Wairarapa Daily Times [Established Quarter of a Century.] THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 1902. RE-SETTLEMENT OF LANDS.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 7245, 28 August 1902, Page 2

Wairarapa Daily Times [Established Quarter of a Century.] THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 1902. RE-SETTLEMENT OF LANDS.

On Friday last, tho member for MasSerton, made a strong speech in favour of the re-settlement of country and suburi ban lands, turning-large runs into dairy farms, and converting suburban estates into homos for workmen. We have great sympathy with Mr Hoggs' demand that the land should bo at the disposal of the people, but what wo contend for is that there should bo no sham about such an important matter, and that tho people should not be humbugged in the future, as they undoubtedly have been in the past. Tho Land Settlement Act is the law of 'he Colony, and, however much tho principle of .State resumption may be objected to, it is the law and must be respected as such. The Government, howovor, in administering the law have virtually made it " The Land for Jobbery &.ct," and we should have been pleased if the Member for Masterton had found it convenient to call attention to this aspect of the question. He must know that as a rule the Government reject good land and acquire inferior land. If the Land for Settlement Act is to bo a. success and not a sham, it is imperative that prospective dairy farmers should be j provided with first-class land, instead of second and third-class land being palmed off on to them.

" The cheap and nasty " in land, as in everything else, is unprofitable Un - d-jubtodly men can bo found to take it; but they cannot thrive on bad soil, and a Land Purchase Department ought to know this. Very many of the transactions under tho Land for Settlement Act have been promoted by party supporters and wire-pullers! A man possessing political influence finds he can sell his land to better advantage to tho Government than in tho open market, so ho gets people to sign a requisition for its j resumption, pulls the political wires, and a considerable area of poor land is palmed off on innocents. If the Mombcr for Masterton said all he probably knows about the past administration of this Act, ho might have surprised the House and delighted his constituents; but ho could not well do this without treading on tho toes of a Government to which he is devoted.

There are plenty of people who want land, but they need good land, both for dairy farms and workmen's homes. If a Commissioner came and selected in the Wairarapa and Masfcorton electorates the land really suitable) for dairy farms und for workmen's homes, bo would comply both with the spirit and letter of the law. The Commissioner, however, is under the thumb of tho Minister, and tho Minister is under the thumb of Members, and Members are under the thumb of their party supporters; and tho result is that political jobbery is the characteristic feature of tho Act, and that tho look out for "the people"—tho doluded people—is a " blue one." For our own part, wo sympathise with tho intention of the measure, and would like to sec the Act worked out honestly— there is, however, but lifctlo hope of this. Wo would sooner sec one of our large estates resumed compulsorily, assuming that it were suitable for sub-division, than witnoss tho shams that have como under our notioc in the past transactions

of tho Dopartmout. Tho Government arc postered to buy poor land, but nro not worriod topurchaso good, and ho thoysay that thoy cannot buy good because tho price is too high. It is tho poor land that is iloar, mid tho good land that is cheap; and thoso who doinand land for tho pooplo without rocognieing this important consideration, simply fool tho pooplo.