THE OPOURIAO BLOCK.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVIII, Issue 73, 30 March 1897, Page 2

THE OPOURIAO BLOCK.

A special meeting of the Auckland Crown Lands Board was held to-day in order bo examine into the applications ' receivod under the Land Act for five unallottod sections of land in the Opouriao Block, near Whakabane, in the Bay of Plenty. This block was purchased by bbc Government a couple of years ago, and last year it was cut up into sections, and most! of its ia now occupied by email settlers. The block is aboub twelve miles from Whakatane, and lies along bho banks of the Whakabane River. It is well adapted for maize - growing and etockrearing, and in consequence of the recent settlement the expert) ot maize from Whakatane ia expected to ba an unusually large one thie season. The fire unallotted sections range from 97 acrea bo 190 acres in extent, and are schedulod as first-class land. The rent, under the lease in perpetuity system, ranges frotn 2s bo 6s 8d per acre. In all 92 applications have been recoived from intending settlers, and aba Mot will be held fco-morrow to decide on the selectors. The Board to-day examined each application in detail &a a preliminary to the ballot. The total area to be'ballottad for is 670 acrss. At fche firsb ballot for the Opouriao in 1896 fche following was the description of the applicants : — OuS of 782 application!! there were 171 farmers, being 28 par cent, of the whole ; other callings, 320 or 52 por cent, ; women, 124 or 20 per cent. In the present b«llot under the new regulations there are 92 applications j described as follows from an examination of bheir application papers :—Farmers, 30, being 65 per cent. ; other callings, 10, o:: 21 per cent. ; women applicants, 6, or 13 per cent. Ovor sixty por cent, of these applicants range in age from 21 to 30 years. The new regulations, the Commissioner of Crown Lands states, have considerably' purified the ballot, and tho new system has raised the ataadard of trained agriculturists

applying for land. ThOße present;.«£ g* day's Board meeting were: Mr Mueller (Commissioner), Major Harris, .M.L..U. and Mr Ronshaw. ______