SIR GEORGE GEET AT ASHBURTON.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5574, 23 March 1886, Page 4

SIR GEORGE GEET AT ASHBURTON.

[Bt Telegraph.] [from our own correspondent.] ASHBURTON, March 22. Sir George Grey arrived in Ashburton this afternoon, and was received by the members o£ Parliament for the district, the Mayor of the Borough, Messrs E. G. Wright, W. J. Steward, A. Craighead, J. Kerr, and others. In the evening he addressed a very densely packed audience in the Town Hall, the Mayor being Chairman, and the abovenamed gentlemen occupying the platform with the speaker. The gallery was reserved for ladies, but it was soon crowded, and its fair occupants overflowed on to the stage. All the seats behind the scenes ■were occupied by the fair sex. The Mayor introduced Sir Gkokob, who, after a reference to THE DEPRESSION, went on to say that it was our duty to consider whether or not it was possible to turn a misfortune into a blessing. Men of the Anglo-Saxon race did not calmly sit down, , fold their hands, and succumb before misfortune. They set at once about overcoming the obstacles. Sir George went on to point out that there were in the country large numbers of merchants and large stores, and the country was connected by 1 railways all over. There was only wanted population. Would they think it just to borrow millions to bring over immigrants to compete with the already unemployed people P It would not be wise for ns to do so : it would only entail a very heavy penalty upon the future ; but if he could show them a plan by which a large population of SMALL CAPITALISTS ■with, farming knowledge could be placed upon the land, would they not bo thankful if it could be made use of, and a population brought here that would utilise those large stores that he saw everywhere in this district t What they had to do wa3 to build on the foundation that had already been laid, and plant upon the land a living and thriving population. They had MARKETS AND RAILROADS connecting them — advantages that no new country he knew possessed. In other Colonies there were difficulties to encounter, in New South Wales and Victoria, for instance, that were unknown here. It was the same at the Cape of Good Hope, where produce had to be carried hundreds of miles to a I market. Here, those difficulties were surmounted. Why not, then, fill up the largo blanks in the land by a population occupying it on terms. One thing that had caused the depression was the fall in the price of produce, and a fall of that kind told heavily upon large proprietors j but if the land j •were occupied by small proprietors, they would raise from the land what their own families required to live on, so that the chance of poverty was minimised, and starvation would be impossible. In the centre of the North Island, large tracts of land were BWEPT UP BT 810 COMPANIES, and no small capitalist could possibly become a land-holder, except as a second Surchaser. Sir George then reverted to aa purchase of land by Government. He contended that land ouejht to be 80 bought, aay, in 20,000-acre blocks, and out up into, say, 150-acre, or larger, blocks) and sold; the Bum total of those farms would at least equal the amount paid for the 20,000 acres. Theso farms should be thrown open for selection. The Detector should be allowed to go on the land at once, WOT COMPELLED, BUT ALLOWED, to occupy, and left to do with it just as he chose, as long as he paid as rent the interest on its value. The result of this would be that a sufficient amount of land ■would always be kept open. After the Bman had paid the price of his certificate, ■he could go upon the land, place his cattle Hnpon it, and live upon it if he liked. This Bplan would lay the land open to rich and ■poor alike. Many people said this was not Hjust, but he failed to Bee there was any injustice. There were many men in the cities, old residents, who did not care to go on the land ; but if any man could show he wslb possessed of farming knowledge, and w&a an old resident in the Colony, he ihould have advanced to him enough money to build his house, and the interest jnly charged against him. He ought to tave this advantage over new comers. Sir Gtaotge would hedge round his system by m actuarial adjustment of the rate of nterest, and no new debt would be laid tpon the Colony, but the Colony would be ■elieved of a heavy burden, for very large wreages of the land were mortgaged to Horeign capitalists, and his system of dealHng with the land would get rid of this Hnortgage and the interest it demanded. HVliece were their H BISINO CHILDREN Ho obtain lands under the present system ? Hjike older countries, the poor would Hiecame poorer. Many men had struggled Ho obtain such a farm as he had described, Hrat had struggled in vain. Fn Great H&itain a similar step to the one ho wished H?as to be taken in regard to iMand, and ■3120,000,000 was to be raised i v buy the Hand for the tenants, but tht.> landless Hwrtion of the country would reap no H>enefib from it, for the large tenants come in and retain their present Huge possessions. In New Zealand a much Hpeater benefit would bo reaped, for every Handlesß man could walk in and possess the Hand himself. It would bo done, not as Hhe Israelites of old did, because nobody Hrould be turned out. It would be achieved Hrithout any injury to anyone, and this Hjolony should set its face against doing which was unjust to anyone. It Hras the people's toil and money that Hsreated the H UNEARNED INCREMENT, that question ought not to be raised Let by-gones be by-gones, and every Hffort made to act justly by the future of Hhe Colony, and everything done to preH'ent in the future the reaping of unearned by any but the people. By hia Hcheme there would be secured on the a H RACE OF FARMERS could till the land, and by the fund of per cent which he proposed, he beHieved an income would be secured that Hroiild greatly relieve the public burdens. unborn would complain of the Hoillions of debt that hang upon the but no child or grandchild of the of one of the farms he spoke of Hrould complain of the quit-rent that had Ho be paid. From the first entrance upon Hhe land the small quit-rent would require be paid, and the bonds would be secured, upon the lands, and, secondly, by Government upon the Colonial reThese bonds would be in the form bank notes payable to bearer, and would very valuable security. They would be like the shares of a Company, be- j Hause thoro was no broker to pay, no risk market fluctuation, but they could be like bank notes, and would be the MOST VALUABLE SECURITY I man could hold. There was no finality them. It was said Government could them off in 20 years or 40 year 3, Government would not very likely pay off, but simply not call them in, and would rather have it so, because they leave those bonds safely to their deHe believed he was right in having no finality to the l> r ids, but if was wrong Parliament wwi.iil set him He believed there were thousands acres within a few miles of that town on only the bleating of sheep was but no sound of European voices, wao his purpose, if he could, to PLACE MEN ON THOSE ACRES that overybody might bo employed. mechanic had to live as well as everyelse, but without the farmer on the to till it, and ctuse by iiia produce whirr of the wheel and t »»-* sound of harvester, the mechanic could not find Hiiviog, He had heard of an intention to irrigation on those plains. If they did the whole plain from Christchurch to would become a garden, for the natural advantages of the island be utilised ; but they had to think this garden was to be for a few and shepherds and shearers, or for noble and numerous race of furmers and people. (The speaker here drew of his florid pictures of a land pros-

peroua and happy, and his fine oratory was louded applauded.) Sir George then went on to give a description of how the system of quit-rents worked among the Boers, and contended that quit-rents were a far more reasonable system than swallowing up one's whole capital in a purchase of land at £10 an acre, and impoverishing oneself for life. In reply to questions, he said if he had remained in office, the East and West Coast Eailway would have been completed about a year and a half ago, but he was not prepared to say that the railway to Nelson ought to be undertaken at this time. In the early days of the Colony, ho had himself instituted a State Bank of Issue, but it was easy to do so then. It would be difficult to do it now, and he failed to see the necessity for agitating the subject. Sir George answered a large number of questions in connection with his land scheme, in the course of which he advocated the abolition of the Property tax and the substitution of a Land tax. He also believed that the Bankruptcy laws would be better abolished — better for everybody, perhaps, except the lawyers. After a long list of questions had been asked and answered, Air Ivess moved a vote of thanks to Sir George Grey for his very able address. There was much in the address that might be debateable, and the audience might not perhaps have been able to fully digest the scheme he had submitted, from the rapid review of it Sir George had given them that night. He would advise them to obtain copies of Sir George's Bill, and closely Btudy it. Mr W. C. Walker seconded tha motion. He believed it would be a great advantage to the Colony if the leaders of the House of Representatives would more frequently mix with the people, and address them. Ashburton saw more Ministers, he believed, than any other village of its size, but it was only by the people going to the station to Bee them pass through. The motion was carried with much enthusiasm. Mr E. G. Wright, in moving a vote of thanks to the Chairman, was pleased to have listened to Sir George Grey. He was glad to see that Sir George had decided to take a new departure, and had boldly broached a very large subject. The farmers in the Colony, he was sure, would be only too glad to see a large influx of small farmers upon the land, and the large farmers would, he was sure, be happy to meet Government in this matter raised by Sir George. Sir Geobge shortly acknowledged the vote passed to him, and seconded that to the Mayor, which was carried by acclamation, as also one to the gentlemen who had interested themselves in bringing Sir George to the town.