SETTLEMENT ON THE LAND.

Otago Witness, Issue 1501, 21 August 1880, Page 15

SETTLEMENT ON THE LAND.

Tne following letter appeared in Thursday's Daily Times;— Sir,— Herewith I send you a, Queensland newspaper, the Rockhampton Argus, kindly sent by a friend, which, I consider, is an appropriate confirmation of your leading article of Monday's issue, and which I hope you wall republish it in your summary and the Witness, for this reason : that unless, as you state, a better mode of disposing of land in New Zealand is adopted by the Government in reference to deferredpayment selectors at this crisis or juncture of New Zealand's financial and agricultural embarrassment, we will not only lose a portion of our settlers but also population -without capital, which we cannot afford to do with good management. I beg to call jour attention to the efforts of New South Wales in reference to the butter trade, referred to in this morning's issue of the Times, proving that speculation in land by foreign companies and others— that is, purely as a speculation, without utilisation of the land— is and will bpthe ruin of the State. I appeal to you if the languishing commerce of Bond street would not be trebled if the real utiliser of New Zealand land could dairy and farm on the same equality as New South Wales, Victoria, or the United States. The exorbitant price demanded by speculators for New Zealand land, in contrast with what they paid the Government, goes into foreign hands principally, and New Zealand interests are pauperised through it. The article is, I think, a good one, in which the writer warns Queensland to avoid our error. With the enormous advantage to Victoria and New South Wales by the Orient Company's steamers running every fortnight, I presume it is no exaggeration to say that unless encouragement is given to the actual settler, by making his prospects equal to those offered in these two Colonies in the fixed cost price of land by the Government, we must of a necessity fall behind by losing our population and their capital, which would be always in circulation in all the ramifications of necessaries and luxuries. Our climatic differences, especially, give us an advantage for farm and dairy produce, the value of which would be enormous in the European market. I trust that you will still urther this end by publishing what others think of us Queensland. — I am, &c., Colonist. August 17th. Following is an extract from the article in the Rockhampton Argus, alluded to above:— 11 We have always advocated the selling of alternate blocks, but we do not consider that from 100 to 640 acres would be sufficient here, because it is certain that no settler can do well at a distance from a large and increasing centre of population unless he combines grazing with agriculture. In a country which is subject to drought and floods, and where considerable capital would bo requisite in order to bring land to any extent under cultivation, small holdings would not only fail to give settlers a fair opportunity of success, but they would be absolutely ruinous. In fact, no man with the slightest experience would be mad enough to take up a small block of land at a distance from Rockhampton for the purpose of making a living out of it. Small holdings, we are convinced, retard prosperity, just upon the same principle as a general cutting up of large ones would destroy it altogether. We cannot agree with our correspondent when he says, conditions being residence and cultivation.' The selector is, in fact, a purchaser, with extended payments at the cost price, as much as is the person who lays clown the money at once ; therefore no conditions should be required from him save and except that ho wakca use of the laud-that is to say, he shall not allow

it to Ho idle. If he fail to meet his instalments, with reasonable latitude allowed him, he should forfeit the land ; forfeiture also following upon his failure to utilise his selection in some way or another. Looking 1 over the statistics of New Zealand, it is impossible not to conclude that the system adopted of selling immense blocks of the finest land to speculators and English companies has been disastrous. All the best land of the South Island, and part of the North, at 10s to 30s per acre, has fallen into their hands, the result being that little or no cultivation has taken place ; and the speculators or companies have demanded, and still demand, from £5 to £20 per acre, near to the railways constructed at tho public cost. The consequence is that those who were mad enough to buy at those pricos are ruined men." •"!■