CATLINS RIVER SETTLERS: WHO ARE THEY?

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13693, 8 September 1906, Page 7

CATLINS RIVER SETTLERS: WHO ARE THEY?

to m xditox. \ Sir,—lt is lie ginning to dawn on me that: the people of Hawea Plat and Pembroke might he successful in their endeavour to ■ got the Government, to complcto the Otago Central railway up to Newcastle wore they to offer some inducement to a land speculator to make a ( raid on the district, such land speculator to be an M.H.R. for preference. It appears to me, from what I can learn, that, tho Catlin's llivcr settlers havo adopted this plan to get their linepushed on to a finish, and have been suocessful at anyrate, so far as enlisting the service,* in their cause of at least one at our Otago members of Parliament, who, in' addition to being one of tho people's law-makers, is also a gambler in tho people's lands. This iM.H.R., who is apparently anxious that tho Catlin's River railway should bo completed as soon as possible, a few years ago 'bought a block of 15,000 acres at unsurvcyed valuo in tho Rimu district, and sinco buying it ho lias resold at a profit of, about £1 12s per aoro. Subsequently tho samo advocate of tho Catlin's Kiver_ lino bought two large blocks of land in tho same district, which ho stilt holds for speculative purposes. Of course wo small fry can take no legitimate objee. tions to a land speculator dealing in ' biff "locks of land ivliilo our land law 3 as at present, afford no remedy—that is to say.

no means of preventing this trafficking iit the birthright of tho people; nor, indeed, do our laws give us any power, for that matter, to prevent, any person from buying up snail quarter-acre township sections, or. in fact, "buying up .the whole of surveyed townships. Consequently, taking advantage of tho slipshodness of our land laws in this respect, tho M.H.lt. alluded to, or his agent, came down a few days back like a' wolf on tho fold, and bought up 17 sections' fronting tho river and sea—henco the pick of tlio building sites—in the township of Papatowai. No doubt my honourablo friend intends to hold these sections till such time' as tho completion of the railway will in- : crease their value tenfold. No wonder, then, that the Gatlin's River Railway League can rely on this honourablo member'! wholo-hearted support, and the settlers feel confident' that in a short timo. the' iron

horses will be puffing along by their front ' doors. But here the question arises, who are tJio settlers?. If they each hold as muoh land as my friend tho JLH.R., hold 'it fop the samo purpose, and reside some 60 or 70 miles distant from their holdings, it; strikes the-writer very forcibly: that it will lie somo timo before tho iron horse will run his. bearings hot transporting Catlin's ' River farm products into Dunedin.—l am, ; o'c., Steve Boreuau,-, September 5. .