Mr J. Lundon's Village Settle ment Scheme.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 160, 10 July 1886, Page 7

Mr J. Lundon's Village Settle ment Scheme.

Auckland, July 6. -A public meeting, convened by Mr J. Lundon, for the purpose of discussing the question ef "special settlement for the north of Auckland under the special settlement olauees of the Land Act, 1885," took place last night in the Albert-street Temperance Hall, and was largely attended, the (building being quite full. On the motion of Mr Thos. Flaherty, seconded by Mr Barnsley, Mr J Grant (Presidentof the Trades andLabour Council) was voted to the chair. The Chairman then formally opened the meeting. He said he had promised to advocate the village settlement echeme from a fixed belief that the salvation of the country depended upon the settlement of the waste lands. He had much pleasure in calling on Mr Lundon to explain his scheme. „Mr Lundon said he had not come to make a speech, but to talk facts. The Minister of Lands was a personal friend ot hie, and when he was here three months ago there was a ecarcity of work, and great prevalent distress. Mr Ballance asked him if the times were exceptionally severe, and he (Mr Lundon) replied that during a residence of 43 years in this part of tbe colony it was the third time of extreme severity that he had known. In answer to Mr Ballance's in quiry ho w he could account for it, he further stated that it was owing in'some measure to the bushes getting into the bands of monopolists, and also in measure to the supply of gum giving out, and the diggers being rendered more dependent upon the storekeepers. Mr Ballance then asked him if he c juld suggest how remedial measures might be applied. He had answered that there were two remedies which might be effective. One was to utilise a land scheme which had prevailed in Otago whereby alternating sections of land were offered to settlers r f little or no means, for whom the Government found employment on public works. The Provincial Homestead system, which had been tried tn Auckland, contained as its leading principle the offering of a portion of land for each and another part free, but it was chiefly applied to the North, where the land 'was patchy. He suggested to Mr Kallance that a block of land accessible by water, and with facilities for Government employment, should be set apart for free settlement Mr Ballance accepted the suggestion, and asked him to indicate such a block. He thereupon pointed out a block called Motukaraka, contiguous to Herd's Point. Although designed aa a special settlemeut for English settlers to be brought out by Mr Yearbury, of Hokiauga, it had been allotted for this purpose. The Government had also given the promise to take unlimited sleepers from the settlers at 4s each at any railway. Another block that he had secured was also situated in the Hokianga County, at the head of the Taheke River. It consisted of 1,400 acres, 1,000 of which had been set apart as an endowment for the Borough of Onehunga, but had baen rejected by it. There was no timber upon it, only a light «crub, so that it was ready for working. In Waikato, only one crop could be raised in a year, but in this favoured district up North three, or four, or five cops could be raised every year. (Laughter.) The speaker went on to recount the efforts which he had made while in Parliament, and acting as a member of the Young New Zealand party, to induce the Government of the day to take up the scheme which he was now expounding. He then went on to say that Mr Ballance was very anxious for success of the scheme, and that he was deeirous of pushing on his system of perpetual leasing. It was at Mr Lundon's suggestion that he had taken up the advocacy of the scheme, but he was in no wise bound to the Government. Still they had directed their officers to assist him, and if anyone could indicate better blocks of land he would 'take a surveyor up with him, and secure it. Agriculture carried on by paid labour would not pay in the North, but nothing could keep back from prosper ity small settlers utilising their own labour and exerting themselves with vigour. He advised young men to go North with their labour and found homes, instead of waiting for labour to send for them. Hokianga County was the most suitable field up North for settlement. Bay of Islands County was almost monopolised by the missionaries and the Maoris, and while the missionaries did little work, the Maoris did still less. (Laughter). The shoies abounded with pipis and mullets, and cray fish, while the rivers were so full of fish that they literally jumped into passing boatß. People elsewhere had laughed at this statement, but it was true. After a lengthy dissertation upon his experiences in the growth of potatoes up North, Mr Lundon passed on to say that if the bottom fell out of the Bank of New Zealand, Otago and Canterbury and the Waikato country would be ruined ; but not a man up North would be injured by it. In the South, the lands and the wool on the Bheeps* backs were mortgaged to the Bank ; but not so up North, where the settlers were independent. He challenged contradiction to this statement. The conditions upon which tbe land was offered was Is an acre per annum on 20 acres for a 30 years' lease, the Government contributing £20 towards the erection of the house, £2 per acre for the removal of scrub, and 10s per acre for the planting of seed. For these contributions the Government held the settler indebted, charginghim at the rate of sper cent , payable half-yearly, commencing after the nrat six months. He had almost forgotten to mention that he had a third block to offer at the head of the Victoria Valley. It had originally been reserved for the purposes of a model farm, and there was 20ft of mould there. There was an extent of 28 miles of Government land in that locality without a single soul living unon it. At Mr Lundon's request, Mr Kensington (chief draftsman in the Crown Lands Office) explained the merits and pointed out upon the map the positions of four blocks which the Government had set apart for village settlement purposes One block was in Hokianga County, and had deepwater frontage j another was about 70 miles from Auckland, and north of Whangarei, also with deep-water frontage ; and a third block was situated halfway between Whangarei and the Bay of Island, some 20 miles south of Kawakawa, and accessible by the main road. The fourth block was the Taheke block, close to Whangarei. In his opinion the Hokianga block was the best of the lot. Although the leases would be for 30 years, there was a right cf renewal. Mr Kensington then read out the regulations imposed by the Governor in Council for the carrying out of the village settlement -scheme. . After some questions had been put and answered, Mr Lundon stated that although Hokianga County had only a population of 400, it had an annual revenue of £8,000. In answer to a question, Mr Lundon said he had no doubt if a sufficient number of 'settlers offered, the Government would charter a steamer to convey them up to the land. In reply to other questions, Mr Lundon --stated (1) that the Motukaraka block

in Hokianga was now open for Bettlement; (2) ihat a day would be, set, apart for the receipt of applications, and in ther- event of contest for any 1 particular sections, or in the. event of the number of applications exceeding the available sections, the allotment would be decided by ballot. That the £20 for the house would be advanced as soon as a start had been made with the clearing. One speaker thought s£o acres insufficient for a man with a large family, and another wanted to know how the scheme could be availed of by the real working men, the majority of whom had no capital. While he was clearing the land or putting up a house how were his wife and children to be fed? Mr Lundon did not know that food could be got anywhere without work or money. Mr F. Jeune thought the scheme to be the best ever introduced to the Auckland public, and in order to test the feeling cf the meeting he asked for a- show of hands on the part of those who felt disposed to try the scheme. A show of hands was then called for, and rather more than half those present held up their hands, while there were only two dissentients. The Chairman therefore declared the sense of the meeting to be in favour of the scheme. Mr H, Mcllhone proposed, " That this meeting: accords its thanks to the Minister of Lands for the action he has taken in propounding the scheme as advocated by Mr Lundon, but that the matter is of such importance that the further discussion of it be deferred fer a week." The proposition was seconded by Mr Barnsley and carried. After a vote of thanks to the Chairman the meeting was adjourned for a week. Mr Lundon distributed to the assembly printed copies of the conditions of the settlement scheme.