The Timaru Herald. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 1890.

Timaru Herald, Volume LI, Issue 4932, 3 September 1890, Page 2

The Timaru Herald. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 1890.

The report of the Waste Lands Committee, on the subject of. dnmmyism, was brought up yesterday, and is said to confirm tbe^revailing rumours that the evil is of greater extent than the Government, or perhaps wo should say the Minister of Lands, has been prepared to udmit. The report will be read with interest, and we trust that the work of printing and circulating it will be accomplished as speedily as possible. It is doubtful whether the evidence taken before the Committee will also be made public, but we certainly thiaL that it ought to be allowed to see tha light. If Jpeople have been guilty of dummyism why Bbould not their excessively Bhady conduct be exposed ? Again, if the fact has been proved to the satisfaction of the Committee by independent evidence, why should not the offenders be subjected to prosecution at the hands of the Governmeut ! J The offence includes the making of a false declaration, v/hicli, though possibly it may not involve the ordinary penalties of perjury, is substantially of the character of that offence, and renders tlio offender iiiiblc nu conviction to a penalty. The Committee m their report express the opinion that it is the duty of the Government to enforce the law, and we suppose that no oue will be prepared to any the contrary, unless indeed the objection were to come from those who have profited by the wrong-doing. Itisnotquiteclear from the few lines which have been telegraphed from Wellington whether the Committee m their recommendation allude merely to cases which mny arise m the future, or whether they wish the Government to proceed on those cases which were proved before the Committee, and m which the available evidence appears strong enough to enable tho Crown to secure a conviction. We presume that if any persons gave evidence against themselves m the course of tho investigation they are protected from further proceedings, but thero can be no reason why such protection should be extended to perrmns against, whom evidence was given from independent sources. Our impression, gathered from information which has reached us from outside Rourcee, is that the Crown could m more than one instance make out a good case and Becnre a. conviction. On the presentation of tho report the Minister of Landß made a remark which, though well enough m its way, did not go quite far enough. He said that the Government would take every possible step m their power to deal with any case of dummyism brought to their notice. But m a. matter of that kind it is hardly sufficient for the Government to hold themselves m readiness to take up a case when some outsider furnishes information. The Commissioners of Crown Lands, who through their rangers are specially well situated to ascertain what is going on m respect lo lands which are liable to be subjected to the process of dummyism, ought to be instructed to be on tho alert and report every instance m which thero is reason to believe that the law is being evaded or broken. There certainly is an impression abroad that Mr Richardson has not troubled himself as much about dummyism aa he ought to have done m the interests of bond fide settlement. It is not so very long ago that he denied the existence of any considerable amount of dutntnyistu, and supported his statement by a reference to statistics bearing on the subject of transfers of thoso classes of holdings m regard to which dummyism is posfiiblc. There is no reason for questioning his sincerity, and we must say that at the time of his statement wo were inclined to believe that ho was m the right.. Subsequent information from various quarters served to shuke our opinion ; and now, if tho report of the Waste Lauds Committee may bo depended on, all doubt on tho subject is removed, and it must bo accepted as a fact that dummyistn is carried on to a considerable extent. It is, howovcr, difficult to say how far tho Minister of Lands is to blame. Successive Governments have had the same state of things to contend against, and with every desire to' destroy dnmmyism, have found themselves unnblo' to stump it out. But there is thia lo bo said against Mr

Richardson, namely, that though the matter was pressed upon his notice, and though the most confident assertions were made by responsible persons as to the existence of dummyism, he stuck to his opinion that if it existed at all it was merely as a rarity. For all that we know to the contrary he may be of the same opinion still. There is nothing m his remark on the presentation of the report to bliow that the result of the Committee's labours has made any impression on his mind. Supposing him to have believed that the Committee had found a mare'B nest, he still could have done no leBB than express a readiness to prosecute m the event of any oaseß of dummyism being thrust under his nose.