LAND SETTLEMENT.

Timaru Herald, Volume L, Issue 4828, 26 April 1890, Page 4

LAND SETTLEMENT.

SOOM IN THE NORTH.

The following uro extract 3 from ft report of Dr Newmans adctresa to the Auckland dumber ul Commorco m advocacy of the opening of the interior of the North Island:— :

To a very largo extent the interior of the North Island was certainly a terra incognita ; but for vnaiiy years past he had beon of the opinion that this Maud was far rioher tnan tho South Island m land and m material, and lie believed that of all the provinces that of Wellington hud the best land. New Zealand occupied 100,000 square miles, of whioh only a moderate portion was oepupied. It waa that portion which waa paying the heavy debt of the colony ; and he waa of opinion that if they could bring into cultivation the waste land of the colony, they would ba doiDg much to lighten the taxation. Looking through the last Crown Lands Guide, ho had found that m the colony, there wero about .38,000,000 acres of land, belonging to the Crown and tho Maoris, not 1 used, and which could be used — and this eiqluded barren and worthless land. The natives Owned 13,000,000 acres of land, much of it very rich, and the Crown lands available for cultivation comprised 25,000,000 acres ; ao that theie waa ample land to be occupied and settled. If these lands, or half the area, were opened and occupied, and roads fermed, the exports of New Zealand would be doubled, and the colony would again begin to boom. There was only one lasting prosperity — that 'phich wan born of the growth of exports. \ The speaker went on to explain the features of the country along the main trunk route. From Awarua to inland Patea, one passed through 60 miles of solidly beautiful country, and for many miles the soil was of the best kind, containing 60 to 20 per oerit. of limestone, and although hilly county, there was not a bad acre m the whole lot. The whole of the country waa bearing grass. Tho block of land winding round Buapehu and through the Mokau contained splendid country, and cooksfoot and clover ran riot there. He was now talking about very large blocks— Waimarino contained 400,000 acres, and Awaitaa 800,000 acres— and good land j yet it was almost untouched, : and there were no settlers upon it. The Crown had also a good block of land m tha bight of the Wanganui River, and a great portion of that was also magnificent country; It had been said that the Paraekaretu was broken country ; but thi» really amounted to nothing. Though an outsider might think the land was poor, the block contained some of the richest land he had travelled over. From Hnnterville station to Inland Patea, for over 40 miles, the cocksfoot, clover, and rye were growing higher than the table around which they were sitting. He had also oome through a considerable portion of the Auckland province, and while the land here was not so good m many parts, tha good land, from what he could see, was still untouched. He thoiight it was high time they set to work and opened up theae lands. He had no belief that wheat was going to be a very great factor m the progress of the colony. The real factor, m his opinion, would be the Lincoln and Bomney Marsh sheep. The sheep would be the salvation of the colony ; and he waa confident that when tho interior of the North Island waa taken up and cleared it would carry a larger quantity, of sheep than were to be found io Canterbury or Otego. He was confident that the Ministry could very easily buy an enormous quantity of land ; and the moment the land was bought for os or ICb an acre.it could be sold m Wellington province for £1 per acrn. They might ask, Where is the money to come from ? He replied out of the North Island Trunk Loan. Last year £100,000 waa set aside out of this loan for the purchase of native lands ; and if that sum of £100,000 was used to buy these lands, and if they formed rosda, they would find that the land would sell like ripe cherries m the market. The district of which he was talking was not the only district whioh contained good land. He had been urging the Government for a long time past to deal with the land m Cook Country. From Qisborne to Opotiki, there was a magnificent belt of conntry containing nearly 2,000,000 acres, and yefc the greater part of the country remained m the hands of the Maoris. He thought the policy which would foßter the wool industry and place 30,000 sheep where before there had been only 15,000, was a better policy than throwing away money on uieless breakwaters, and on works which yielded no revenue. That this island, with the richest capabilities, shonld have the laast population ; that this island, with the greatest amount of good land, should have the fewest sheep, and bnt small exports of wheat or grain, and the least amount of land settlement, this waa not a satisfactory state o£ affairs.