Saul among the Prophets.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume III, Issue 464, 7 June 1890, Page 3

Saul among the Prophets.

THE GREAT LAND QUESTION. It ia to be hoped that the Liberals will not fail to put to good use the expressions which Mr J. D. Ormond has made because the time for tbe general election happens to be approaching. Tbe Post thus writes upon tbe subject The colony must indeed be in a critical state when the cry for settling the lands comes from Hawke’s Bay, and is raised by Mr J. D. Ormond. In no parr of ihe colony is there finer land than in Hawke's Bay, arid in no other part of New Zealand has this fine land been so monopolised by the few, to the exclusion of ihe many. The fertile plains of the Ahuriri district are capable of maintaining thousands of fami’ies, where now they lack scores, and probably the population per acre is less in proportion to the natural wealih and productiveness of the soil in that district than in any portion of New Zealand. Vast private estates there have been acquired, on which sheep now occupy the place which should be filled by men. Apparently this arrangement ia not working out quite as satisfactorily as was anticipated, or these landed magnates have discovered that an extension of the same system to other parts of ths colony will tend to ultimately reduce the value of their own possessions. They have accordingly awakened to the absolute necessity of increasing the population of the colony, acquiring the native lands over which the native title still exists, for purposes of settlement, and enabling small farmers to acquire and occupy Crown lands. As represented in and by tbe Napier Chamber of Commerce, they have, on the motion of their recognised chief, Mr J. D. Ormond, unanimously passed a series of reso> lutions on these subjects, which deserve the warmest commendation. There is no gainsaying their first proposition, that increased population is essential to the progress of New Zealand. They might have gone further, and emphasised ihe fact that the adult population, so far from increasiog, is steadily decreasing, and that such a condition of affairs is inseparable stagnation, eventuating in re'Xtgression. Their next propoei ion is in effect that the Government should endeavour to extinguish the native title over as much as possible of the 12,000,000 acres still in Maori ownership, and open this land for settlement. We are entirely io accord with this proposal, although we are not at all prepared to admit the wisdom of the scheme propounded by tbe Government through Mr Fergus, of acquiring this native land by means of locally floated debentures, secured upon the estate bought. And, inter alia, for this reason—that the imposition of such a charge upon the land would interpose a very serious obstacle to its being opened up on sufficiently liberal terms to attract settlement. That provision should be made for expediting the survey of Crown lands and opening them for settlement, we entirely agree, and, doing so, we regret that the policy of the Government is to retard surveys as far as possible by reducing the survey staff so as to show a fallacious retrenchment, the effect being that land ia only offered for settlement in miserable driblets. We are also fully in accord with the Chamber of Commerce in demanding that the land laws of the colony should he ao amended as to protect bona fide intending settlers from the delay and uncertainty at tending the present system. This is practically an endorsement of the charge we have so often made that the existing land laws interpose unnecessary obstacles to the acquisition of land by persona honestly desirous of settling upon it. That only a reasonable price should be put on land placed In the market is self evidently a wise provision. The next proposal in Mr Ormond's series is one in favor of a renewal of the system of assisted immigration, under which assistance would be strictly limited to dairy and other farmers possessed of sufficient capital to enable them to settle on the land with a fair chance of success Such a system undoubtedly offers one of the best means of attracting population of the kind the colony requires, and for lack of whieh it is languishing. Tradesmen and artisans are not needed, and as to unskilled labor, it is evident that the supply it hr in estcwi of the demand,

although this would not be the case if settlement on the land was progressing as it should do. For small capitalist farmers we have, or at least under a proper land system should have, practically unlimited room, and it would be well worth while for the colony to go to a very considerable amount of trouble and expense to induce a steady stream of such immigrants. By granting assisted passages, establishing buieaus, and not only passing really liberal land laws, but making their provisions widely known at Home, and especially by encouraging the formation of settlement associations there, we believe a vast improvement in the condition and prospects of the polony could be effected. It s a som.wliai hopeful indication of the current and force of public opinion on this question of immigration and settlement to find Mr Ormond enunciating the policy embodied in the resolutions passed by the Napier Chamb rof Commtree. We can only hope that he will use his position and influence in Parliament to induce the Government to givs effect to Buch wise and liberal proposals, but we fear that not even Mr Ormond’s admittedly great political influence will effect much good in this direction until the electors of the colony have shown that they are deur mined lhat New Zealand shall no longer le hurried on the road to ruin by bad land laws and worse administration, and shall at the polls have made a clean sweep of most, if net all, the obstacles which at present impede reform.