Mr Longmore, Minister of Lands, speaking on the subject in the Legislative Assembly of Victoria of last month, said :—

"A year or two ago the banks were lend ing a.ll their money on land, but private persons were now so satisfied with the security that they withdrew their money ■from the banks and lent it to selectors. (Bear, hear.) In 1877 the banks had lent on land £163,000; public companies, £56,000; private persona, £318,000. In 1878 the banks advanced £374,000; public companies, £92,000; private' individuals, £272,000. But for the half-year of 1879 the banks had only advanced £150,000 ; public companies, £15,000; and private individuals, £309,000. (Cheers.) Private individuals had found out that there was not better security in the world, they sot a good rate of interest and therefore took their money from the banks and lent it to selectors." Mr Mason (a member of the legislature) also stated in the course of the same debate : " That money lenders had confidence in the selectors was shown by the fact that about £900,000 per annum had been lent xm selections."

While so much has been done in New South Wales and Victoria, what has been accomplished hero ? Literally nothing, Our miners have gone away by hundreds because no inducements were held out to them to settle ; good settlers seeking for land have been turned away from our shores; and tho available lands of tho Crown in tho Aucklaud Province are locked up by want of roads or any passable means of communication. At the present moment no good laud in an accessible position can be obtained on deferred payments; the minimum price (£3) fixed by the Land Act for land so ac quired is excessive, and theconditions im pose every barrier to the working of tho law. All this must be changed. Mere talk against big holdings will not satisfy the cravings of the people. The large holdings have in some districts been the chief means of sustaining agriculture at all. What we want—what we must hay a liberal land law, encouragement to people to settle on the land, and the requisite facilities for doing so. With heavy imports the Auckland exports have been practically stagnant, and agricultural development is almost a dead letter. 