LAND FOR SETTLEMENT.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VIII, Issue 1368, 9 July 1881, Page 2

LAND FOR SETTLEMENT.

(To the Editor of the Hkkald.)

Sir, — I read with much interest the report of the proceedings of the meeting on last Saturday night re. Homestead settlements, and was surprised at the confession which Mr. D. McKay had to make about Whakaongaonga, after leading the County Council to believe previous to making application for a block that he knew all about it, and that it was well adapted for settlement I should think before the Council applied for a block, their first step should have been to send a committee of practical men to look through the whole of the several blocks in the hands of the Waste Lands Board, and make their selection first. So muoh for the wisdom of County Councillors in starting at the wrong end, aa in everything else. Now, Mr. Editor, it is well known that the Government have had good land, obtained by confiscation, viz : Ormond and Patutahi. These blocks have been sold. The rest of the land acquired in this district by purchase through their agents is nothing more or less than the refuse. All the good lind has passed into the speculators' hands, and are occupied as sheep runs or held for speculative purposes, for sale at 1000 per cent, profit To prove my statement let any man of judgment go up Waimata, where one of the speakers said there was a good block, 12 miles from Gisborne. It would cost more to make a road to either of the Waimata blocks than what they are worth. You could not find 20 acres of flat land on any of the four Waimata Blocks. I have been over all of them— the land being mostly all perpendicular cliffs covered with a lot of useless scrub. And this is to be found only where it is not too steep for the vegetation to take root Paritu is another block which is not worth one shilling per acre, and Wharekopae ditto. In fact the Natives made a brag to me that Wharekopae was half a very rough mountain and the other half good land, and that they sold the bad half became it was no good to them. As for the

Waihau, I have not been thore, but from all I have heard I feel convinced it ia the best block tho Waste Lands Board have at their disposal in this district. Snch are the melancholy facts.

There were good blocks for settlement, but they are gone. I will mention a few, Paremata, Whangara, Maraetaha, To Arai, Nos. 1 2, Repongaere, Pukepapa, Rttngatira, Karaka, Okahuitia, and Tokomaru. But to put families on the class of land now held by the Board, will simply put another burden on our backs, for I am sure they will not be able to live thereon. We shall hive to bring them away or send them help before they have been settled on the blocks twelve months.*— l am, Ac.,

JOBIAH TUTCHEN,