LAND SALE.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1200, 1 March 1895, Page 31

LAND SALE.

It is a long time since the Exchange Hall saw such an audience to witness a land sale as gathered within its walls : on Friday last. Every portion of the hall was packed. Mr T. Kennedy Macdonald, after reading the conditions of sale, spoke as to the character of the land he was about to submit, and made a stirring speech as to the folly of men in prominent positions constantly crying depression, when, as a matter of fact, the people of the country as a whole for some years past had been saving money and adding largely to the accumulated wealth of the country. The gospel for the people of New Zealand was faith, hope and courage in the future of their great country. All that New Zealand wanted from its people was belief in their destiny and the deter- ' mination and energy to g - o forward and prosper. Mr Macdonald's remarks were received with applause. The bidding throughout was exceedingly spirited. The third lot, a small unimproved bush section of 61 acres at Pahautanui, excited the keenest competition amongst half-a-dozen of the residents owning adjoining lands. Starting at a hid of .£2 per acre it jumped amid excited bids of 2s Gd, 5s and 10s per acre till «£7 2s 6d per acre was reached in the last bid. Another bush section of 121 acres, close to Linton, rose by rapid bids of 5s per acre until it was knocked down at £8 per acre. Some amusement was created when part of section 1b "Waha-o-te Marangai (Otaki)f containing some 36 acres was offered. This section was part of an old Maori reservation now Crown granted to the Company, and had been cleared by two Europeans who held occupation under some Maori lease. Mr Thompson, solicitor, protested against the sale of this section, but not content with this his client also addressed the auctioneer and audience, and naively informed them, amidst great laughter, that fully J 2120 had been spent on improvements, and that the Company had been offered £3 10s per acre for it by him, and moreover that the Companyhad no title to the section. The amusement of the audience culminated when, in response to the enquiry for bids, a lawyer in the city immediately offered 085 per ton, at which price he secured it. At the conclusion of the Railway Company's catalogue a number of improved dairy farms on the Manawatu line were offered, and 121 acres close to Shannon were sold for .£9 10s per acre. The sale throughout was a marked success, not only as to the number of lots sold and the prices realised, but in

the very large attendance of country settlers and their desire to invest capital in the purchase of land. Messrs T. Kennedy Macdonald and Co. (Limited) have to be congratulated on making their tenth sale of the Kail-way Company's lands as thoroughly satisfactory in every respect as any of its predecessors. The following is a list of the sections sold and the prices realised : Block X. —Paikakariki Survey District. Sec. a. r. p. Purchaser. Amount. £ s. d. 40 74 2 0 A. Niohol 145 5 6 57 90 1 0 T. Smith 135 7 6 9 61 3 0 G. &H. Galloway 439 19 4 Block IV —Belmont Survey District. 209 60 3 20 Anderson 79 2 9 Block lll.—Belmont Survey District. 73 67 0 17 W. Gardner 87 4 9 Block ll.—Port Nicholson Survey District. 83 118 3 8 W. Gaskin 267 6 0 # 318 0 0 J. McManamen 397 10 0 Block IX. —Port Nicholson Survey District. 9S 460 0 0 J. McManamen 667 0 0 Block 111. —Kaitawa Survey District. 17 55 2 35 F. J. Brown 156 0 3 18 77 2 9 J. Waugh 222 19 6 19 84 1 23 T. P. Taylor 379 15 6 f 35 3 25 C. W. Tanner 179 9 5 Block II. —Arawaru Survey District. 117 121 330 W. Coombes 975 10 0 Block ll.—Waiopehu Survey District. 16 112 0 0 P. Hanson 140 0 0 Block V. —Waiopehu Survey District. 36a 8 0 0 W. Gorrie 64 0 0 Total, 15 sections containing' 1746 a 2r 35p, realising 1 an average of <£2 9s 9d per acre 4336 10 6 Township op Manakau (Suburban). 6 0 2 0 Mrs Manson 15 0 0 Township op Shannon. 325 0 1 3 W. C. Stephens 12 10 0 J|J \ 8 0 1 J. Wallace 30 0 0 360 0 1 0 J. G. Chapman 12 0 0 Township of Manakau. 53 10 0 Mrs Bolton 19 0 0 Township op Ouau. |sj ] 2 0 0 E. Williams 60 0 0 85 1 0 16 G. Bettelani 30 0 0 Township op Paraparaumu. 7 £l ß } ° 221 T. Waters 45 0 0 7&8 l 0 0 J. G. Chapman 21 0 0 Total, 9 sections containing 14a 3r 14p, realising ... 244 10 0 Making a total of the Company's sale tions, .£4336 10s 6d; 9 town and suburban sections, .£244 10s 4581 0 6 In addition to the above the firm also sold on account of another vendor an improved farm, being Section No 8, Block XII., Mount Robinson Survey District, adjoining the Township of Shannon, to Mr John Mexted at .£9los per acre ... ... 1149 10 0 Grand total of sale ... .£5730 10 6 * Part original Native Reserve, f Part section No. Ib, of Waha-o-te Marangai (Otaki).