settle meuts may be more auitnble, and wo dare any that the present Minister of Lands would readily ndmit that view, aud be prepared to give effect to it whero the circutnstances seemed to point strongly towards a successful result, Wo repeat that Mr Ballance's statement regarding condemnation is not borne nut by the facts. The. New Zealand 'Time* recently bad, a. short article on the subject of these village settlements, m connection wilh Mr Ballnnce's Wnn ganni Bpecch, nnd his statement of the condemnation of the wholp system. Wo are unable to lay our hands on the return to which our con temporary refers, nnd we therefore quoto hia worda :— " Touching Mr Bnlliinco's statement respecting tho number of village settlements m the Colony, jive huve consulted a Purlin ineutmy paper on tho. subject, and find thiit the number is iib bo put it; but happily for the Colony, the G2 aro uot governed by exactly tho conditions that Mr Bullanco favours, viz , un almost unlimited allowance, of wet-uurniug while the occupiers aro learning thoir bunineßß. Tho north _o£ Auckland i villages were im example of this. No'

wonder they were objected to. It is very true, as Mr Ballance said, that no compliiintß have been made against the 'settlements m the South Island, the reason being that the Bet-tiers there are generally placed m agricultural and pastoral districts where work is easily obtained ; but to 6ay that the whole system was condemned ' because two of the settlements north of Auckland required assistance for a year or two ' is to express the view of a very lively im agination. Taking the latest return available — that made up to the 31st of March, 1889 — we fiud that there were m Auckland 433 persons on village settlements, of whom 130 had come on by transfer from the original settlers. The State had spent on those settle ments, m advances, road work, steamer fares, cartage, and ' miscellaneoiio charges,' £22,530 19s lid, and the total amount paid by settlers up to date was £182 16s Bd. The Herekino settlement, with its residuum of 79 settlers, hnd cost the colony £6051 i)s 9d, of which sum it bad paid back £8 Gs 9d. In advances and cost the colony expended £28,492 15s 8d m the North Island, of which £844 18s 2d had been repaid. 