HATUMA SETTLEMENT

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 11831, 29 April 1901, Page 4

HATUMA SETTLEMENT

BALLOT AT WAIPUKURAU, THE RESULT. [by our special reporter.]

The first big effort of the Liberal Government in carrying ont its avow.ed policy of “bursting up” large estates in Hawke’s Bay by compulsorily seizing them for close settlement purposes may be said to have commenced in real earnest on Saturday This was the ballot for the Hatuma Estate, the subject of such protracted legal proceedings between Mr Purvis Bussell, the late owner, on the one hand, and the Government on the other, which had as their result the payment of the Court’s finding to Mr Bussell, and the refusal of the Government to allow the late owner to ransom his property for .£60,000.

The ballot tor Hatuma has elicited the keenest interest of prospective settlers for weeks, and large numbers have poured into Waipukurau to inspect the sections available for allotment, and to await the result. Many of them are strangers to Hawke’s Bay, being settlers from other parts—a fine, sturdy lot, whom any community might feel glad to have in its midst. These men, too, have all saved a little, and are anxious, if successful, to share in developing the new settlement. In proof that those who had come to participate in the ballot were a desirable class of settlers it may bo stated that the capital value of the applicants, according to the statement of assets filled

in by each man before his form could be accepted, was estimated at .£IOO,OOO, while the Receiver of Land Revenue daring the fortnight terminating with Saturday’s ballot, took between £16,000 and £17,000 in deposit money. liawko’S Bay applicants on the whole were allotted a fair proportion of the estate, for out of the 57 sections offered 37 went to residents in thia district, the remainder being divided between settlers in various parts of the colony, from Canterbury and Marlborough in the South Island to Wellington, Taranaki, Wanganui, Wairarapa, and Manawatu in the

North. Hatuma, to those who do not know the locality intimately, it may be explained, is situated 50 miles from Napier, on the main trunk railway, and lies between Mr Sydney Johnston’s Oruawharo estate and the Arlington estate (Mr W. L. Newman’s). The township of Waipukurau adjoins the property on the north-east, and the township of Takapau is distant about four miles from the western boun-

dary of the property, and Waipawa is nine miles. The main trunk line runs through the settlement for eight miles, with a railway siding at tho Hatuma township reserve. The altitude of this country varies from 500 ft to 1900 ft above sea level. The 25,737 acres offered for selection have been subdivided into 54 farms on lease in perpetuity and tout small grazing runs. The size of the farms varies from 111 acres to 774 acres, and

the small grazing runs from 1134 acres to 1509 acres. The existing fences have been utilised to the best advantage as boundaries of sections. A township reserve of 221 acres has been set apart for future sub-division into small lots, while a school site of five acres, and other public reserves have also been laid off. .

The estate, when worked by Mr Purvis Bussell, carried 39,000 sheep and 850 cattle, and is said to have yielded during the past few years a net income of ,£9536 per annum. The land offered for selection on Saturday is rented at about, £7643 per annum. This is exclusive of the village reserve of 221 acres not yet put on the market, the rent from which is estimated at £IOO pet annum. The rents have been carefully ascertained by two competent valuers, who have determined the relative value of every section in the estate, so that each farm, according to its rent, is of relatively the same value as any other. During the past eight years Mr Bussell is said to have spent upon improvements £13,600. These improvements were in the direction of grass seed sowing, draining, ploughing, fencing, and buildings. Most of the buildings have been separately valued, and these values have been reduced-considerably, as it was conceded that there are on the homestead, for instance, more buildings than are required lot the working of a farm of 962 sores.

The mansion-house (which fell to the lot of a Taranaki settler) alone is said to have cost £2400, but it was now offered at a rent based on a capital value of £IOOO. The other cottages on the estate were reduced somewhat in the same proportion. Should the selector of the homestead desire to sell and remove any of the houses which be does not require, he can do so on paying the purchase money practically to his own credit, and reducing his’ rent in consequence. Thus, if he desires to sell the manager’s house, he can pay £l5O into the Land for Settlements account, and his rent would be reduced by £ll 14s par annum. It is the intention of the Government to construct a passable road to every section within a reasonable time. The agricultural land is for lease for 999 years, and the pastoral land for 21 years, with the rights of renewal at the then unimproved value for further periods of 21 years. 4'be ballot was originally announced for 2 p.m. on Saturday. There were many, however, who had been waiting days at Waipukuran from the South, and at their solicitations the Crown Lands Commissioner telegraphed to Wellington asking that the prooeedinge might commence earlier, to enable the visitors to return to their homes by the same day’s train. This was agreed to by the Minister for lands, and accordingly a start was mads at 10,45 a.m., at which hoar the Town Hall was already full. The ballot was under the supervision of Mr E. C. Sold Smith, with Messrs P. Sow, P. O’Donnell, and W. M’Donald as scrutineers, while the members of the Hawke’s Bay Land Board (Messrs Hall, M.H.R, Hyde, and Groom) and the Hon. W. C Sfpith, M.L.C., were also present. The Comoriseioner bad assisting him Mr F. Bull, Lana Seventje Receiver, and Messrs W. Eobetlson, J. G. Clare, and T. Tudhope, fronj the Napier Lands Office, the ballot beipg most expeditiously worked and highly creditable to the Department, The following were the successful applicants, the amonnt stated in psoh instance being the half-yearly rent WAIPUKUB4tf SUBTEV WSTBICT.

Section 1, block 13, 326 acres 1 rood, J843 9a, Lara Peter Hemmingeen, Waipawa. Two applicants. Section 2, block 13, 427 acres 2 roods, .£54 Ba. Kobort Powrie, Chriatohnrob. Sixteen applioanta. Value of improvements (which go with the land) .£4B 7s 6d.

Section 3, block 13, 457 acres, £SO 18s, B. B. Thomas, Papakura. Six applicants. Section 4, block 13, 458 acres, £62 13s, James. Kilpatrick, Cantsrbury. Eleven applicants. Improvements £39 la 3d. Section 5, block 13, 3J-0 acres 2 roods, £4l 7s, C, M. Stevenson, Wellington. Seven applicants. Section 1, block 14, 459 acres 2 roods, £B3 3s, Patrick Windle, Hastings. Fiftyseyen applicants. Improvements £79 7s r'ection 3, block 14, 557 acres, £B7 10a, Albert Eood, Tikokino. Thirty-nine applicants. Improvements £69 17s 6d. section 4, block 14, 926 acres, £156 lls, and £65 2s 7d (interest and sinking fund on foldings valued at £1870), repayable in 21 years by half-yearly instalments of £BS 2s 7d. total half-yearly payments £221 13s 7d, Charlotte Mellon, Taranaki. Five applicants. There ere about 20 acres comprised in garden, orchard, and plantations. The improvements, which do not go with the land, consist of the maii; ! °n-honse, of 20 rooms, valued at £1000; manager's house, va!3 a d at £150; cottage, valued at £75 j and bakehouse, valued at £25; new stables, valued at £300) implement-shed and loose-boxes, valued at £4O and £2O respejtively j dairy, woolshed, &o, valued at £3O; and engine-shed, valued at £3O; total value, £1670. The improvements which go with the land consist of half-value of 318 chains of boundary fencing, valued at £39 2s 6s, and 476 chains of paddock fencing valued at £119; total value of fencing £159 2s 6d. This section is situated a mile and a half from Waipuknran village.

MOTHOTARIA SORVISy WSTEfOT. Section 2, block 1, 259 sores, £35 6s, Lizzie Northe, Petone, Wellington. Six applicants. Improvements £l3 2s fid. Section 3, block 1, 388 acres, £66 6s, Agnes Musson, Hastings. Six applicants. Improvements £9 12s 3d, Section 4, block 1, 310 acres 2 roods, £SB Us, Stephen Edward Powrie, Christchurch. Eleven applicants. Improvements £3l 8s od.

Section 6, block I, 306 acres, £SO 16s, Amelia Norris, Kopua. Seventeen applicants, Improvements £27 17s 6d. Section 6, block X, 176 acres 2 roods, £2l 19s, M. Thomson, Fairfield, Onga Onga Twenty-two applicants. Section 7, MS acres, £2l 10s, Sophia Sutherland, Danevicke. Twenty-nine applicants. Section 8, 149 acres, £22 19s, William Francis Griffin, Masterton. Forty-three applicants. Improvements £l2 17s 6d.

Section 9, block 1, 188 acres, £25 12s, Henry Thomas Wright, Danevirke Twenty-nine applicants. Improvements £ll ss.

Section 10, block 1, 179 acres, £29 4s, James Neagle, Danevirke. Twenty applicants.

Section 11, block 1, 157 acres 2 roods, £26 3s, Albert S. Black, Waipawa. Thirty-three applicants. Section 12, block 1, 138 acres 2 roods, £23, John Lawther, Wbetnknra, Hawke’s Bay. Thirty-three applicants, Improvements §lO JBi Bd,

Section 13, block 1, 215 acres 2 roods, £36 16s, Robert H. Falconer, Takapau. Twenty-six applicants. Section 14, block 1, 336 acres 2 roods, £55 18s, Axel T. Jensen, Danevirke. Eighteen applicants. Section 15, block 1, 337 acres 2 roods, £54 16s, Fred Janett, Hastwell, Wairarapa. Twenty-two applicants. Improvements £l9 7s 6d. Section 16, block 1, 350 acres, £6l ss, Alexander Mitchell, Blenheim. Seventeen applicants. Improvements £7 6s 3d.

Section 17, block 1, 376 acres, £57 19a, C. D. H. Bohroder, Kaikoura, Marlborough. Eight applicants. Improvements £7 10a.

Section 18, block 1, 247 acres, £4B Bs, Charles Coombes, Woodville. Seven applicants. Section 19, block 1,190 acres, £39 10s, John Williamson, Maaterton. Seven applicants. Improvements £l7 8s 9d. Section 1, block 2, 251 acres, £46 18s, John C. Burrell, Christchurch. Three applicants. Improvements £6 10s. Section 2, block 2, 222 acres, £3B 17s, Emily M. de la Haye, Woodville. Seven applicants. Improvements £0 Ss Gd. Section 3, block 2, 111 acres 2 roods, £l6 4s, James H Sinclair, Patangata, Twenty-three applicants. Section 4, block 2, 124 acres 2 roods, £l9 4s, Franoies Muirhead, Waipukurau. Twenty-seven applicants. Section 5, block 2, 185 acres, £36 ss, Walter Culling, Masterton. Eleven applicants. Improvements £l3 2s 6d. Section 6, block 2, 195 acres, £4O Us, William F. Withey, Foxton. Nine applicants. Improvements £l2 7s 6d. Section 1, block 1, 332 acres, £59 2s, Francis John Bassett, Ohau. Twelve applicants. Section 1, block 5, 584 acres 2 roods,

£79 12s, Thomas Butler, Waipawa Twenty applicants. Section 2, block 5,704 acres, £llO 12a, Patrick Keys, Clive. Thirteen applicants. Improvements £47 9s. Section 3, block 5, 319 acres, £55 16s, R. L. Muir, Waverley. Nine applicants. Section 4, block 5, 328 acres, £57 Ss, Robert Rennie, Marlborough. 'Eight applicants. Improvements £l3. Section 5, block 5, 651 acres, £IOB 2s, Murdoch M* Fay, Havelock North. Fifteen applicants. Improvements £33. Section 6, block 5, 324 acres, £56 14s, George Edward Merrikin, Mangatarata. Thirteen applicants. Section 7, block 5, 662 acres, £Bl 12a, Robert Dongall, Wanganui. Fourteen applicants. Improvements £3O 6s. Section 8, block 5, 612 acres 2 roods, £B7 2s, Catherine M’Rao, Havelock North Ten applicants. Improvements £35 14s.

TAKAPAU DISTRICT. Section 1. block 4,256 acres, £42105, M. M’Kay, Takapau. Seven applicants. Section 2, block 4, 257 acres 1 rood, £42 14, Susan Lavery, Hatuma. Nineteen applicants. Improvements £24 17s. Section 3, block 4, 310 acres 2 roods, £54 7s, James O’Connor, Aahoott, Takapan. Eight applicants. Improvements £ls 17s 6d.

Section 4, block 4, 310 acres, £55 4s, William Morris, Waipawa. Fifteen applicants. Improvements £2l. Section 6, block 4, 307 acres 2 roods, Edward Smyth, Kumeroa. Sixteen applicants. Improvements JOS 12s 6d. Section 1, block 8, 341 acres 1 rood, £OO 15s, Mary Moloney, Puketapu. Eleven applicants. Improvements £46 10a. Section 2, block 8, 676 acres 1 rood, £92 2s, Alexander Lavery, Hatnma. Twentysix applicants. Improvement £46 16s. Section 3, block 8, 782 acres, £lO6 10s, T. H. Groome, Te Ante. Twenty-eight applicants. Improvements £BS. Section 4, block 8,458 acres 1 rood, £B2 7s 3d, Biohard Workman, Marlborough. Thirty applicants. Improvements £34 16s.

Section 6, block 8, 701 acres, £99 13s, William M’Gaffln, Hastings. Nine applicants. Improvements £39 11s. Section 9, block 8,878 sores, £132 19s, L. H. P. Wilson, Woodville. Thirty-two applicants. Improvements £27. Section I, block 14,716 acres, £65 2s 7d, L, C. Katbbone, Waipawa. SMALL GRAZING RUNS—TAKAPAU. Section 6, block 8,1217 acres, £157 17s, Langley Shaw, Korokipo. Twenty-two applicants. Improvements £125 3s. faction 7, block 8,1134 acres, £l3O 15s, G. E. Groome, Te Ante. Fourteen applicants. Improvements £99 12s. Section 8, block 8,1500 acres 3 roods, £232 14s, P. F. Wall, Psromata, Wellington. Ton applicants. Section 2, block 14,1168 acres, £95 10s, B, J. Fleming, Wsipuknrau. Improvements £5.