The Daily Telegraph. SATURDAY, MAY 12, 1883.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3690, 12 May 1883, Page 2

The Daily Telegraph. SATURDAY, MAY 12, 1883.

AYe notice in some of the Southern papers an advertisement, signed by the Commissioner of Crown Lands at Dunedin, in- . viting tenders for the leasing for thirty years of rural lands, situated in various district, in Otago, Avith perpetual right of rcneival. Tho total area of the lands thus offered for lease is 26,000 acres, cut up into sections ranging from 10 acres to GOO acres, the upset rental for Avhich ranges from Is to fiv.o sl;ill)ngs per acre. Tenders are to bo sent in by the" if, th instant. This will be tho first public sale cf State leases with perpetual rights of renewal under the fraud ! Act of last session. The leading features of the system under which these lands arc dealt with are thus described : —The lauds are leased for thirty years, tenders for the _ leases being received on the day advertised, at annual rentals not loiver than the upset rental fixed by the Government. This upset is generally about 5 per cent on the estimated capital value, and in the present instance varies from Is to 5s per acre. AVhen on opci.i_g -the tenders two or more of the highest arc found to b/_ alilfc, the i OAvncrship of the lease is decided by lot. ' Six months rent together ivith the sum of ■ £1 10s for the lease, lias to bo deposited • with each tender. Applicants may tender for more than one lease, but, the desire being to encourage small holdings, no person who owns the freehold of, or who holds ■ a license or lease from tlie Crown, of land which together with the area of the lands included in any lease applied for Under the Act comprises a greater area than 010 acres, is capable of becoming a lessee. The terms of the lease include conditions as to compulsory residence Avithin six months of the commencement _ of the term, and continual residence for six year* after, except under certain circumstances. They also stipulate that the lessee shall Aviiiiin one year, bring one tAventicth of his land, under _ui.tn_ti.r_!., one-tenth within two years, and'one-fifth \yitljin four years. AVhithin six years ho must in hare put substantial improvements of a permanent ; character on the land to the valuo of £1 per acre. Any lessee who has carried out these conditions, provided his lease is not withm the limits of a goldfield, -may purchase _ the freehold of his land at the capital price fixed when he acquired his lease, but ho can only take advantage _f this purchasing right within eleven years from the uummeuccmei t of his term. But the most .nipwiau. t ajU vantage which the tenant secures under tins new system of leasing Crown lands is that tho value of his improvements is not lost it he or hi_ heirs should or should not think it advisable to avail themselves of the right of rcneival. The clauses winch refer' to tins part of the subject are extremely liberal. Three years before the expiry of the thirty years a fresh valuation is made by arbitrators of the value of the land and of the improvements, and the occupying lessee can take a fresh lease for 21 years at a rental of 5 per cent, on the gross value as fixed by the arbitration after deductiup f/jc value off-he improvements. And should the ,i/_-iginal holder not care to renew,. the neiv lessee must at once pay to tho Receiver of Land - Revenue the value of the improvements, 1 Avhich money is paid to the outgoing lessee •' on his quietly giving up possession. These < arc the main outlines of the new Act, which j it will be seen embodies some of the most modern liberal ideas. AYe may add that the 1 Government are taking steps to open up l Crown lands in other parts of the colony t under the same system, one of the firs., i blocks to be so treated being the 000 block f on the AVest Coast of tho North Island, <| f

which will be open for tender on the 12 th June. In Otago tho leasing of areas of land belonging to the School Commissioners has been already announced in the Government.Gazette, as also the leasing of lands formiiigi part of the Otago school reserves.