SIR R. STOUT ON THE LAND QUESTION.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 942, 21 March 1890, Page 14

SIR R. STOUT ON THE LAND QUESTION.

o (PER PRESS ASSOCIATION.) Oamaru, March 19. Sir Bobert Stout, who is here attending the sittings of the Supreme Court, delivered, by special request, a speech on the land question in the public hall to-night. In the course of his address he instituted comparisons between the land legislation of his own Government and that of the present Ministry. He maintained that while under his Government a tendency of the legislation was to obstruct the formation of large estates and promote such settlement as Bitates persons residing on the land on conditions favourable to the settler and to the principle of State ownership, the land legislation of the present Ministry had quite the opposite tendency. In proof of this he instanced the alterations which had been made in the small grazing ruus’ system, and the facilities placed in the way of cash purchases ; also the various cases doing away with the necessity of personal residence, and settling for cash second class land which, under the Stout-Vogel-Ballance regime, would have been reserved for settlement. He also spoke strongly against the Native land legislation of the present Government. Legalising freetrada in Native land was, he argued, like legalising freetrade in anything between children and adults, who would inevitably make it their business to take every possible advantage of the children. Being opposed to the well-being of the Maoris, the legislation in question would certainly- be bad for the Colony, for it placed no limit upon the areas which might be acquired by individuals, companies, or syndicates, and this would encourage the growth of that big estate system which had been the curse of so many other parts of the Colony. As to the land grants to the Midlaud Railway, .Sir E. Stout said that whereas his Government had told the Company it must take its grant in alternate blocks along tho line, Sir H. Atkinson had, in effect, given the Company the right to select land throughout the greater part of Canterbury. He advised the people to insist on a revival,, of the, present policy to the .. utmost of their ability, and toldthem not to let themselves be led away at the next elections by such catch cries as the Bible.inschools, &o. t which he predicted would be raised for that very purpose of hoodwinking the country with regard to vilal points and issues of the land. There \yas a Iqrge attendance, ’ the Mayor being in th£ chair, and at the close of the address Sir R- Stout wa3 enthusiastically thanked by the audience, on the motion of the Rev Qc McGregor, seconded by Mr J. Church.