LAND SETTLEMENT IN WAIRARAPA

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10437, 30 September 1911, Page 5

LAND SETTLEMENT IN WAIRARAPA

A BIT OP EARLY HISTORY.

>Y THE HON. W. W..McOARDLE.

(By Telegraph—-Special to the Age.)

WELLINGTON, Last Night. Same references to land for settlement in the "Wairarapa in the early .days were made* by .the Hon. W. W. MeCardle, ,when speaking in the Legislative Council this afternoon. Htspoke briefly of what had ,been Jone under the deferred payment ActTbf 1877 .and 1879. He was a resident of Masterton in 1876. At that time a very prominent part in settlement matters was taken by Mr Rkihard Brown, a. new settler in tfoe district, who called a public meeting to consider how best to secure a block of land for a number of men on the deferred payment system. Within a few. weeks an association of 500 members was formed, Mr Brown working hard to forward the object in view all be could. The Waste Lands Board, however, refused to grant good land, and the Association had to be disbanded. The promoters believed that if certain conditions were given such settlement could be made entirely self-supporting, and now it was*well to consider whether some of these conditions should not be embodied in the new scheme. The principal upon ■which the successful Wairarapa settlements were established was that of

ten year 9 deferred payment. Around Pahktua thirteen settlements had r jsprung up, and all but one were quite Successful. It did not matter what form of settlement -was adopted, little benefit could follow unless care was

taken to guard against tho aggregation of tlie land.3 in the hands of oao i ■V or two men. As for the proposals on •■•'■" this matter (by t»he Prime Minister, tie ' believed that they would do more to advance the; best interests of the country than anything else. He ako commended the Farmers Co-operative . Bank scheme and the proposal for th£ ■ issue of State notes. He regretted that-the Land Settlement Finance Act was not working particularly well. The delay in making surveys was hi t dering progress, while the Land Boards were not meeting the appli- : canto dn-a proper spirit.