The Gisborne Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. GISBORNE, SEPTEMBER 21, 1901. LANDS AND SURVEY DEPARTMENT.

Gisborne Times, Volume VI, Issue 219, 21 September 1901, Page 2

The Gisborne Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. GISBORNE, SEPTEMBER 21, 1901. LANDS AND SURVEY DEPARTMENT.

Tuk annual report of this Department is to hand, and seems to get more voluminous each year. The following are the chief items of interest

LAND TRANSACTION'S.

The transactions for the past year have been fully equal to those of the year 18991900, the actual lands dealt with being 1,667,774 acres, as against 1,578,828 acres for the previous year, and the cash collected is .£481,388, as against £382,943 for the year 1599-1900. The new selections are 2312 for the past year, and 2810 for the year before. The largest transactions in actual settlement have been in the Auckland district, where 471 settlors took up on leasehold tenure 182,230 acres, chiefly from the forest lands between Te Kuiti and Jvawbia. Wellington comes next with 149 leasehold settlers on 40,143 acres ; then Taranaki, with 140 settlers, on 6(3,121 acres ; then Otago, with 109 settlers, on 25,327 acres. The other districts follow at considerable distances, and make up the total of 1162 leasehold settlers on 406,982 acres. During the year sales of rural land for cash were made to 165 selectors of 58,245 acres, and 195 holders of the old perpetual leases converted their leaseholds of 67,941 acres into freehold, and 177 holders of deferred payment licenses made their final payments on 28,824 acres, and also became freeholders. Four settlers under the homestead system were also granted freehold titles, the area being 803 acres 2 roods.

The returns of Poverty Bay district extending from the East Capo to Wairoa are included in the Hawke’s Bay returns, and thus Hawke’s Bay gets the credit of a land boom which for the greater part , has been confined to this portion of the I district. Had the returns of the Poverty Bay district been kept separate the large i increase this year in the number of Crown 1 tenants would have been our best lever for obtaining a land district of our own. The most favored system of selection is undoubtedly the oecuption with a right of j purchase after 10 years. There are more than ten applicants under this system to every one under the other tenures. During the present year 10 estates containing 43,942 acres, were dealt with under the 1 Land for Settlement Acts. Tbc cost of the land purchased was j£165,193. Besides these five estates were purchased, but not in time to put them in the market before the end of the year—viz. : Earns cleugh (in Otago), Maungaraki (in Wellington), Tarowbai (in Canterbury), Northbank (in Marlborough), and Hatuma (in I Hawke’s Bay). The area of these estates is 41,013 acres, and the cost to date J107,ti66. Of the ten estates opened for selection 41,516 acres in 127 farms and two small grazing runs, the areas varying from 50 to 2000 acres, were leased at a rent of .£6174 per annum, equal to 5 per cent, of the purchase money, survey, ad- I ministration, and road formation. Eor country lands the demand is very good. The workmen’s hamlets were not so readily disposed of, but were taken up after a time, so that now only a few of them contain nnlet sections, The total

number of sections selected during the year out of estates newly-offered and from those remaining for selection from previous years is 282. The arrears of rents due by 2SO tenants under tho Land for Settlements Act is £6271, which is £IG7S greater than at the same time in the previous year. The prime cost of SI estates, containing 881,128 acres, re-purchased is £1,710,541, and there was £88,078 expended in incidental purchases and expenses incurred in completed negotiations, in road-making and in preparing the land for occupation in the smaller areas into which the properties were divided, making a cost to date of £1.708,014. The lands disposed of are let to 1780 tenants at an annual rental of £82,718, and tho lands unlet represent an annual rental of £lOlO. The yearly value is therefore £84,028. As a whole the rent actually received during the year is equal to 4 per cent, on the total cost at the end of the year. This yearly rent is, however, derived from an expeu dilute of £1,650,431, the sum of £142,183, ! which was paid for Ilatuma just at the 1 close of tho year, yielding no vent for that ! period. This, being a large stun, uiatcrii ally affects the apparent earning rate, and j if it is deducted from the total cost of the i estates, the rent paid is equal to interest at the rate of 5 per cent., and the lotting value of the laud offered for selection is 5.1 per cent. Of the estates purchased in the Poverty Bay district under the Land for Settlement Act, there is at present only one small section of five acres unlet. At present there is no Crown land within 40 miles of Gisborne, although there are some splendid properties on the Gisborne flats, which, ii' purchased under the Act at a reasonable figure, would make splendid dairy farms, and tho demand for these farms when ottered privately should he sutlicient inducement to the Government to make further pur--1 chases on the Gisborne flats. Tho rebate . | of rents under the Act of last session ; amounted to £2,817, the largest being in the land district of Canterbury (£BOO granted to 474 tommts), and the next in Wellington, where £879 was granted to 1489 tenants. in Otago £347 to 790 tenants was remitted, in Southland £lOl to 206 tenants, in Marlborough £93 to 85 tenants, and in Nelson £5 to 42 tenants. In the districts of Auckland, Hawke’s Jinv, Taranaki, and Westland no rebate was given during the last financial year. Wo fail to soo why one land district should get the benefit of this Act and not another, and that no definite instructions should be given as to tho working of the Act; it should not bo left altogether to tho benevolence of the Commissioner and Receiver. There were only three tenants in the whole of tho Hawke's Bay district in arrears with their rent at tho end of the financial year; perhaps this was the reason why no rebate was made.

ROADS* During the yearlo,o6o was expended by the Department on roads and bridges, partly on improving roads already formed, but chietiy in opening up Crown lauds. One-third of the works wore under the supervision of the local authorities, the balanco being under the management of the staff officers. The report gives some interesting particulars of the work done by the State l-’orest branch, under the supervision of Mr 11. M. Matthews, hut we will deal with this in a future article.

At the golf links yesterday the match for beginners was won by Mrs Harold Kane.

“ Reader ” : Your letter does not comply with the rule that the writer’s name must be forwarded. Messrs Macltrell and Colley's tender has been accepted for additions to Mr De Lautour’s brick building. Captain Edwin reported at 12.46 yesterday : “ Strong west to south-west and south winds ; glass rise : poor tides." Messrs L. T. Syuies and F. J. Lysnar leave this morning on a trip to Waikaremoana. They will bo away about ten

days. The many friends of Miss Mills, formerly of the Gisborne District High School, will be pleased to learn that sho has been appointed mistress of the Feilding School.

A meeting of the Committee of the Horticultural Society was held last evening, when it was decided to ask Messrs G. Darton, \V. L. File, and A. Thompson to draw up a prize schedule for the November Show. The following have booked passages by the Waikare For Sydney : Sisters Ruth and Jamieson, Mr Ronouf. For Auckland : Mcsdames Lusk and l’crson, Miss Ilecs, Messrs McLaurin, A. 11. Brooks, Gamble, Halas, and Dunn. At Messrs Wyllic and Mason’s auction mart at noon to-day an excellent opportunity will bo given to those desirous of securing good building sites. They are located at the corner of Herbert and Aberdeen road. A lecture which should be of great interest at the present, time when attention ie centred on America and its late President, is the lecture to bo delivered on Monday evening next by the Rev. B. F. Rothwcll on “Abraham Lincoln,” at the meeting of the Mutual Improvement Society.

A New Zealand trooper in South Africa said in the course of a letter that so far he had not been wounded, “ but perhaps,” he goes on to say, “ my turn is to come. But under any circumtances,” ho concludes philosophically, “ I don’t expect to get out of this world alive.” At Wellington in the case of Joseph Nathan and Co. v. master and owners of the steamship Bechuana, in which damages were claimed for loss on a shipment of kerosene in the course of a voyage from New York, judgment went for the plaintiff for the full amount of claim, with costs.

A meeting ot' the Kaiti Road Board was held yesterday. Present: Messrs Matthowson (Chairman), Bridges, and Harris. There was only one tender for work on Darwin road, Messrs A Sawyer and Co., at <£lls. The Board declined to accept the tender, on the ground that there was no competition in prices, and the amount was much in excess of the engineer’s estimate.

A shooting accident of a serious nature occurred at Coal Creek, in the interior of

Feilding, last week. A young man named John Brown was lying in his tent reading, and his mate (a man named Turner) was outside shooting sparrows witii a pea rifle. By some means the ride was accidentally exploded, and a bullet penetrated the tent, striking Brown in the side as ho lay in his bunk. Mr K. 11. Buckingham has secured a lease of Wiiinray’s Hall in Gladstone road, and intends using it as a school for music, and holding mission meetings on Sundays. The first of the meetings is advertised for to-morrow evening, when Mr Buckingham will give an address entitled. “ Missing the Goal,” to which voting men are specially invited. Christians united in the work are invited to the after meeting. Sankev’s hymns will be used at the service.

The following appeared in a recent London paper:—“ Many a goldmine lias been found under the sea, and when, five years ago, a poor fisherman off Timaru, in New Zealand, pulled up a piece of quartz in his net, he naturally thought he was on the high road to fortune. Subsequently various syndicates have expended over a quarter of a million in trying to locate the mine, three divers have lost their lives in wandering about amongst the rocks, but the gold still remains hidden, though there is every reason to believe that it is there somewhere.” The Ti.iriru Herald has I made diligent inquiries, and can find neither the “ fisherman ” nor the “piece of quartz.” At the Magistrate's Court yesterday a dispute in which two well-known residents figured eamo on for hearing, \Y. 0. Skeet suing T. Morrison for having assaulted him on September 17th. Mr Nolan appeared for complainant and Mr Chrisp for defendant. The latter admitted the .offence and expressed his regret at what had occurred. He had been much annoyed through the loss he had suffered over plaintiffs bankruptcy, and though a man ot even temperament, his temper had on this occasion got the better of him. After a further explanation from Mr Nolan, the Bench (Messrs H. Lewis and E. H. Mason presiding) decided that a tine of £1 bo imposed j costs £1 12s, l

Tenders .are. invited by Hr lan Simson for clearing and grubbing at Wbataupoko. The schooner Aotca leaves Auckland for coastal ports and Gisborne on Friday next.

Messrs Wyllie and Mason's horse sale to-day will be h ' 1 at 1 pun. instead of2 o'clock.

The Mont mior.v Company hold a special mat: o fo. children this afternoon at 3 o'clock.

A coup’.' of “drunks" were arrested last even mg, and will be called on at the Police Court this morning.

The annual meeting of the Poverty Pay Polo Club will be held this afternoon at 2 o’clock in the Masonic Hotel.

Tenders for supplies for the Hospital and for the Charitable Aid Board close at Mr T. A. Coleman’s office at noon on Monday.

Mr John Boss, of Haiti, has an advertisement in another column with regard to a number of cattle trespassing on his property.

A meeting of the Haiti Hall shareholders was held last night, Mr Harris presiding. Some preliminary matters were dealt with.

In another column the Tysor line advertise the rates of freight on wool, decided on for the ensuing season. The Company’s tine new steamer Indralema will load at Gisborne about the end of October.

A fancy dress football match is to be played at Tucker’s paddock this afternoon, and promises to attract a largo number of spectators. The proceeds are to be dccoted towards the funds of the Beautifying Association.

The art union in aid of the funds of the Convent will be held on Monday afternoon next, in the Catholic School-room. Holders of tickets are invited to attend, and persons having blocks arc requested to send in the same by this evening. It is expected that the Rev. Mr Martin, Baptist Minister of Napier, will preach in St. Andrew’s Church on Sunday morning. In the evening the subject of the lvov. J. G. Paterson’s sermon will be, “ Men that are on the down grudo and not able to find a brake.”

The times change, and politicians with them. Last session tho colony was so prosperous that most of the members accepted a gift of £-10 from tho Premier. This session, it will be noted, that a poor Civil servant who asks for a I'd increase will bo told that the colony has to “ go slow.”—JEI.B. Herald.

Tho annual meeting of tho Union Cricket Club was held in tho Masonic Hotel last evening, when it was decided to disband the Club, pending tho inauguration of the district scheme. A discussion ensued, and it was tho general opinion that the district scheme would be very beneficial, and do much to forward cricket in the district during tho season.

Mr I). White writes:—“ As for WairoaGisborno railway, somo of the wise poople of Gisborne don’t want to be connected with Napier. The trade, they say, will go to tho latter place if a railway connects these towns. Napier has lost tho trade of the southern part of Hawke's Bay, and has gone back. Gisborne people have Gisborne-Motu on tho brain. Vaile, of Auckland, wants Gisborne-Motu and Botorua for Auckland, and his description of how the survey of the Napier-'Wairoa-Gisborne-Opotiki line runs shows his ignorance of tho whole subject.” In tho course of the Maxwell shooting case, heard at Napier this week, Mr Lusk said it was the intention of tho husband and wife to go home to their people in Ireland. Maxwell had only arrived there in March last for the benefit of his health, from South Africa, where he had been a lieutenant in His Majesty’s forces. It was not as if they were without means. The wife was prepared to got someone to look after her husband. They were both very fond of each other. His Honor said he had tho public safety to consider, still he was willing to temper justice with mercy, it was plain that accused was not of the ordinary criminal class, but it was difficult to know what to do in such a case. lie would remand prisoner until next Tuesday, for the report of the probation officer.

Wesley Church Services, to-morrow (Sunday).—ll a.m., Rev. B. F. Rothwell, subject “ The Apostle at the Devil’s Fire ” ; 7 p.m., Rev. J. C. Martin, Baptist Minister, from Napier.

St. Andrew’s Church Services, to-morrow (Sunday).—Morning 11, llev. J. C. Martin, of Napier; evening 7, subject “ Men that are on the Down Grade and not able to find a Brake.”—llev. J. G. Paterson. Homan Catholic Church Services, to-morrow (Sunday).—Gisborne, Mass 8 and 11 a.m., Vespers 7 p.m.; Makaraka, Mass 9 a.m.; Ormond, Mass 11 a.m.—Bev. T. Mulvihill.