The Rents of Small Grazing Runs. TO THE EDITOR.

Otago Witness, Issue 2310, 9 June 1898, Page 16

The Rents of Small Grazing Runs. TO THE EDITOR.

Sib, — Country settlers, like most other people are oeklom without a grievance of soma land — real or imaginary. There is no doubt til or o are a number of pastoral Crown ten an fca whose grievance at the present timo i« very real. With low prices for vroo' and store elicep a drug in the market, some are pay ing a third) and others twice as much for their land aa ifc in worth. Li the Fair Rent Bill we heard so much about a, short time ago had passed it no doubt would have been a blessing for ".many, but ifc would not have met the requirements of all. Some ,of the holdings, where the land is purely pastoral are so -small that if one held one of thorn free of rent and rates there is scarcely a living to be got out of it. This applies to a number of small grazing runs. .There are a number, 'of thtMo that are only capable of carrying from 300 >o 400 sheep. ft takes very little ' praetieaJ knowledge to know what the profit of three o • four hundred tussock-fed sheep amounts to— scarcely enough foi a Chinaman to live en, and certainly not sufficient to rear a family on; and, to say the least of it, it looks bad for a runholder to be going about the country looking for a day's work, especially when there are so many without land going about looking for work which they are unable to sret. As

Parliament shortly meets for the despatch of business I would suggest that we should unitedly take steps to bring our grievance before the Hon. John M'Kenzie, the Minister for Lands, when I have no doubt the matter will receive due consideration. — I am, &c, May 31. A Real Gbievance.