SIR J. VOGEL ON THE SETTLEMENT OF THE LAND.

Waikato Times, Volume XXIII, Issue 1885, 5 August 1884, Page 4

SIR J. VOGEL ON THE SETTLEMENT OF THE LAND.

TllF following extract is fr om a letter written by Sir Julius Vogol to a prominent citizens iv Chiistchtrch:— "'Asubjeefc on which I have been constantly thinking during the past few weeks is, How can settlement be best promoted ? I have twice tried to put aside large areas for special settlement. First, I proposed a railway estate, but the proposition was not entertained. Secondly, I carry into effect a mcasuie providing for setting apart a large forrst area. This was upset immediately after I retired from office. I regard the disturbance of this plan with unmingled regret. Throughout Europe the forest populations are amongst the happiest and best employed. My forest scheme would have led to the location and employed, of a numerous population. Mr Macandrew subsequently proposed a large railway estate and had he remriued in power I believe he would have carried out an advantageous scheme. He possesses thoso qualities of large hearted bympathy and breadth of view, the want of which made Mr Rolleston unable to give effect to successful settlement. I think, in connection with railways now to be constructed, large areas should b? set apait, and that they should be settled on a liberal and oomprehensive basis. I think the exact plan should 1)0 refened to a select committee to determine, but I may point out the general of a scheme which seems to me to promise the most success. The object to be kept in view is to locate a large number of families, with holdings of from one bundled to five hundred acres, according to tne quality of land. I would endeavour, while settlement was fflling up, to establish an individual profit and a piofit in common of a co operative character, very much like the old Otago hundred system, only that the settlers should shaie the profits of grazing operations. These settlements should be self -governed, and arrangements should be made to enable the collective comunity to obtain money ior impiovements at about 5 per cent. Five thousand families in the colony, and 5,000 families of new arrivals could, I am convinced, under a plan ot this kind be made happy and prosperous, whilst the railway estates would yield in the end large lesults to encoup the cost of railways. If a system can bo worked out by which individual ownership and co-operate enter piise can bo made to jointly aid each other, it will be susceptible of laiger application than to the lailway settlement. It may he made applicable to communities of farmers, much to the reduction of tae burden under which they labour. You already know my viewb in favour of sepaiato niiinngement by non-political boards of the Railways of the two Islands ; of stiengthening local government ; of pionioting local industiics : and ycu are awaic also that I picfer a land tax: to a piopcrty tax. With lcgiet to the sticngthcniny local go\ eminent (decentralisation, as it is called,) I am quite convinced that in doing bo lies the best hope of tiue economy. As long as the local bodies ha\ a to ti ust only to Wellington they try to get ab much expenditure as possible. If the power and expenditure rested witli them they would be as anxious for economy ab they aic now indiflcient to it.

An clcctiic lailway is being planned for London, to run undergiound between Chaimg Cioss and the Geneial Postoflicc. Tiil Mahdi is " a total abstinence man of the puie&t uatci " Not alone aic wine and all .sort> ot spmtuous liquois foibulden, but even the tnoie harmless enjoyments of tobacco and coffee are anathema, and &evcie penalities inflicted on anyone disco\eicd using the foi.biddcn luxtnies. Ci.e of the K'fugee metchants now dt Dongola, iclatco that having been cought by sonic of the Mahdi'b soldieis ilagi.inte delLto smoking a cigaiette, he was tei/i-d, biuught bi-ioie the piophet, and "sentenced to leceneone hundiedaud fifty lushes, which weiodulyadnunisteied. Under -tliese enenms-tances, it can well be imagined, life in Obeul is not gay. Oncu upon a time (says the Melbourne Argus) then.'. w«w a .Scotch senator of justice to whom a piisone*- pleaded for nieicy on the ground that he hid been di unk when he committed the deed of ■which he had been coinmccd. Wo Anglicise the rejomdor of the wise old Judge : "It a man v. ould do such a thing when lie was chunk, w hat would lie not do when he waa sober '!" Theie is a fund oi plulosephy in this quaint paiaphiuse of the venciable latin maxim. We aie glad to note that in Mr Justice Ilohoyd we have a Victoiian philosopher of the .same school It was tlu& lf.uimd Judge's duty lately 1o sentence a jjiiboner named Diowning, for the buital manslaughter of liis wife, when both bad been dunking heavily. "It may In) sud tlio learned Judge, " tliat \oiu wife -> diiuikcnefas gave some piovocation, but, . . . the pio\ocacion vasuttcly niMilhueut as an excuse, and i-> .sciuitely >i {/.vitiation of jour lnutal conduct toward her. It is quite impossible that susul'c assaults of the Kind should bci litated with mistaken leniency, anil 1 imiit pass asexeie .seuti'iicr, which is th.it }ou will be iinpnsoned and kept to haul labour foi ten yrait., tlie iiist foitniglit in each July and Januiiiy to bo in solitary confinement." Sri-Li* . — A dappei little man, with n. tow ovnee cane and a half-pound paste diamond pin, came into an American newspaper office and asked if the amusement repot tor was in. The little man, handing out a piece ot paper about 10 inches squat e, said, " Heie's mycaid. I want to see you about our circus, a huge combination of gigantic ciicuses— -a circus of ciicuses, sir." The journalist quietly remarket, " A great cass, I see." The man of the laige cucus continued, unchecked by the observation, " Yes, sir ; just mention 4 mile-s of cagps containing beasts, -with twelve new varieties of elephants and a recently discoveied monster for Africa called the jabberwock, which weighs 3000 pounds. We employ 10,000 people and import artists horn Iropa at the late of fifty a a week to keep up the supply of those who die off on the toad." " Indeed !'' " Yes, sir ; and a man like you, with a fine described ability and inexhaustible command of language which has made you famous in two continents "' "How many columns do you -want ?" '' Oh, as many as you please!" "When will the show be here?" "Perhaps not for two monthss it takes such a long time to move 'the animals that our pi ogress across the the country is slow— and we travel more for pleasure thau for coin." " Ju&t so, Well our figures for big circuses like joins aie 130 dollais a column, cashdow n, and 30 per cent, of thegioss receipts if the M,ow is a feuccebs." The circus agent seemed gieatly affected. '•Isn't that rather steep?'" he said. " It would be perhaps for a small provincial journallike the New York Heraid or the London Times ; bur we ciucnlate such a mammoth edition that th<» price is comparatively tiifling. Fouiteen freight cais come up eveiy day with paper for our edition, w hich is worked off on five big Walter pies&es, lightening geared. Our expense for gas alone, sir, is 2000 dollars a day. We have more carriers than you could pack in your largest tent. Our Eastern circulation has been increasing at the rate of 1000 a day for the la&t two years. By simple cutting down the seized of the 'paper £ of an inch our proprietor has saved enough r money to build four schoolhouses worth 40,000 dollars each, and tq ■ endow an orphan assylum in each colony in'the State. He doesn't run the paper^ fer money, but just simply for hia health, and because he likes the country. Our, mailing and folding wouid remind you of the Risdon ironwooks." "It is in this building? "Oh, no ! This is simply our branch office— the place where 'we write up circuses'. Our principal establishment is " d?ljo circus nian - did nor jw&ifc for ths finish. / - ,', < • IJ - ' , .'.?..,-