The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. SATURDAY. FEBBUABY 1, 1890. THE WITHHELD LANDS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 2343, 1 February 1890, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. SATURDAY. FEBBUABY 1, 1890. THE WITHHELD LANDS.

It has been announced by telegraph that a large portion of the South Canterbury land withheld from re-leasing at last year's run sale will shortly be opened for sale or selection, and we infer of course that the remainder is to be dealt with in some other way. Why it should not all be declared open to the public we are entirely at a loss to know. It was not re-leased under pastoral tenure because declared by the Run Commissioners to be Jit for settlement, and if it was fit for settlement when they made their report a year ago, it ie fit for settlement still, and if fit for settlement why people should not be allowed to settle upon it nobody but Mr G. P. Richardson, Minister for Lands, can possibly understand. The fact is, however, that the actions of that Minister show that he only grudgingly affords facilities for settlement, and evidently, even now, wants to except from the area to be thiown open every acre that it is possible to withhold. In our opinion the Bun I Commissioners erred on the conservative side in this matter by daclaring only about a quarter of a million acres of the 3£ millions, the pastoral leases of which | were falling in, suitable for settlement, but even that poor remainder of one-thirteenth of the whole area is too much it seems for Mr Richardson who is going to curtail it again. He is also putting off the matter to the latest possible date and ''his department is giving as little publicity as it can to the fact of the approaching opening up of such area as he is going to permit intending settlers to have the opportunity of acquiring. All this ought of course to be reversed. Every possible means should be taken of | spreading the knowledge of what lands will be available, and, farther, oare should be taken to ascertain the true, value of such land and to fix the price accordingly. Two ponnds an acre, we know, is vastly two high, as is proved by the fact that every acre of it has been open to be bought at that figure for years, and nobody could be found willing to give it. The Act allows the price to be reduced to any sum not less than ten shillings per acre cash, or 6d an acre annual rental, and the prices of the' various blocks should be fixed at from that figure up to £1 an acre. There is very little, if any, worth more than tbe { last-named figure. If the prices were thus arranged and plenty of notice given ! of the sale, a large number of bonafide ' settlers would be secured. But we begin to fear that Mr Richardson has no genuine desire to witness such a result, indeed; he is fast earning for himself the title of Minister against Lands, just as while holding another portfolio he earned that of Minister against Mines.