The Taranaki Herald. PUBLISHED DAILY. FRIDAY, JANUARY 37, 1879.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XXVII, Issue 3027, 17 January 1879, Page 2

The Taranaki Herald. PUBLISHED DAILY. FRIDAY, JANUARY 37, 1879.

What does the Hon. Mr. Stoct mean when he says, "They mast take care that the property and money were somewhat equally distributed ,throughout among tbo people." This follows a remark " that'no country cojuld ever be prosperous where the bulk of the land fell into the hands of a few people." As only a condensed telegraphic summary of his speech has come to hand, we do not know whether he is correctly reported, bat if the report is correct, Robert Stout, Attorney-General, has taken another step forward towards communism, or it rmvy be a great many steps backward in the direction of that remote era before property was invented, and individual rights were limited by the range of the weapon of tho period, a club stick. With respect to the opinion that no country can be prosperous where tho laud is owned by a few, it may or may not be correct. It defends entirely on what the pursuits of the people are. If agricultural it may be correct ; but if largely mining : and manufacturing as well as agricultural it may be wrong. The lauds of England are in the hands of a few, but England caDnot be said to be otherwise than, prosperous as a nation. Indeed, we have been accustomed to regard England as the moat prosperous country in Europe, and if that is so, then a couutry can bo prosperous although tho lauds are in the bands of a few. It depends entirely on whkt tenure the laud is held. We. can easily conceive that a country would be moro prosperous whore the lan.l owners were few, if the conditions on which the tenants held from the landlords were fair and easy, and tho tenure for a period of years. It is even argued that the State would act wisely by ceasing to part with the freehold, and o:sly lease the land for long periods: Be this as ifc may, we are at any rate disposed to question the unreserved truth of Mr. Stout's assertion that no country can prosper where tho lands are in the hands of a few. As a matter of choice in a new country we profer that the freehold of the land should be widely distributed. It is good policy, while the land is sparsely populated, to favour this ; but, however small the land is primarily divided and sold, sooner or later, it agglomerates, and the small allotments gradually get absorbed into larger holdings. We I have had abundance of experience of this in Taranaki. So long as land is treated as ordinary property, to be bought and sold at the will of the individual holdiug it, we do not see how such a tendency can be restricted, however desirable it may bo. On the other hand, in tho vicinity of towns or im dense rural districts, where towns spring up, the tendency is to sub-divide rural lands and create town lots. Tho Hon. Robert Stout is no doubt a man of some ability, very likely above tho average ; bub we question whether he can see far enough into tiie distant future to lay down the best policy of land tenure ; therefore, any radical change of his devising might do more harm than good. But if it is really true that he has gone far beyond this, and said that other property ought also to be rsore fairly divided, it is time that a Vigilance Committee was appointed to watch proceedings. Neither John Stuart Mill nor Herbert Spencer could be quoted in support of such a doctrine, at any rate with a view of giving practical effect to it. It is no doubt desirable that poverty and all its attendant ills should be abolished, but that is one of those complex problems the solution of which requires the co-operation of millions of populations. John Stuart Mills' remedy is not a popular ono, as it mainly depends on individual determination to restrict the undue increase of population, and by tho enacting of more just social laws ; but the division of property as a means of cure of tho evil of poverty was never dreamt of by him. The division would have to be soon repeated, until property as wcj know it would cease to exist. There is another view of the matter which has perhaps not struck Mr. Stout. It is even a step more forward than he has taken. Providence has endowed some persons of not otherwise bright intelligence with the gift of acquiring

property, and when this has been practised for a generation or two it results ia whai is termed wealth, it may be iv the form of landed estates, or it may bo in other equally substantial shapes though not so apparent to the casual beholder. These persons Mr. Stout proposes iv some mysterious way to handicap, so that others may have a chance of acquiring property likewise. We propose to extend tho principle. Providenco has also endowed somo people with brilliant gifts, by which they excel in the practice of the law, in engineering, and in trade, why should they individually profit by these gifts which Providence evidently intended should be used for the good o£ mankind ? Let the intentions of Providence be carried out by distributing a (air proportfon of the proceeds arising out of the exercise of their natural geuius among the duller intellects, which Provideuce for some mysterious reason has created. Let the wholo struggling community in the raco of life bo handicapped, and hy this means wealth will be more equally distributed, and mauy poor bat deserving persons will hereafter enjoy cotnforls which they otherwise would never possess. There is evidently a screw loose in the social scheme somewhere, for thousands of years Providence has done its bast iv the old world to make everybody affluent and happy, and has miserably failed. With this great fact staring 'us in the face, would it be too much to- ask tho Legislature to turn over a new leaf and lot the Attorney General have a chance of establishing 1 thing 3ou a bettor footing in New Zealand. '

Thes.s. Wellington isexpected to leave Nelson this afternoon at 3 p.m., will be due here early to-morrow morning, and proceeds to MauuUuu at 2 p.m.

The s.s. Taiaron, with the iuward San Francisco mail, arrived at daylight this morning. She left the Manukau at noon yesterday, and experienced fresh S.W. windd. She kwk her departure for the South at eight o'clock.

The Taranaki cricket team were welcomed oa their arrival this morning by several friend 3, who congratulated them on the success of their mission. They will play a match o;i the race-coarse this afternoon, and hv feted at Mr. Courtney's buildiug iv the evening.

Mr. Symonds, for ninny ycurs a tuner i'or Messis. Broad wood and Son, London, i.s now iv N"ew Plymouth, and announces that he will attend promptly to any order for tuning left for him at tho Masonic Hotel, or with Mr. Townsend.

The European Mail says — "The announcement that Mr. Berry intends to make one of a Commission to this country ou the subject of the split between the two Houses, has caused no sensation here. In some quarters it has called to miad the old proverb, which has reference to somebody stepping in whero others fear to tread ."

It will be seen on reference to our advertisement columns that the Wiiitara Boating Club has called a general meeting of its members for to-morrow evening, to discuss, amongst other busiues3, the report of the provisional committee which was recently elected to draw up a set of articles for a Coating Club Union- for Tarauaki. It i 3 to ba hoped that the meeting will be well attended, as on the successful floating of the Union will probably depend the success of the annual regatta, which we hope shortly to see advertised.

Of all the national sports which ar<r so liberally patronised by Englishmen, noue is more popular than horse-racing, and amongst all the Coloaios planted by Great Britain, none are, in this respect, co thoioughly Euglish as Now Zealaud. There is scarcely a district that numbers a thousand inhabitants that has not a Jockey Club, and hold its annual race meeting?, which are conducted ia a manner that is in every waj r creditable, and at them prizes are givon to tho winniug horses amounting to large sums of money. Tlie Taranaki Jockey Club has been in existence several yeara, and it has uo doubt done somo good by oncouraging the breed of horses. Its si^ocess has, no doubt, been greatly owing t& the energy shown by the. gentlemen who formed the Committee, and especially to the exertions of Mr. J. Paul, the hon. secretary of the Club. We are sure that all sporting men will regret that Mr. Paul intends to resign that office tomorrow night, but we hope he will re-consider the matter, for as ho has hitherto been virtually tho mainstay of the Club, his retirement from it at tho present time will tend to weaken it, if it doc 3 not actually break the Club up. The meeting to be held to-morrow night at the White Hart Hotel is for tho purpose of considering a matter of considerable importance respecting the race-course. It is to be hoped, therefore, that there will be a full attendance of members so that tho whole affair may be fully discussed and settled.