CROWN LANDS REPORT.

Press, Volume XLVI, Issue 7357, 9 July 1889, Page 5

CROWN LANDS REPORT.

THE PROGRESS OF SETTLEMENT, [By Telegraph."] j Creole OUB CORRESPONDENT.) , WELLINGTON, Jufc & From the annual Crown lands which was laid on the table this afternoonI make the following extracts: — The Amending Act of 1887 has, during the past year, had time to illustrate ita fall operation in the settlement of the country. It is unnecessary to do more than call attention to ita distinguishing feature, which ia that of placing in the hands of the selector the choice of tenure under which he shall hold his land. That this concession is a popular one is proved by the figures to be found in the various tables attached to this re. port. The returns for the past year beat out the anticipatory figures given in last report relating to the first selections held under the Act, viz., that the so-called perpetual lease system is the moat populai of those which are more strictly speaking the settlement clauses of the Act. It will be seen that by including all forms of perpetual lease, 823 selectors took up 205,716 acres under this tenure, with an average area of 2-18 acres each, and that the total area selected during the yeai amounts to not far short of two-thirde of the whole area held under this system within the colony. The increased popularity of the perpetual lease system is, no doubt, due to two causes ; firstly, to the facilities it offers in securing a freehold after the few and easy conditions as to improvements and residence are completed ; and, secondly, the low rental of 6 per cent, on tiie oapital value of the land, thus setting free the capital of selectors for improving property. There are two other alterations in the land laws effected by the Act of ISS7 to which brief attention should be drawn. The one ia that under its provisions considerable areas. <rf land have been thrown open for selection before survey, thus avoiding some of the delays caused by making the surveys first t but there are certain conditions which must be to before any land can be offered in this manner.' It is, for instance, essential that a full knowledge of the character and value of the land, the future lines of main roads, the location of town or village sites and reserves for public purposes ba acquired before it is safe to throw &n<|f open to selection before survey, tfoder tne clauses of the Act providing for uua system 248,888 acres have been declared open, and 74,354 aoros have been selected under various tenures at the option of ttja selectors. Settlement has, no doubt, been facilitated to a considerable extent by this change in the law. The other alteration is the substitution of the ballot for,the auction or tender system, excepting in cases which come under the heading,,of " Lands of special value," or town, village and suburban lands, which are etill submitted to auction. The result) of the ballot system is, no,, doubt,. jn favor of the selector, who no longer has to compete at auction against .the niga with the longest purse, liut at the eiune time he is met with another difficulty, which detracts very much from the ajiv/uutages of the system, and this difficulty aa contained in the fact that for choice allofcments it is frequently found that large numbers of applications are put for- tqe same section, some of which it is. suspected are not of the character they should be. In the case of. the Horpwhenua blook, for instance,' iffisfce sixty-three sections were declareo*ogen,K>r selection, 499 applications were lodjjeafor the different lots. Many applicants were* therefore, disappointed in not obtaining the land they wanted. ' ••■•'' '*''>