THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 1887.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIV, Issue 7898, 17 March 1887, Page 4

THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 1887.

By far the most important scheme undertaken by the present Government during its term of office has been the establishment of village settlements throughout the various districts, and the locating thereby of settlers on some of this colony's unoccupied land. The tendency now-a-days, as we have many times pointed out, is to overcrowd the centres of population and leave the country districts but sparsely settled, and so create a manufacturing class entirely out of proportion to the number of those engaged in tilling the soil. This undesirable state of things is assuming serious dimensions in the United Kingdom, and beginning in some degree to make its unhappy influence felt in most other countries. Evan a colony so recently opened up as New Zealand is not beyond suffering from its effects, as may be easily verified by a comparison between its town and country populations. Anyone who takes the trouble to enquire into the matter cannot but be impressed by the fact that whereas most of our cities are extending their suburbs in all directions, and adding rapidly to the number of those living within their limits, country settlement has by no means made such vigorous progress as the resources and attractions of the colony would warrant. That this is a matter for profound regret few, if any, will deny, and hence it is that any schema which seems likely to alter the present tendency of crowding the cities and depopulating the rural districts should be anxiously examined and eagerly welcomed. Mr. Ballance's village settlement scheme, providing, as it assumes to do, remedy for this evil, should Ihierefore meet with the hearty approval of all classes ; and, if successful, it sl'hould help to solve one of our most perplexing social problems, viz., what to do with the unemployed. It is not f.,0 be supposed, however, that the success i of this scheme is at all assured, because sufficient time has not yet elapsed (o bring forth results on which to base satisfactory conclusions. The various i blocks already taken up have but recently received their settlers, and th e settlements themselves are only beginning to shake down into working order. Those who have brought with them a little capital may have a portion of tl lis yet in their possession, and Government work in many places still continues to en-, courage progress. Under these ci cumstances it would therefore be premature to hazard an opinion, though by no means premature) to examine a few of the conditions on which success must ultimately and onl;y depend.

In the first place the laud itself ought not only to bo good, but must comprise the very beat soil at

the disposal of the Government. Nothing short of this will do, and there is no reason why it should not be provided, seeing that so much unoccupied space is available in every portion of the colony. The further from a market land is situated the less valuable for agricultural purposes does it become; and if, when very far away, it fails to possess qualities of surpassing ' fertility, he would, indeed, be a courageous man who would seriously think of occupying it. New Zealand, for many years to come, can hardly hope to have a local market sufficient to absorb anything like her entire agricultural wealth, so that she is and will be depending exclusively on foreign outlets for disposing of her surplus produce. In other words, she will be in the > position of a country situated at a distance from a market, and, consequently, will require to utilise her very best land in order to successfully compete with other more favoured nations. Anyone possessed of even 1 small experience in farming must know how well-nigh, if not altogether, impossible it is to make both ends meet on a poor holding, even with an unencumbered title, and a little capital to begin operations. If this be so under favourable conditions, such as these, how hopeless will be the struggle for Mr. Ballance's settlers, if located on anything but. first-class land ! Even now there are not wanting people possessing experience in such matters who foretell the failure of some of these settlements, basing, as they do, their calculations on the comparatively poor quality of soil contained in the blocks set apart for the scheme's initial efforts. The next matter of importance is the selection of suitable settlers, and on this scarcely too great care can be expended. If much depends on the land itself much also depends on those who work it; and the error of imagining that anyone, no matter what his bringing up may have been, can become a successful farmer has been too often exposed to require any further experiment. It is to be feared that many of the present unemployed would prove signal failures as settlers, either from being unsuited for farming pursuits or failing to possess an aptitude for mastering the details essential to profitable farming. No doubt the number of applicants for each settlement ! largely exceeds the space to be settled, and hence Government, fancying that with land and men success must follow, may be tempted into hastily allowing itself to set apart poor blocks, and people these with unsuitable settlers. The cry of the unemployed is perplexing, and it seems an easy and simple way out of the difficulty to place these on small sections, providing them with only a little capital to make a start. But what has happened before will without doubt take place again, if more than ordinary care be not exercised in selecting those who are to test this laudable scheme. A lesson has been taught us in many of the old military settlements, where, so long as Government employment lasted, the occupants were willing to remain, but directly such employment was discontinued they began to find it impossible any longer to stay, and gradually deserted their holdings until out of a large community a mere remnant was left. No greater mistake could be made by Government than to imagine that this wholesale shooting of the unemployed on land will solve the problem of what to do with this section of the community; because in the event of their not succeeding as farmers, and no doubt many of them must fail, thoy will more loudly than ever demand Government aid and protection, seeing that, ae they will contend, it was at the instigation and by the wish of the powers iMiat be, they embarked on an unprofitable enterprise.