Occasional Notes.

Otago Witness, Issue 1583, 25 March 1882, Page 7

Occasional Notes.

By Coionus.

WASTE LAND SALES. .

I observe, at a lato meeting of tHe 'Land Board, Mr Connell is reported to have 'said, that 'those settlers who had taken up "land at £3 per acre were now in a very'hard position : they could not pay tho rent, and were' simply ruined.' I rather think there was considerable force in Mr fionnell's arguments forreliefrjj)eing granted to those settlers who took up'deferredpayment land at the price of £3 an acre. If I am not mistaken, it was through some error in the wording of the Act that the deferred-pay-ment land was "et at that price ; there appeared to be in the Act no cleailv expressed intdhtion of thd Legislature to fix the price at £3, and it seems not absolutely beyond a doabt. whether there was any legal authority under, the Act to fix that price. Anyhow, it is now admitted the price was fixed too high ; in other Words, that in fixing that price a mistake was made» and I think Government is bound, in justice, to relieve people who are sulfering from 'the. consequences of the error. The case is altogether different from a private sale of land. Whatever price a private person sold hisland at, no purchaser would think for a moment of asking for an abatement of his purchase-money because the owner of the land sold the same class of land to other people at a cheaper rate. The Crown land is, in fact,.ithe land of the people, and the people should be allowed to purchase the land on equal terms, or at loast thero should appear some good reason for making a variation in the price charged. The same class of land should -not, within a very brief period, be sold at very different prices. It is very true that there is not such a strong case for relief for purchasers who have to pay £3 per acre, as for those who have purchased at £7, £8, or £10 per acre ; but in both cases there seem to bo grounds for relief. As regards public policy, apart from individual interests, it is extremely desirable Government should do everything it possibly can within- the limits of what is reasonable, to accommodate, bonafide settlers, so as to forward the settlement of the country. If it is clear that purchasers bought from Government on fair and reasonable terms, it would not be well when the land has been sold to annul or alter the stipulations of sale, and purchasers should be bound to strictly observe the conditions of sale. It is idle work making laws only for them to be broken. I think, however, where, the purchasers are able to offer any reasons for relief at all plausible, it would be well to favourably consider the same, and grant rolief i£ there be any reasonable excuse for doing so. The sottlement of tho country is of such groat importance, that bona fide settlers should bo treated as liberally and indulgently as ciicumstanceß will admit of ; and I think the Board should | not be backward to seize upon any at all plausible pretext, to grant or advise Government to grant relief. It is most desirable that no industrious bonafide settler should bo ousted from his holding, and turned adrift, if tho slightest excuse can be reasonably discovered for avoiding such a painful, and in the interests of settlement, injurious course.

1 was glad to see that veteran politician, Captain M'Kenzie, had at last secured a seat in tho 1 [oubo of Representatives. _ Ho has been waiting a considerable time for his innings. I think tho Captain has ihe welfare of tho people at heart. A while since, in a letter to the Witness, Captain Mackenzie strongly urged tho advisability of setting apart land as commonage. It is my own impression that the making reserves as commons here and there in ccrtaiti localities would bo of great service to. the country in tho way of encouraging settlement, and tho populating of our outlying districts. As our early settlers well know, it was a source of great help to them to be able to. run cattle on the unsold hundreds. To miners; especially, a class of men it is desirable to help, as far as practicable, commonages, it appears,, would be of great benefit. _ It is much tw be-, hoped Government will see its way to s'cijuring; to the residents at Waipori the privilege of. running cattle on the land referred to. in. theirpetition to the Land Board, and giwing them, the commonage they ask for. Thp endeavourshould be made to foster and espQur,age settlement on the land by every pcaQtjcable expedient. The highly beneficial results of closely? following such a policy wiUi coon. beoomQ: apparent,