THE KAINGAROA PLAINS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIX, Issue 8888, 26 May 1892, Page 5

THE KAINGAROA PLAINS.

A paragraph extracted from a Hawko's Bay paper which was republished in yesterday's inane of the Herald stated that the Government intended to offer for sale at Napier at an early date, th large tract of country on the Taupo Road, known as the Kaingaroa Plains, and a Herald reporter yesterday interviewed Mr. (J. Mueller, Commissioner of Crown Lands, on the subject. Mr. Mueller considers the announcement must he a mistake for several reasons. In the first place the Kaingaroa Plains are in the Auckland land district, and would be dealt with here, not in Napier. Mr. Mueller submitted the land for sale as small grazing runs on the '28th April, but no bid was received, the reason, no doubt, being that the rentals for runs of this class aro pretty high, butsince then lie has received repeated inquiries as to whether the rentals | ! could be reduced. This, however, cannot hi.- done, as the rentals for small grazing runs are fixed by the Act. The lands can only be sold as small grazing runs, or as ordinary pastoral leases, and in the latter case the areas would be larger, and the rentals proportionately less. The Board has recommended the Government to declare l lie small grazing runs open for application, and Mr. Mueller quite expects that four or five of them will be applied for and taken up, notwithstanding the high rentals. It. is unusual to make any alteration in the prices fixed for land until they have been opened for application for at least a year, and he anticipates that any portions of the Plain not taken up by that time will be sold as pastoral leases.