LAND BOARD.

Otago Witness, Issue 1906, 21 August 1890, Page 19

LAND BOARD.

The weekly meeting of the Land Board held on Wednesday was attended by" Messrs J. P.Maltland (ohief commissioner), J. Duncan, J. W>; Thomson 'H. Clark, and W. Dallas. '' ' Sthlth-Taibri.— Mr J6h'n Nolan wrote offering ■topay jeso to (fettle hli cas'fe, as he .was' 'desirous of again cultivating bis' section' 13, block "W Strath-'Taieri.-Oonslderation adjourned. ' ' ' WABRiiwi.-i-The Reoefver' .of Land Be'venuere- I ported that the following deierred-payment licensees were largely in ,'arreari wira the' payment of their ; interest i-fThomas Eoughan, sectiod 8, block IX, , Waitahuna VTcsc ; John Jones', seotlon Iff, block IX, do. Neither of them bad availed tbemielves of the' 'Selectors' Lands' Be'valuation Act.— Lioensees to be ; requested to pay up arrears' within one month, otherwise the bttard' will 'forfeit' licenses Without further Notice. N ' • .. , Maniototo.— Mr John Berryman' and 13, other settlers in the Hamiltons distrlqt petitioned tbe board praying that the Hogburn township reseV^e in I blbok £1, Maniototo, be retained for village settle- ! m'ent. They' also protested against the application : of Mr Ho well to obtain a lease of tbe block on condi- ' tlon of keeping down the rabbits, such a right having been refused to others. -Petitioners to be in; 1 formed that only a temporary arrangement has been ' made with Mr Ho well as to occupying the reserve for ' depasturing purposes, on condition of destroying rab- ' bits thereon ; that suoh arrangement' may be deter1 mined by the board at any time the land Is required for any purpose. ' One hundred adrt's of the reserve 1 are now under order for survey into small sections. Mr W. D. Smith appeared for Mr Howell. , Laudbr. -Mr Thomas Keenan. lessee of Bun 226, Lauder, asked that an allowance be made to him in ' rent for land taken up on his run.- The warden at * Nateby wrote enumerating the areas takfen up under '■ occupation license certificates on the run, amounting to 243 acres in all.— lt was agreed that appli1 cant's pastoral license over the various areas for ; whiob occupation licenses bave been granted should !be revoked, the rent to be reduced by £2 12s 2d, being the reduction allowed by the act. ; Eanklkbubn.— Mr Thomas Chapman wrote asking to be allowed to take up about 1500 acres of land 1 on the Bankleburn Huudred on perpetual lease.— To stand over for a week. Book and Pillar.— Mr B. B. Martin, on behalf of Mr- Patrick Kinneyi asked the board to accept surrender of his perpetual lease sections 1 and 2, block XI, Book and Pillar, and to have the land reopened at 15s per aore subject to valuation, for improvements in his favour.— Surrender acoeptod, subject to Mr Kinney paying back rent from 31st July to 31st' December at an upset that may be fixed by the ranger. If Mr Kinney does not again take up the section, the said six months' rent to be deducted from the valuation. Threatened, Fobitbitfbbs, — The Beoelver of Laud Revenue intimated tbat the following perpetual lessees who bad received a mouth's notice to pay up arrears of rents due by them on or before the 16th inst. bad not yet done so: -James Croft, seotlon 5, block XVI, Blackstone; Buphemla ßrown, section 30, &0., block IV. Qimmerbum ; Lavinla Weir,- seotion 11, jilook IX, Maniototo; Alexander Purves, section 2, &c, block 11, Poolburn; Euphemia Brown, section 25, blook IV, Gimmerburn. Ihe amounts in arrear range from £6 to £24,— Lessees to be informed that if arrears are not paid within one month from date board will forfeit leases without further notice. Rumbling Burn.— Hanger M'Kenzie. in reporting on au application by Mr K. C. Heddibch for a timber license over 10 acres ou Bumbling Burn, vtest side of Luke Wanaka, one mile from the lake, recommended that the same be granted, -License granted for seven years over the atea applied for at £1 per aore, payable in 'advance, with license fee £1 Ib. Applications.— The following applications were approved :— For rural land on perpetual lease : William Mureott, section 13, blook XIII, Moerakl;' Daniel Ferry, sections 25 and 25, blook I, Upper Wakatipu. To capitalise : William Fisher, section 48, block 11, Blnckstoue. To complete purchase: Jat. Baird, seotlon 13, blook XII, Mount Hyde; William Fisher, section 48, blook 11, Blaokstone. Catherine Healey applied to transfer to Martha Shnrkey, section U, bU;ok II f, Gimmerburn.— To stand over fora fortnight for rauger's report. Thomas Fitzgibbon's application to purchase section 81, block VIII, Shotover, under agricultural lease, was recommended for the approval of the Governor. John Cuiniae applied for a prospecting license over about three miles of marsh in coast district, outside a mining district —Consideration deferred for a week. Taikbi Lak« Station.- Mr James Christie wrote on the subject of his application to be allowed to increase bis holding to 610 aores by having a section on Kun UOSA surveyed and notified when the run lease expires.— The Government having decided to open Bun 205 aia three small grazing runs, the board rpgrettfd thai; It could not comply with Mr Chrintie's request, ns by doirij; so the profitable occu-pafcio-i of the small grazing run adjoining Mr Christie's Jand would bo srriornlv interfered with. A seaman on board the B.s. Rotorua, named Daniel M'lnnes, wan admitted iufco the hospital ou Saturday afternoon suffering from slight internal injuries caused by beiug rushed on Thursday last by a bullock, which knocked him against the stanchions of the ship. He was attended to by Dr Copland, and is now making satisfactory progress towards recovery.

Th 6 Labour Question. 1 TO THE EDITOR. Sib,— l have not hitherto interfered in any way in the labour struggle that is now before us, and had onlookers like myself been as quiescent I do not know if I should have penned this letter. The struggle is,' however, the topic of conversation everywhere, and men are taking sides. Strange that when the London dock strike was on, all in the colonies favoured the dock labourers, and yet trade was paralysed and many injured. Now there are some who imagine' the Whitcombe and Tombs Company (Limited) is right, and should be supported. Indeed, I believe, but for the outside support the company has reoeived or been promised the trouble would bave been settled some weeks ago. 1 find that certain classes in the community as a rale favour tbe company. And many of those who favour the labour party seem to be rather shaky about their grounds. I propose to submit some reasons showing that the position of the labour party is quite defensible, On the threshold of this subject the perennial question of the limits of State interference meets one. To discuss suoh in all its phases needs a treatise. Some will agree with Humboldt's " Treatise on the Sphere and Duties of Government." whilst others will give their assent to the j newest political economy sketched in Montague's essays on " The Limits of Individual Liberty." It seema to me that in this colony we must accept the ideal of .the State tbat this latter author pourtrays. We find the present Ministry introducing so called labonr bills. These bills have been rushed through their second readings without opposition, and the most Tory newspapers in the colony have applauded the Government for introducing them. They are socialistic, or I might use the new term, " collectivist" measures. Assuming that the. principles laid down in them are right, the labour party ought not only to be supported in their struggle, but the Government should come to their assistance and force Whitcombe and ' Tombs Company (Limited) to yield to the ' moderate demands made on them. What do these labour bills say ? They proolaim the following ideas :— (1) The State must regulate the hours of labour.— (See section 59 Factories and Shops Bill.) (2) The State must regulate the mode of paying wages. — (See Truok Act!) (2) The State must make contracts for workmen, timber merchants, contractors, &c. — (See Lien Bill.) (4) The State must regulate tbe time when goods may be sold.— (See Factories and Shops Bills). (5) The State must regulate the kind of workrooms in which workmen may work.— (See Factories Bill.) ' (6) The State must regulate when women may work.— (See Factories Bill.) I oould quote other principles laid down in these labour bil's, but surely .these are enough' to show the extension of State functions that the jcolony, as a whole — I might say I without any (serious opposition — has' approved. There does not seem to be much 'of the j or thodos political economy left. But what of j the interference with this company ?, Let me 1 put a suppoßititious'case :— Suppose the company • : introduced a 1 coloured race bound io them for ' life, or for, say, a long term of years, their only j wages to be their food, raiment, and dwelling; should the State interfere? I apprehend^ the ' answer would be yes, else why have a Chinese tax and all the labour bills now before the House of Representatives? As a writer has said, " It is the interest of , society to, | increase the number of . persons fairly well to do," and to try to bring this about. The State | cannot, then, afford to allow any branch 'of business to be so managed as to lower the position of the persons employed in it physically, morally, or intel-. leotually. Now the question comes right here, will what the company i& doing injure the printers and other workers ' in like establish- 1 ments ? If it will, surely it is tbe boundeh duty 'of the State to interfere. Can ths State stand by and see one class of workmen degraded in order that one company may make Urge profits ? That 18 the question. Ido not say that what the company has done, or is doing, will do this ; tbat is a question to be settled. But if its action tends ' to do bo, society has a say in the question. The labour party assert' that' the action of the company will tend to degrade labourers. If the party is, .right, then everything done by it is justifiable. 1 Ob, but it is said, You may interfere by moral ; suasion or personal abstention of working or pur- ' chasing, but you have' do right to revert tJo the 1 universal boycott. So far as I understand the I position, the labour party did not propose to resOrt to the universal boycott. The party asked | that the railways and 1 he steam companies should not carry the company's gob'ds. Well, was tl/at unreasonable ? What in effect did, it mean P It meant this, that tbe labourers who are employed in railways and vessels should not handle their goods — that is, should not work for the Whitcombe and Tombs Company, Limited. Why should they not have the right to refuse to work for a oompany ? It was the Railway department who eaid, If you dare refuse to handle the company's goods we will punish you. So that, what in effect was done was this, the Railway department joined its forces with Whitcombe nnd Tombs Company against labour, threatening to discharge the labourers who did not work 'or the company. It was not the labour party that wished to paralyse trade, but the Railway Commissioners. And here comes in this question, What right has the State to force labourers to work for a company that may degrade labbur and labourers ? In it right to use the power of the Statti — the monopoly held by the State— in such a way ? 1 In fact, the whole power of the State is to be ; brought to fight against the labour party. If 1 that had been done in the docks strike in London the dock labourers would never have succeeded. There is no need of any' trade being' 1 disturbed, far less paralysed, if only the Government Railway department and the Union Steam Ship Oompany will simply say, We deolrae .to coerce labourers to work for you (tbe Whitcombe and Tombs Company, Limited). If an injury is done the labour party is not to blame. It is further urged, But has not a manufacturer the right to do as he chooses ? 'Is individual liberty to be invaded ? A reference to the labour bills is sufficient to answer such queries. The whole question is this : Individual liberty must be subservient to the wellbeing of tbe State, and as we recognise labour must be controlled, the only questipn left is, Has this oompany acted fairly to their employes ? Aud will their action affect the whole manufacturing business in which they are engaged? Surely tbeso are questions that either the Government could settle through experte or might be decided by impartial arbitrators. The Whitcombe and Tomba Company has tbe right to open its shops, &c, as it pleases, but has it tbe right to force the labour party to handle ita goods? That is the point. The labour party does not propose to interfere with those who choose to work for them, but none of the union men will work for them. That is their platform, aud it is the Railway Commissioners and the Union Steam Ship Company (Limited) who sky, Your union men shall work for Whit-

J combe and Tombs Company (Limited). Who ' then 1 are the' tytahts ? ' Sorely the corporations who force unwilling men to work for a company. Bat must not the railways and the steamships carry their goods? The law, it is urged, says bo, I am not going to argue legal questions at present, but I say if the law says bo, the law can be altered and the Estimates and labour bills may alike be. postponed till the' law is altered. A Government that introduces such socialistic measures as the labour bills should flee that the whole maohinery of government is not used to oppress the labour party. I believe in freedom and in liberty, but I also recognise that the State has an important part to play in the future development of the race. Too long hare all Governments been on the side of wealth. Let them give labour freedom and liberty, and not force it to work for anyone. Eliminate this element of force, and the struggle now ou would ba settled in favour of tbe labour party in a few hours, — I »m t &c, August 15. Robbrt Stout. Tawa Batter Kegs* TO THK BDITOB. Sib,— With reference to the annual report of the Peninsula Butter Packing Com|pany, we would point out that we have : becn manufacturing perfectly tight butter , firkins for years, and when we sent ' them a sample of the tawa kegs we are now ; making we guaranteed them thoroughly tight 1 , 1 and we are sure the company will alter their 'verdict after using our kegs. j Their report mentioned that (bey had not yet made a trial of the* sample. With a perfectly { tight keg made of thoroughly kiln-dried tawa— & timber quite free from any taint — one element 'in .the successful exportation of batter is asisured,—We are, &c, Thomson, Bbidsbb, and Co. Dunedin, August 15. Land for Settlement, TO THB BDITOB. Sib,— l am requested by those signing the enclosed memorials to the Minister of Lands, to | ask you to give them space in Daily Times and Witness, and to inform the runholders that they can obtain a copy of thenames attached' by applying to me, which will save them the trouble and expense of getting them from Wellington, as they did with the memorial re rabbits, and I would suggest tbat it's very bad taste, to say the least of it, their aofcion in this matter— that is by going round to those who signed the memorial, finding fault with them for so doing and vowing vengeance for the future.— l am, &0., ! Ophir, August 11. John Comb Chapptjs. |To the Honourable the Minister of Lands, Welling- ! ton, New Zetland. I The memorial of the undersigned st tiers and others ; humbly sboweth— ■' 1. Tbat in this dlstrlot (Blaoks) there is not a 'secclon of land.ppenf «r, settlement,, neither is there i any for a distance of 40 miles. ) 2. That, there; are a number of persons 'seeking for I land to settle on, arid nave been driven to tho necessity of applying under "sebMon 60 of the Mines Aot [for 60 aores each; and. in every instance the runholder has entered objections to the .effect that it would Interfere with the working of their rnns, and the warden has refuted to grant the; applications. „ 3. In Jujy 1886 k memorial was pr&toted id you praying that runs Vo. 323/ 9381) astir 423ti should be thrown open for. settlement under the Small runs ' sections of the Land Act. ■ ' 4, That you caused .the said runs to be inspected ; by members of the Waste Land Board, who reported, that run 323 be out up into three' ra is and offered under the small rtins section's of tfle Land Aot (which' was not done, but repealed to tee' runholder), and that Jf o. 2334 and 333s be re-leased for the present ; ■and that No, 223k was, good agrioultura,l land and. ! would shortly ,be required for, settlement. i 6. That ttie time' has arrived 'when it is 'urgently required for settlement. 'In fact all settlement m this district is at a standstill for the want of land to' seleot, neither is there any land in the market under any part of the Laud Act for a distnnoe of 40 miles. Your memorialists therefore pray that you"wHl take t^is our memorial into your serious considera-, tion and at once cause run No. 323 dto be surveyed and thrown open for settlement; And your memorialists, as in duty bound, will ever pray, Ac , 4o -«■ ■