"GO ON THE LAND!"

Evening Post, Volume LXXIII, Issue 4, 5 January 1907, Page 5

"GO ON THE LAND!"

60,000 ACRES IN NELSON AWAITING SETTLEMENT. .A BIG BLOCK TO BE PUT ON THE MARKET. THE HON. R. M'NAB'S TOUR. The Minister for Lands, the Hon. R. M'Nab, returned from his trip to Nelson and the West Coast last evening. During his absence from Wellington Mr. M'Nab inspected a laTgo area of unoccupied Crown land in Nelson with a view tc placing it f on the market for settlement. H« was accompanied on .his trip by Mr. Flanagan, Commissioner of Crown Lands fov the district; My. Karris, Crown Lands Ranger, and one of his secretaries. The tour commenced through part of the country which is at present being surveyed for subdivision, and will be put upon tlie market immediately. From Nelson the party proceeded by train and coach to Murchison, and afterwards inspected somß private property — which the Government has bopt^'of purchasing —up tho Mangles River. If this land in question is acquired it will enable the Government to settle a very- large extent of Crown land. In the old days of "gridironing," long, narrow stretches of country were taken up by the original owners, and the result, it is stated, has been to retard settlement, because th© State property has been literally "locked up." On Tuesday Mt. M'Nab drove to Matakitaki and Glenroy, returning at night to Murchison. On Wednesday the party went on to the Buller and inspected the Marina Block. This property is situated |at the lower end of the valley, and stretches away for nearly 33 miles in the direction of the Buller-road. From there the Ministerial party returned to Top House and Lake Rotoifi, and then back to Wellington. Speaking generally, Mr. MNab said that in the Glenxoy district close on 50,000 acres would be offered for settlement, as pastoral leases. This is the only tenure on which the land' can be disposed of save such portions of it as are not likely to be required for mining purposes. In the Marina Block there are 15,000 acres -which will be available for settlement under lease-in-perpetuity. Reverting to the land along the Mangles River, the Minister said if the private property he Teferred to was acquired, close on 60,000 acres would be available. At present the land is mostly covered with bush, with little natural clearings here and there, but the land takes readily to grass. In many cases ifc appeaTed to Mr. M'Nab that a lot of the land which came under his notice was almost equal to some of the best bush land of the North Island. He instanced the case of some cleared land m the vicinity of Murchison, which was carrying thTee and four sheep per acre. The property would bo subdivided into areas of from 300 to 1200 acres, or an average of about 750 acre lots. v }^t P resent time a large amount of bush-felling is being carried on in the district spoken of by the Minister. The land is remarkably well roaded. The Eullsr-Toad runs through it, and there is a coach road within practically a mile or two of every acre to be placed under ?^T , for sett lement. From what Mr. M Nab saw of the Nelson district he is convinced in that province there is situated the largest area and best quality of Crown land aA7aiting settlement in the South Island, and the Government would do everything it possibly could to get it on the market at the earliest possible moment. "I think," he said to our reporter, "that it only requires to be advertised to bo 'rushed.'" Around, the Hope Saddle the quality of the land varied somewhat. On the JSelson side m many cases it consisted of ti-tree tountrr, but on tho other side ol the saddle it was covered with dense bush. If the present line of railway was pushed beyond Tadmor and the Hope baddle, it would serve the whole of the country. Mr. M'Nab anticipates that Murchison will be the centre of the country to be opened up. Perhaps ifc is as well to explain that tuo land m the Nekon district, being a mining district, can only be let on pastoral lease or under lease-m-perpetuity tenure, and in thejatter case only with tho consent of the Warden The country at present is going through a transition stage. At one time there were hopes of mining developing, but the people now turn their attention to agriculture. Many men who had already taken up pastoral leases had been miners. In four or five yeaTs the Minister expects to see the whole district wellsettled. In three months' time the bulk of the land referred to in this article will bo available for those desirous of taking up a holding.