Wairarapa Standard Published Tri-weekly, Price 1d. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 1885. Special Settlements and English Farmers.

Wairarapa Standard, Volume XVIII, Issue 1735, 18 September 1885, Page 2

Wairarapa Standard Published Tri-weekly, Price Id. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 1885. Special Settlements and English Farmers.

Some correspondence between the Premier and Agent-General, relative to selling land in the colony to English farmers under the special settlement system, has been laid before Parliament. The Premier, on Bth June, telegraphed to the AgentGeneral ;— ■“ Can you dispose to suitable farmers with small capital gome special settlements, under conditions gazetted, if I place such settlements entirely at your disposal, with guarantee descriptions, farmers to pay own passages and instalments for surveys ? It might be desirable a few should come in advance, families to follow. Would conditions require modification in any important particular ?" Sir Dillon Bell replied to this briefly by cable saying be did not think English farmers would take up the land owing to the compulsory residence end improvement conditions imposed by the special settlement regulations. He followed this up by setting forth his views on the subject at length in a letter to the Premier. Sir Dillon Bell states that the special settlement regulations are of such a nature as to discourage English farmers from caking up land in this colony under them ; while, on the other hand, Canada and Queensland offers them land on much more liberal terms. The further arguments used by Sir Dillon Bell are thus summarised by the New Zealand Times. “ The farmer class in England,” Sir'Dillon Bell remarks, “ has been worried and harried for many years past all over England, Scotland, and Ireland, by its conditions of tenure, by bad seasons, and by a collapse in prices ; it is greatly disheartened, has lost money year by year, and is at last reduced to very great straits. People of this kind hug every shilling of what is left to them ; and, although they are perfectly aware of the great advantage New Zealand offers them in climate as compared to Canada, they know they can get the best of soil in Canada or the States, and the difference in cost of passage is so serious to them that it carries the day. Something is wanted to set against the difference of passage money; instead of this the difference is aggravated by restrictions to which they are not subjected elsewhere. Colonists who have been for some time in New Zealand, and have got accustomed to the severe restrictions of our land law, can and do make light of the-it ; but it is quite a different thing when we come to deal with people in Great Britain, who are not only very ill-informed, but naturally timid. They contrast our offer with [what is offered to them by others, and again the difference in passage money turns the scata Sir Dillon Bell then contends that if we want really to tempt farmers to go out in any numbers, assistance must be given to them toward the cost of their passage, aud that of the class which above auy other we want in the colony—namely, small farmers with moderate capital—there are thousands who might easily be Drought to New Zealand if we would adopt toward thota a policy which may be expressed ' words ;-™ tl Tbo Government in these '' New Zealand as

will take yoa ' ‘ *«.k.an to cheaply as you can ho_ , ’ Alauitoba.” He in convjjwe? tbaL

each fortnightly stftiner could be made to takeout its conploment of valuable settlers; and, if itpays the colony to bring out workinj people, it would pay at least as will to devote part of the Immigratioi Fund to bringing out small farmers. He adds, “ As to the cost, it wouß, in my opinion, soon repay itself a hundred times over.”

There is much fcrce in the arguments used by Sir Dillon Dell. The special settlemeds scheme undoubtedly presents some advantages to working men anl other people in the colony, who, bang possessed of a small amount of cipital, desire to go upon land. But when an English farmer comes to lead these special settlement regulators, with all their conditions relative to improvements, paying up instalmmts, residing constantly on the land, and incurring the risk of forfeiture of the holding in several different ways, he is apt to abandon altogether the idea of taking up land in this coioay on such terms. If the Government desire to attract people of the farmer and yeoman class to this colony, they must offer far more liberal terms than have yet been held out. That such a class of people, possessed of small capital, and fitted by their previous pursuits to go upon land and make a goad use of it—would make most valuable settlers — there is no doubt at all. To help such people to come out to the colony by paying part of their passage money, would be a wise and judicious expenditure on the part of the Government.