BALLOT v. TENDER.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXIV, Issue 9592, 26 July 1907, Page 1

BALLOT v. TENDER.

To the Kditor. Sir.—lt is to be hoped that all who wish to see iand settlement a success will (yourself included) protest auainst the reintroduction of the perniehu- teudc- system. An object lesson as to its etLct; wis to be seen in .the lettinu of the Kurow sections, about 1877, which were thrown open uixlei that system. With what result? Let the records be tuive-1 up, and ]>erhap.s the Minister of Lands' eyes may be opened-. The land was mostly tendered for at a sum far exceeding its value, and' the result was that in a few yeirs. or less, a petition was L:rwa.rd'-d to the Minister of Lane's and the sections were reduced to the upset, and even below it. I contend, sir. that this was very unlair to the settler who tendered for it at a fair price, but was knocked out by a sneeulator or one who did not la:,™the value of the land. The same thiiii happened under the auction system, and the State, instead of being a gainer under tile system, was much wor=c off than if t'-e hind had. been taken up at the upset. The late Sir J. M'Kenzie and th<> Hon. T.. Y. Duncan LotJi looked carefully into the various systems, and finally adopted the ballot as be hit: the fairest and be.t way of disposing of the land, both as regards the State and the settler: and Mr M-X.tb hat a lot to learn before lie can improve on their methods. In fact, the urn-era! opinion of most of these who would Mike to see the land settlement a sncLC s is that the present Government are making a mess of the crand work ac-compli-hett by their predecessors, especially bv the practical abandonment of the leasehold system and the adoption of toe tender instead of the present plan -of the balidt.— I am. etc.. SET.TLKIt. July 25. 1907.