The Star. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 1893. The Land for Settlements Bill.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 4761, 29 September 1893, Page 2

The Star. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 1893. The Land for Settlements Bill.

Thk Tories have accepted the challenge of the Liberals to fight them on the question of settling the land. Oneof their organs, in an article replete with the usual Tory " arguments " — misrepresentation, exaggeration, abuse and gloomy prognostication — has said that the " lovers of freedom " are quite prepared to '* fight it out on this line." With an ingenuity characteristic of the party of monopoly, the writer of the article bases his diatribes on the Bill as it was introduced, and not aa it wa. submitted to the Legislative Council. The reaeon for this is obvious. In the Lower House the Minister for Lands agreed to an alteration making it perfectly clear that land wa3 not to be taken out of small holdings. No one but a Tory, frantic with hatred of the Liberals and all their works, would have supposed that a Ministry would attempt to do anything of the kind, or that ihe rosple of tbe Colony would permit it to bB done. It was quite right, however, in order to give no occasion to the enemi&j of the people to cavil at the measure,, to settle the point beyond doubt, and this the Minister did. His opponents, however, are not satisfied — nothing that a Liberal Minister does ever pleases a Tory — and accordingly we are treated to tho assertion that " __o man's house would be safe from the ruthless evicter," asd a deal more nonsense of the same sort. This kind of talk comes with a very bad grace from those who, by grabbing the best and mo.t accessiblo lands of the Colony in vast blocks, have prevented hundreds of men from forming homes for themselves and their families. Ifc is perfectly well known that the Qovernmeat, when th Bill was introduced, was. quite willing to acc_.pt reasonable amendments ; but the Tory scribe ignores thie, and bases diro.ul prophecies and bitter maledictions on the meaeure as it was first pr_BG.__._d. Tho Liberals of the Colony, however, aro not likely to be bamboozled 'a this fashion. What thsy want is the settlement of people on tbo land, and that thoy are determined to have, even if a few wealthy squatters should have to submit to having to part with Eome of their acres at fair price.