A GOVERNMENT LAND TRANSACTION

Evening Post, Volume LXXXV, Issue 49, 27 February 1913, Page 8

A GOVERNMENT LAND TRANSACTION

SERIOUS ALLEGATION AND A REPLY A certain land transaction at Stratford has created • a largo amount, of local interest (reports the Eltham Argus), and if tho facts uro as stated tho ink>reßt will bo moro than merely local. U is Btfttod thnt tho Government has purchased for £1200 a. soclion which, with improvements, stands on tho books of tho Stwtford Borough Council nt a valuation of £300. Tho lucky - vendor who is being paid four times the pric<» of tho Govurmnont valuation of the land ia snid to bo a wholehearted mipporter of tho Massoy Government nnd was at ono time a member of tho House. "I know nothing of it until I saw it in print," snid tho Uon. W. F. Massey* when questioned on tho subject by a Post reporter, "and I had some difficulty in finding whnt it referred to. I find that tho Railway Dopartmcnt at Stratford, owing to tho increase, iti business, had been very much luunporcd for room, and it was found to bo absolutely necessary to enlargo tho station yard. With that object negotiations were entered into with a firm of sawmillors for a piece of land which they occupied as ft limber yard. The result of the negotiations was that arrangements have been mado to purchase the piece of land (with COKl« pensation for loss of business) for £1200. 1 understand that it is a perfectly genuine business transaction. My own* opinion is that it was the only piece of land suitable for the purpose. The Railway Department thought it was more satisfactory to enter into a private arrangement, as in all probability the cost would have been greater if the land had been acquired under the compulsory section of the Public Works Act."