LAND SETTLEMENT.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1196, 1 February 1895, Page 8

LAND SETTLEMENT.

The Government are gradually disposing of what remains of the Cheviot estate > and in spite of the strictures of the Opposition press the shrewd and hard-headed farmer still gives pi'actical evidence of his faith in the property by investing his savings in it.:.There was a sale at Christchurch of Cheviot sections on Wednesday last, when 8 sections were sold for £lO3 cash, and 17 sections were leased for £257 a year. The annual revenue from Cheviot leases amounts to about £14,000, and about £35,000 has been derived from cash sales to set against the £260,000 paid for the estate. In fine, the estate is yielding about £> per cent., or a profit of about 11 per cent. There are a few remnants still to be disposed of. As land is greatly needed in the neighbourhood of Oamaru for the purposes of close settlement, the Government, some time since made an offer for the Ardgowan estate, which adjoins the Town Belt on the western side, of Oamaru. Th§ offer has been declined, and the Government have therefore decided to take the estate under the powers contained in the Land for Settlements Act. It is the property of the New Zealand and Australian Land Company, and has an area of about 4000 acres. It is good agricultural land, well suited for subdivision into small sections. This will be the first occasion for exercising the compulsory powers of the Act. Several other offers have been made by the Government for land in the Oamaru district, but this is the only instance in which a reply has been received so far. N Plans are being prepared in the Survey Office for a land sale at Hunterville on the 11th March, when the following sections will be offered : Village homestead sections (for lease in perpetuity) situated in the villages of Marshall, West Waitapu, Welford and Poukiore, all in the county of Rangitikei, and containing in all 77 acres, in.areas ranging from two to 22 acre%; forfeited sections (for cash) at Hunterville and Waitapu, containing in all 24 acres, in areas rangingfrom one to 10 acres; three public reserves (for lease) at Hunterville and Marshall.

Dunedin, January 24. For ten subdivisions of what was part of the Taieri Lake Station, held by" Mr Scobie Mackenzie, 420 applications were received by the Land Department, the bulk of the applications being for two sections. Balloting took place to-day.