in giving the railway staff an opportunity of enjoying one day in tb* year free from care and responsibility, with their wives, children, and sweethearts. During tho four and a-half weeks which are between the present date and the day of this annual [festival it is to be hoped that tho«s in the habit of using the railway for carrying purposes will so adapt their business as to leave Saturday, the 21st January next, » free day. A little forethought is all that a required to accomplish this end.