THE New Zealand Times (PUBLISHED DAILY). THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1887.

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVIII, Issue 8006, 10 February 1887, Page 2

THE New Zealand Times (PUBLISHED DAILY).

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1887.

With which are incorporated the Wellington Independent, established IS4S, and the New Zealander.

A cobeespokdent of a Southern contemporary, signing himself “'A British Labourer,” points out some difficulties that, still stand in the way of Jand settlement by persons without capital, notwithstanding the Very liberal provisions made Under the system so ably and successfully administered by Mr Ballance. This “ British Labourer ” unbosoms himself as follows - The Government give you so much land and charge you rent for it. So far ao good ; that ia enough. They pay you £2 10a per acre for clearing and grassing, and charge you 5 per cent on what you earn by the sweat of your brow, besides what you expend for grass seed which goes to the land. This 5 per,cent is as perpetual as your lease. Next they advance you £2O to build a house—s per cent charged again, but that is fair enough. What I want to know is this :: How on earth Is a man with a wife and two or three children to commence this business without capital, or at least credit? Do any of our sapient M.H.R/s think for a moment that a man going to a strange place will get credit from a storekeeper for the necessaries of life for at least three months, for it will take him all that time to clear and build his house? Then there is the;timber for his houses and tools are needed.' Both must bebought ‘on tick * also. Even if a mar. builds a sod whare, he wants a spade, mortising a&e, auger, falling axe, wedges, maul* and tomahawk. These are, ot the very lowest cost £l, Then there are expenses of removing family, for women and childrencannot swag it. Sap*pose the land to be clear, he roust then fence it with wire at £lllos p'er ton. Who will give * tick’ for that? It is no use to crop without a fence.' There are two men whom! know—married, and with children-r-and with : ,wife and two children, who .would be very glad to take up sections. We can all clear bush, fence, and work land (following that occupation or anything else, when wo can get it), and are handy with tools, but we cannot raise even the 10s to pay for the lease, leave alone theother money' that is required. Certainly we have an axe each and a spade, but while the grass is growing the steed is starving. We-can scarcely rub along as it is where we are known. How should we do where we are not known ?

Ther questions put by “A. British Labourer ’’ must hare suggested themselves to many other men who would gladly enter upon the undertaking of:: land settlement if only these ' queries could be satisfactorily and authoritatively answered." Settling on. the virgin soil, however it may be facilitated by favourable terms, conditions and regulations,, does need a little ready money. , The only feasible suggestion seems to bo that if the intending settler has no money to begin: with, he must work for somebody else until he shall have saved a little. But this does not .meet . the case „of the “ unemployed,” whose primary difficulty ia, that', they cannot; fin'd work to do. Hero, then, is a/further problem for the Minister of Lands, with his enthusiasm and fertility of resource, to solve. . ; A still more important question with regard to the settler upon land may be expressed in the words of the title ,o£ one of Buhver’s novels, “ What will he do with it?” or, in other wordsj what can he grow profitably for the market? We havd asked this question on several previous occasions, without so far e'iciting an entirely-satisfactory answer. Xet it is one on which-the whole prospects of success necessarily turn. It is true that a settler may, by producing the greater part of what he needs for' domestic - consumption, reader his’ farm mainly self-supporting.; “Mainly ” 1 hut not- wholly. ■ For he and his family, if they do without, tea and sugar, , alcohol and tobacco,. will Still require clothing, boots,etc., which; unfortunately do not “ grow on trees ’’ in' this land , of ' pure delight,” as omelettes did in that other land of which the facetious poet wrote, and so they must be purchased. That involves the possession of money; and how is this to be procured save by sale of the produce of the farm 1 So when grain and wool and meat do not pay for growing it is not quite plain what the settler is to produce that will furnish money to defray the cost o£

: ciothiDg, etc;., aa well; aa to pay hia l rent, small though this latter be. The .great - thing, therefore, to be done toward furthering land settlement, the thing which would do a hundredfold more than any other step to encourage this desirable movement, is to show what can be practicably and profitably produced by a settler on hia land. Once this is made clear there will be little need to offer special inducements for land settlement. It has been the doubt upon this allimportant question that has hitherto retarded settlement, hot any difficulty in acquiring land-. "Various things have been suggested'. Beetroot for , sugar. -is recommended by the Colonial Trehslirer, but has not been KWSm to yet to any great extent; fids has been put forward as capable of. being produced with great profit; fruit is still largely imported '; poultry and eggs ttrp never too plentiful, and can be raised most advantageously on small comparatively near town ; the Chinese have shown us now easily and remuneratively vegetables also can be grown in the neighbour-: hoed of, our farming, on the co-operative principle, has proved a sltcceos. All these have possibilities which are fairly tested. Still they are mostly capable of being easily overdone, and then we are where we were. Something more is still wanted, and ho who can supply the heeded suggestion will he a public benefactor. Howards have been offered and paid before now of innnitely less momefit to fine interests of tho co&iitry.