SALE BY BALLOT

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30897, 2 November 1965, Page 13

SALE BY BALLOT

Ashburton Farms The Lands and Survey Department is to offer for sale bv ballot two farms on the Valetta settlement, 14 miles north-west of Ashburton. Applications for the farms will close on November 30 and the ballot will be held after applicants have been interviewed on December 8. One farm is of 337 acres and the other 496 acres. The first property has an estimated present carrying capacity of 1125 ewes and supporting hoggets and is within the Tin-wald-Valetta irrigation scheme. It has about 200 acres border-dyked. The 496-acre farm has an estimated present carrying capacity of 1100 ewes and supporting hoggets. It is not within the irrigation scheme and cannot be irrigated. Preference in the ballot for the two farms is to be given to former servicemen but the department does not expect any will apply as most have now been settled on farms. Capital finance required to take over the properties will be supplied by the Land Settlement Board for the purchase of stock, plant and improvements which are now on the farms. The money will be lent on current account and later, when this has been reduced to a level acceptable by the board, will be converted to an instalment mortgage. Leasehold deposits required by former servicemen will be £lOOO and freehold deposits £3OOO. For all other applicants leasehold deposits will be £3250 and £2900 and freehc’d deposits £12,350 and £17,800 respectively. Before any applicant will be admitted to the ballot he will be required to appear before the Land Settlement Committee at Christchurch to give assurances of his ability and experience in farming the type of country for sale.