The Waikato Times, THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE, AND KAWHIA ADVOCATE. Established Thirty-Four Years. THE OLDEST DAILY NEWSPAPER IN THE WAIKATO. THE LARGEST CIRCULATION OF ANY DAILY PAPER SOUTH OF AUCKLAND. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 1906. LAND SETTLEMENT.

Waikato Times, Volume LVII, Issue 8058, 16 November 1906, Page 2

The Waikato Times, THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE, AND KAWHIA ADVOCATE. Established Thirty-Four Years. THE OLDEST DAILY NEWSPAPER IN THE WAIKATO. THE LARGEST CIRCULATION OF ANY DAILY PAPER SOUTH OF AUCKLAND. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 1906. LAND SETTLEMENT.

Tun articles dealing with Matamata which have recently appeared in this journal naturally lead to some consideration of the general conditions of laud settlement in this district. It may justly be said that all greater strides in its progress have beeu made during the past decade, for previously the laud was held by large lauded proprietors or mercantile institutions in considerable areas. The extension and expansion of the dairy industry coinciding with the proving that Waikato lauds were eminently suitable for that, attracted the attention of settlers in other parts of the colony and the increased demand for small holdings tempted the capitalists to cut up the estates which had hitherto been a veritable incubus. The influx of settlers had the elfect of stimulating trade all round ; aud settler aftei settler, tradesman after tradesman, and manufacturer after manufacturer, were added to the list of arrivals, until now this district can with pride and justice point to advance unparalleled in the colony. Certainly most of these newcomers are satisfied with their past experiaud are optimistic as regards the future, though of course there are some disappointed and discontented. The financial institutions were the owners of by far the greater area of the lands mentioned as locked up, aud though, as in the case of the Woodlands Estate, some of this was placed on the market by them iu the usual course, the Government, acting under the provisions of the Lands for ; Settlement Act, purchased and disposed, under lease, of the greater part. Included in this latter are the (Jkauia estate of nearly GUOU acres, Rangiatea •iUUO, Fencourt 70UU, Whitehall 9UW, Selwyn 15'J,:J02 aud Matamata 42.UUU. Up to the olst of March last there had beeu acquired iu the Auckland slightly over a quarter of a million acres., a total which is surpassed only by Canterbury, with 2G'2,OUU acres. During the last financial year fiftysix estates, totalling 'l'-'A<,-->1 acres were offered to the Government; of which teu were recommended for purchase, twenty-six not recommended, and one was withdrawn, leaving nineteen under consideration by the Board at the date mentioned. The properties approved by the Board contained in all 111,1*1 acres. The actual purchase was completed on tive estates of 1-VJ,O7 1 acres, making a total acquired from the inauguration of the system until the present time of - Jh estates, with a total aiea of -"'1. < s 1 - acres, the purchase money being £;J.j<J,U7«, with i'o'.hjij set down as incidental expenses, roads and preliminaries, But with all these acquirements there still remains a legitimate earth hunger not yet appeased, aud the policy so well begun must be carried out to its logical conclusion. We are not entirely at one with those who advocate cutting up and settling the backblocks at auycost. To our mind I a fairer way would be to acquire as much as possible in the more settled portions of the colony and [>lace those whom the Government profess to help —the men with small capital on land where their whole store Would not necessarily be swallowed , up iu rendering the laud in even small degree lit for cultivation, which too often so cripples the 1 jho-ldi-1 that he has not the . wherewithal to stock it or work it. Let those with siiperaabundance of means take up that country where heavy clearing is required, where cost of transit is exorbitant, and where the necessities ol life are nearer luxuries—and where, after > yea;-' of struggle and toil, there is a big return to be expected. The average man is not averse to working , hard for ultimate gaiu or profit, but it is too much to ask such to wait yours and years. The settlement of native lauds is a phase of the question which requires ; { serious study aud conscientious action, j for there is no doubt that under the j present laws, settlement, even on ; | pakeha holdings, is greatly retarded, j i The recent decision ol the Govern- I . i-nt I" reorganise the Native Lauds | , Departrubi I is looked forward to with j 1 interest and anticipation of a better > system being established \ VVUU), I'LAIS.SING, i i Tin. importance of wool classing is j . fully recognised in South Australia, j t where instruction in it is given with ' unusual thoroughness. Students at ! c •lie Technical College at Adelaide are « allowed to go out as rollers and t pickers in shearing sheds under the 1 guidance of their instructor, at the 1 regular rates of pay, - 2os a week. It j is stipulated that they shall not be ] teOjUMtd *>' do any (lagging, pressing, 1 or otliei 1 manual lubour. The pas- j u toralists have shown lLen;selves j v read\ to give facilities to the students • t( to work iu their sheds. Every I . branch of the pastoral industry, a* of I c every other industry in the world, is 11

becoming more scientific, with specialist's in every department, and it nci'C! iiU'y to keep pace with the t'nies in this respect. But it is also impoi taut that college-bred woolelassers should have practical experience; amongst the Hocks 11 icy have <T()I to class event nail v, and have an opportunity of studying their subject on the Kiiet'n's hack.