CROWN LANDS DEPARTMENT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVIII, Issue 6145, 28 July 1881, Page 6

CROWN LANDS DEPARTMENT.

! IMPORTANT-REPORT. [BT TE LEORAFH. —SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.] ; Welmngtoh,'"Wednesday. The report of the Crown Lands Department waa tabled to-day. A large proportion is occupied with statistics already made public. In reference to the deferred payment system the report says Under the deferred payment system since its introduction in' 1572 many districts have been settled' that : under the cash system would-still have remained' forest or sheep-walks, whereas we now have had up" to date 8925 persons, who have selected 894,094: acres, of which; 259,550 acres have been made freehold by fulfilment of conditions, and each succeeding year will add by increasing quantities to the total area made freehold as the. ten years of each selector runs out. It is very easy, however, to overdo the deferred payment system in a : district, because, a3 already stated, its tendency i 3 to induce peoplo to settle on land be- • fore they are ready. In such cases the settlers ; resource is to find occasional employment in his neighbourhood. :It becomes, therefore, necessary in opening this system to consider the surroundings, and to have in view the evils arising from having too many of the dependent class of settlers brought together in the same district. As a general rule about one-third of the deferred payment and two-thirds on immediate payment does very well in a large jblock. > This was the proportion observed in the settle-" ment of the .Waimate Plains, also at Kairanga and other, bush -blocks. Respecting village settlement, the report remarks: There are at the .date of this report ah aggregate of 1362 sections. from J to 50 acres each open for selection on the village settlement conditions in thirty-two districts on deferred : payments; 153,500 acres in 710 sections; on agricultural^lease about 400,100 acres, of which 42,034 acres are surveyed into 402 sections on homestead, 700,000 acres in twenty-seven blocks open for selection. All the surveyed sections are mapped and published, and photographed plans are obtainable at the Land Offices of the various districts in which they are situated." Relative to Crown lands held on pastoral lease or license, it is stated that the total area held is 12,382,614 acres, in 946 run 3, all in the Middle Island, with the exception of 33 runs, comprising 260,215 acres, in the North Island. After repeating the decisions of the Government (already published) in regard to the Otago runs, which fall in in March, 1833, the report proceeds to say At present there are only about 7000 persons, inclusive of miners, shepherds, tradesmen, and their families, occupying an area of upwards of 3,000,000 acres, or considerably less than two persons to the square mile.. It is, therefore, .manifest that this handful of people can never be supposed to be equal to the settlement of so extensive an area within the next eighteen months, unless their numbers are recruited from without. In. connection with this matter, it ought to be mentioned that 12 runs, comprising 330,000 acres of Education reserves will also have to be dealt with at the same time. The administration is with the School Commissioners, but as the dealing with all these lands i 3 one in which the public is concerned, it would be well to consult the commissioners a3 to their intentions, so that the public might have notice." The report next deals with the rabbit nuisance as follows:— "Closely connected with the settlement of the country is the ilifficulty of coping with this evil. It can be kept under by poisoning, shooting, and introduction of animals, but where there is a region of broken back country the contest has to be maintained from season to season at great expense, -which is mainly partially met by the sale of skins. The carrying capacity of the infested country is, of course, seriously diminished, and some of the higher lying runs have been abandoned altogether very much from this cause. This, in itself, would not be so material were it not that the abandoned country becomes the breeding ground for fresh hordes, which overrun the lower occupied country. It is manifest that any partial treatment is unequal to the suppression of an evil which now affects several millions of acres of Crown aud freehold land. Rigorous concerted action is necessary, and this cannot be expected of district associations unless under the compulsion and direction of one authority. It therefore devolves on Government t» possess itself of power that will require every person to keep his ground clear on pain of severe penalties. This implies that the Government must claar the unoccuplied Ciown lands, and if these measures succeed in reducing the pest to small dimensions, as certainly they would, the expense would be far more than recouped in the increased carrying capacity of the country, and the greater rentals that would be got in reletting. Increasing the number of runs and holdings will in one way tend to diminish the evil by having more persons to contend against it, but on the increase of settlers there will be still greater need' for Government inspection of rabbit districts, because the neglect of two or three persons in a district to keep their ground clear would render abortive in a great measure the efforts who did." The following general remarks are given in conclusion: —"There were for the twelve months ended 31st March last an area of 448,463 acres of native land purchase blocks proclaimed Crown lands. As the area disposed of during the same period was 239,664 acres, there is a gain in the total area of Crown lands, which, in round numbers comprise nearly 34,000,000 acres. Of this, 9,000,000 acres are worthless for settlement, consisting of barren mountain plains and lakes. Of. the 25,000,000 acres left, one-half is at present let on pastoral leases, and the greater part of the other half is under forest. Leaving the Otago runs out of consideration, and some similar open country in Canterbury and Southland, we have to look to the North Island as the place where settlement on the small farm scale of from 50 to 320 acres is likely to be most active during the next year or two. The settler in the North Island ha 3 much to contend with in the fern, bush, and swamp, but there is a kindliness in the climate that makes amends for much, and once the grass takes, the hard work is forgotten. It is a country that greatly wants opening, and there are many warm interior valleys where sub-tropical fruits would flourish, and where a large population might find a home, and livelihood on a eomparatively small scale. In the administration of so vast an estate as the Crown lands, the functions of the department need not be restricted to the mere passive sale of so many acres of lands, but should be aggressive in the sense of opening the lands by roads and surveys, and, having opened them, make known their qualities, whether of soil, timber, or mineral products, by the publication of maps and Crown lands guides, and on occasion assist in the collection and dissemination of information bearing on the introduction of new industries, such as silk, olive, and vine culture, all of which have a direct bearing on the settlement of Crown lands."