SETTLEMENT IN THE NORTH.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XX, Issue 5916, 3 June 1886, Page 2

SETTLEMENT IN THE NORTH.

Lately the Auckland journals have contained frequent allusions to a scheme introduced by the Minister of Lands for the occupation of some of the good land to the north of Auckland by small holder The scheme is, briefly, as follows :— Mr John Lundon has been appointed to select lands suitable for village settlements, and here,- be it remarked, Mr Lundon has refused to have anything to do with land that is not of the best character. Tho blocks will be divided into thirty-acre lots, and leased on perpetual tenure at a rental of 5 per cent, on the value of the land for thirty years, with renewals of terms of 21 years for ever. The conditions are that one acre has to be cultivated within two years, and half the remainder within four yettfti, while .£2O will be advanced to assist in tho building of a house, and £2 10s an acre for fencing. We arc glad to see such a stop being taken, as wo believe that in the system of small holdings lies the secret of the future success of the colony. With a tenure equal to freehold, for a perpetual lease on terms such as these, cannot be deemed to be of any less value than a freehold — which more than likely would not be free — and a soil and climate suitable for the growth of sub-tropical fruits, tfcc, there need be no one found crying out that he cannot secure land or get work. If he is not willing to taKo

that offered him on such liberal terms he is not worth taking notice of, and the tost question to be applied to such agitators in the future may well be, Why not take up a lot in a village settlement? It is to be hoped that Mr Lundon will succed in his endeavours to plant small settlers in the North, and from what we read of him in the press, he appears to be the right man for the carrying out of the plan devised by tho Hon Mr Ballance. Wo know we are at times told by the Opposition press that our laudations of tho latter are empty praise ; but if we take a leaf from the Opposition book, and conclude these remarks by an expression of opinion from an Opposition journal, they can hardly complain. The New Zealand Herald says :—": — " Credit must be given to Mr Ballance for having done everything to surround leasehold tenure with much that is attractive, and a small settler, with a home and thirty acres in cultivation, can hardly regard the payment of a pound a year as materially derogating either the permanency or the value of his possession of what under such condition of payment is secured to him and his for over. It must be owned that this is about the nearest possible approach to possession in fee simple, and considering the extreme smallness of the rent charge, we doubt whether it will not prove quite as attractive to village settlers as if it had been freehold."