TARANAKI LAND SALES.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume I, Issue 18, 12 June 1880, Page 4

TARANAKI LAND SALES.

TO THK EDITOR OF THE STAR.

Sir, — I see by your last issue that "Truth" questions the accuracy of my remarks re cost of survey and land sales in the Taranaki district.

While thanking him for statistics on which to base my calculations, I beg to remark that I do not generally write misleading statements, or about things I know nothing about. " Truth " states that the land sales for the post six years have reached .£115,000, say .£120,000, to make the computation easy. Now, fully threefourths of this represents deferred payments, not actual cash sales, or, in other words, instead of £120,000 cash for six years, it has been, say £30,000. I believe it is far less; the Crown Lands Commissioner might furnish

the exact amount. Of this amount, the Harbor Board has received a fourth, or say .£7,500 ; Road Boards a fourth, another .£7,500; and without any other expenses, it would leave .£15,000 to pay six years' cost of survey. The survey department costs ovoi .£B,OOO per annum, or some .£50,000 for the last six years. And perhaps "Truth" can enlighten the public how the cost of survey has been met out of land sales ; for he must recollect that the .£115,000 of land sales have not been cash, while the ,£50,000 of survey have been cash payments. lam still of opinion that my assertions are right ; for lam prepared to go further," and show that with the interest of about £200,000 of railways to pay every year, this district really has all its land revenue absorbed, without noticing the monies paid to harbor or road boards, which still makes my assertion true that the Harbor Board takes 25 per cent, of land sales, and the survey expenses are paid by the colony. With regard to the wild assertion about the .£11 5,000 being enough to pay the survey expenses of Taranaki and Wellington for the last six years, I have no exact data, but am certain that .£115,000 would not pay survey expenses in Wellington district alone without Taranaki. — I am, &c, Colonist.