The Daily News. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11, 1908. LAND SETTLEMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXV, Issue 60, 11 March 1903, Page 2

The Daily News. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11, 1908. LAND SETTLEMENT.

• With the view of securing a full Bbare tof the expenditure of public money, (the members of Parliament in the Canterbury Provincial District have 'formed an association and appointed several sub-committees to rep >rt en the 'condition of affairs generally. Th : s •association is quito independent of ! party. As the committees, in bringiug down reports, deal with the whole colony for the purpose of making com parisons, Bome interesting information is likely (o be forthcoming. At the last meeting the Riilway Committee got an extension of time in wh'ch to report, but the Lied Committee brought down a report on land settlement that is of general interest and of value to all | who are interested in the welfare of J the colony. The report was as follows : J—" Your committee begs to report that lit has gone carefully into the land I question, and it finds that, as far as | Canterbury is concerned, there is very I little new settlement taking place. | This is caused by two factors: -(I) I There is very little Government land 'available for settlement, and what there I is is only fit for pastoral purposes ; and (2) there is more of the province of Canterbury held in large blccfcs by private persons than is the case in any other province. These two causes have practically killed land settlement in Canteibury, and htr growth as a province is rapidly coming to a close, as figures later on will Bhow. In fact, this is almosi the condition of the whole of the South Island. The North Islaud has an area of 44,468 square : miles. Its population iu 1882 w.ih 292,894. In 1901 its population had risen to 390,571, or an increase in nine yeais of 33 per cent. The f-outh Island has an area of 58,525 square milt s, and its population in 1882 was 357,247, 'while m 1901 this number had risen to only 381,533, or an increase of 7 per f cent, in nine years. Comparing the | provinces, we find that, not including i the capital city, Auckland's population ! during the past five years has it,creised Iby 12,764, or 13 per cent. Wellington I during the same period has grown by j 11,914, or 14 per cent.; Taranaki by ; 6100, or 22 per cent.; while Canterj bury's growth is indicated by an ini crease in five years of 1472, or a | fraction of over 1 per cent. During the same period the number of shsep in Auckland has increased by 330,067, in Taranaki by 106,690, and in Wellington by 335,793; in Canterbury they number 350,292 less than they did five years ago. Cattle show a similar state of affairs—phenomenal increase < in Auckland, Taranaki, and Wellington, and a marked decrease in Oanteibuty. The cause for thes>j figures is not far to seek. In lsnd taken up by fresh settlers the increaso in area of holdings in Auckland amounted toj 507,434 acres, in Taranaki to 219,127 ; in Wellington to 422,489; while in Canterbury, for the five years, it showed an increased area of only 7416 acres In this connection the following table furnishes food for reflection to the most indifferent:

three individuals. To enable the present state cf the land question ia! Canterbury to be fully appreciated,' Banks Peninsula furnishes a striking ; illutt alion. There is a section of the province peculiarly adapted for small j farmers. It contains 353 square mile?.' A quarter of the county is now held by' six individuals. The result ia that,' whereas in 1881 the population of Akaroa County was 4020, to-day, after twenty-one years of national growob, i s people tota.l only 3669. We have now drawn public attention to the present ominous condition of the land questi n in thia part of New Zealand. We dj this alike in the interests of the farmers, traders and manufacturers of Canterbury. In their interests we recommeud chit this meeoing of the representatives of Canterbury urges-npon the Government the necessity for their immediately taking suob steps as will lead to a closer settlement of the land jf tha province "