TUAPEKA LAND LEAGUE.

Tuapeka Times, Volume 1, Issue 41, 21 November 1868, Page 3

TUAPEKA LAND LEAGUE.

On Wednesday evening, a meeting in connection with the Tuapeka Land League was held at Waitahuna. There was a fair attendance. H. Bastings, Esq., President, occupied the chair, and opened the meeting by reading the memorial. He said they were not bound by the memorial ; any subject bearing upon the land question which might be likely to benefit the colony came within the scope of the League. It had been asked how would the opening of Smith's and Treweek's runs affect the people of Waitahuna. He believed it affected not only Waitahuna but Dunedin, in fact, the j whole colony; and ib was only by agitation that any good could be brought about ; the voice of the people was all-powerful, and coold not be withstood. The most of them present were miners, and he had no doubt they were aU anxious to betterthemselves. Many of them no doubt wished to obtain comfortable homes. There were many questions affecting the agricultural leases which called for the special attention of the League ; .for instance, that of the -enormous deposit money .'r4i|iired. Supposing two applications v. Jfc made, not, only had £10; to be paid j* eacji application, but two leases we# also required. There were many sqfli absurdities under the present Regulalons. However much, Mr. Macandrew or any one, might say about the Urgemantity of land open for settlement, that land could not be had. .« *ne\r a gentleman who came tip from i EJedin lately, wising to settle in the juntry, bat it was a fact that he could jrnot get any land worth having. That \ game gentleman had called upon Gillies and Street and tContfell and Moddie, but none of those agents could point out one single-block of land tip country which he could purchase. Well, that was a gentteinan of. capital^ oneV in fact, wfibx would become a bonajlde settler, and be a real *equi«itidn to: any -nesr conntf/i - The fgfs<&Qß <#* eovmifa iia wfc in

'fiaii&dii^fath the League was the chief d

"busine&tUSf&SS fH'e!nreßtin^; and he. hoped A some good men.wpuld ber elected. rAs regarded the Motives bf fee offiw Bearers - of ti e- : 33ea^eV-he-migiit^ayn;hßy ::^6JBP k enjti ely disinterested ; they were desirous j^fjtj aving the land thrown open, and inst ad of a vast sheep walk, abusypopu ing resolution \-*-" That this mewing, whi s agreeing with" the object of the jTus )ebt Land Lea^e,^Quld stronclj urgf on tfiem^^nfeo&sst^?ffi3J^i3iJ»^ for a thorough remodelling of the regulations under which agricultural allotments are [granted, as $«!(83&«sbgigp?. as »* present existing are not only injurious to the settlers, but likely to prove disastrous ! ta heir future proßfiewt^r.aji agricultuh lists." Mr. FTaser s"atct thit perhaps the: 8 were not many present who had felt ithfe bad effect of those regulations so much as le had done himself. It was well kno vti that a man could not live on fifty acr< 3 witho^fanoutlafc|^hift-ca^tU^ftnd tha outlet would Tie very soon" deniett-no the settlers in that district, for in the course of a few. year^uthe .adjoining land would' -be'idJ takeft^iip^ana &eywould' consequently be fenced out. The Government then say, " Why don't you take up 200| acres -flfi easy matter. 200 acres involved an immediate deposit of £40, the only ready cash that a man might .have towards improving the laud he might take up. He would strongly recommend the necessity of putting these £10 deposits, and also tlie fe'nfej'on'th^purcmS fiflfctyf'ttfon' some inducement would be held out for a poor man to take Tip iumcienVqilantity of land to live upon. (Hear, hear.) Mr. Butters would ask the Chairman^ the following question :— " In the event of Smith's and Treweek's runs being thrown open, .what guarantee - hatfeifchjß people that all the choice bits would not at 1 once be picked up byrthe like of Mr. Murray and others, as was tried by them at Waitahuna ?? r J i- -.- -„r . . ... ..~ The Chairmah-wa ! s"glac£-Mr. Butters had asked that question. The League would make it their special business to see tKa.4 a. -irepetitioAl of- conduct suck sos was attributed to Mr. Murray would not occur agains . They endeavour. ,toprevent such unholy alliances for taking up the land, League had "already produced good results in lodging" objections to applications jf or > land weljknown^ to be auriferous — (Hear) lie'ar)— and nSa 1 " it been in existence five years ago, such cases as Mr. Murray's would never had existence. The object dfTEeTTeague was to see that none but bona fide settlers got possession of the land, and had the general public been less -apathetic then; they, have been, a better state of things would have been the result. . o-> \ Mr. Hickie believed there would be considerable benefit derived from the League, but he thought in Waitahuna the j subscription was an objection'-^ to it? Supposing they got several thousand subscribers, what was prop6se i cF to be dbnfe with the money. The Chairman would inform' Mr. Hickie that the labours of the office-bearers were entirely honorary^and that the subscriptions were only to meet current payments, such as printing, and the expenses, of a deputation to Dunedin with the memorial to discuss the matter fully with the Government. «a».s ;-r::ii .'. The following gentlemen were then xmanimously elected as a Locals Committ' tee, viz. : — Messrs. Fraser, Butters, M'Uewyand Clark— to obtain-signatures to the memorial.