THE CONSERVATION OF PASTORAL LANDS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 15300, 14 November 1911, Page 8

THE CONSERVATION OF PASTORAL LANDS.

• Silt, —Your • correspondent • " Son of the Tussocks" cmi scarcoy liavo read my |ott«r carefully, or'-eko ho law singularly tailed to grasp ils purport vrhen ho writes that I' " would like to make it still moro diflicuh fliin it' lias. been to snbdivido for clpser settlement tho pastoral lands of Now Zealand." The three main foatwx's of my letter were: Continuity, of tenure, right of resumption by tho Crown at tho end ol each term, and subdivision when desirable. I have not suggested that, "lands ehould bo.locked up in largo pastoral areas.'' Nothing is further from my intention, except only in the case of vary hijjh country which can only bo worked in large areas, and even -innuoh cases there would always bo the right of resumption. Indeed, I am a profound believer in the advantages of closer settlement, and think that every )un-M lis lease expires should, if suitable, be subdivided into small grazing rims. .1 " Son of the Tussocks" has boon good enough to designate a good deal of what I said about the insecurity of the pastoral tenure a- "nonsense," but hq has failed to justify tho assertion by pointing out where I am wrong. In my letter I pointed out that our pastoral lands are a big national asset which las l»ou grievously do'prociatod in tho past through mismanagement, and that, in my opinion, tho onlyway now to recuporato it Is so to leaso it that it will bo to the personal interest of ita tenants toi nurse and improve it, and I am sure that "Son of the Tustocks" will agreo with mo that the way to do that is to subdivide it into suitable oTcas, largo enough to admit of "spoiling," with continuity of tenure, and revaluation every 21 years and right of resumption. I am pleased to note 1 that although my critio commenced his letter in a spirit of opposition, beioro lie finished it he had come over to my way of thinking, as evidenced by his statement that "there is only ono Way that tho denuded country can bo dealt with to the public advantage, and that is by dividing it into suitablo-eized areas and imlucni!; permanent settlors to attempt to rograsj it," with which I cordially agree. Tiie concluding paragraph of my critic's letter being quite irrelevant-, I pafs it over. —I am, etc., t G. A. R. Novomber 9.