Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), Saturday 2 August 1845, page 3


SQUATTING REGULATIONS.

To the Editors of the Sydney Morning Herald.

GENTLEMEN,-Allow me to call your attention to a portion of a paragraph contained in the explanatory remark of the regulations just pub-lished, commencing " the present holders of large blocks of land," &c.

You will observe that the Governor intends to sanction the appropriation by large squat-ters of any and the whole quantity of the land in their possession, provided they pay the license money on each lot of 25 square miles, and take contiguous portions of land, so as to form one compact block.

I have been under the impression that in naming the new regulations, the Governor had in view two important considerations, first, to enact a fair and reasonable value for the occu-pation of the land ; and secondly, to give to smaller squatters an equal chance with their wealthier neighbours. The first consideration, it must be confessed, has been rigidly carried out, but the paragraph before alluded to, proves that little regard has been paid to the interests of the smaller squatters, or that the disregard of their interests involves a loss to

the revenue.

I have no doubt that many large and wealthy squatters will avail themselves of the privilege afforded them, by paying to the Crown the license money on a large number of stations, so as to provide for the increase of their sheep for years to come, or probably they will purchase more sheep, stock their run, and sell both sheep and stations at the first favour-able opportunity.

I am of opinion that some definite limit should be affixed to runs, and the proper and natural limit which suggests itself is, that no squatter should have more land than he has stock to depasture thereon at the period of the promulgation of the regulations-otherwise a new, perhaps a poorer squatter, will be entirely shut out, and the Crown will lose the fund arising from the assessment on the stock which would be placed on the monopolized

lands.

It must be borne in mind that in the old settled districts, such as Bathurst, no advan-tage can be taken of the privilege to secure runs for an indefinite term of years, while New England, Moreton Bay, and the south-ern parts of the colony, afford vast facilities to parties desirous and able to avail them-

selves.

My objection is entirely directed to the monopoly thus offered to wealthy squatters, and to the profits which they may derive there-from, in clear violation of the rights of smaller squatters.

Yours, obediently, |

_ E. P.