LAND FOR SETTLEMENT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume L, Issue 15261, 27 March 1913, Page 5

LAND FOR SETTLEMENT.

AREAS IN THE PROVINCE.

A BALLOT TO-MORROW.

The Lands Department has opened for selection during the present month a total area of 156,013 acres of land in various parts of the Dominion, of which about 47,000 acres, divided into 112 sections, are in the Auckland province. The keenness of the demand for Crown Lands may be indicated by the fact that the Auckland applications, which closed yesterday, numbered' 4257. The number of applicants was 1092, and some of these applied for six or seven different sections. This is the first big land ballot in which it has been provided that preference will be given to landless applicants who have children dependant on them, or who have within the preceding two years been twice unsuccessful at former ballots, and owing to this provision about 35 per cent, of the present applicants will find themselves rejected.

In addition to the large number of applications received, about 100 came too late, and were consequently thrown out. The applicants are nearly all farmers' sons, or farmers with small holdings, and about 96 per cent, of them applied under the clause giving the occupants the right of purchase. Although several of the applicants applied for more than one of the sections, a limit is placed upon the amount of land one man can take up, as, for instance, no man can take more than 640 acres of first-class land.

A very large proportion of the applications are for land in the Hauraki Plains, and these will be examined by the Land Board to-day at 10 a.m. The ballot for the Auckland area will be held to-morrow, commencing at 10 a.m.