LAND SETTLEMENT.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1266, 4 June 1896, Page 6

LAND SETTLEMENT.

Mr Barron (Under-Secretary for Lauds) Mr Hay (Resident Engineer), and Captain Turner (of the Lauds and Survey Department) have just completed a tour of the Forty-Mile Bush, taken for the purposo of inspecting the special settlements in tho neighbourhood of Pongaroa, between Pahiatua and the East Coast. _ Their object was to ascertain the disabilities and grievances from which the new settlers and others employed on the cooperative works an; alleged to bo suffering. 'The inspection lasted for several days, during which a considerable amount of information was obtained. It is understood that as a. result of Ibis trip a report will probably be furnished to the Minister of hinds setting forth that the intermittent system is not working smoothly. The resident .settler.,, some of whom have their wive:; and families to maintain, are compelled to pay high prices for thonece.saiiesof Hie, a.; they are a longdistance from a market, and their stores have to be packed over somewhat bad roads. Owing to their only being allowed to work for two ~r three months at a time, and then subjected to a month or two of enforced idleness, the; arc scarcely able to pay their way. In'some cases, where good clearings have been made and a considerable area is in grass, the settlers are unable to provide win- for fencing nurposes, while in not a few instances the feed is rotting because {ho settlors are unable to purchase stock. The remedy, it is suggested, is to give the men continuous work on the road';, say, for eight or nine months in (h • year, leaving them to devote the remainder of the. time to effecting improvements. The visitors were agreeably surprised at tho large amount of work which has been done on the various sections. Mr A. W. Hogg, M.H.R., has been interviewing the officers of the Advances to Settlers Department, suggesting that some steps should bo taken to assist the settlers in obtaining tho advantages of cheap money, as they have valuable assets in many instances, and if small sums were advanced to them the Lands and Survey Department would bo relieved of tho great pressure which is being put upon them to liud work on tho roads.

Preparations are being made by tho Lands and Survey Department for tho disposal of the Ilighbank estate, Canterbury, which is situated on the southern sido of tho Rakaia Fiver, about 10 miles inland from Fakaia township and railway station, and three miles and a half from Mothven railway station. 'The land is open, level and agricultural of very even and good quality. 'The whole of the estate has been cultivated and cropped, grows English grasses freely, and is maiuly in grass now. 'The laud affords facilities for easy and economical mum ' y i -' 11 ■ -

a healthy and good fattening country for stock. It is divided into S2 sections ranging in area from 1 acre to 639 acres, the total area of the estate being 0035 acres. It will bo open for selection on the lease in perpetuity system on Juno 21th. On June 22nd, at Temuka, the Orakipaoa Settlement, of 381 acres first-class laud, will be open for selection on lease in perpetuity. The settlement, which is divided into 27 sections ranging in area from 5 acres to 5S acres, is situated on tho north bank of tho Temuka River, about two miles south-east of the town of Temuka and two and a half miles distant from the Temuka Railway Station. Tho whole area has produced excellent crops, and wis nearly all under crop this season. The department have just completed a pamphlet containing full particulars of the Omaka estate, Marlborough, which will bo disposed of on June 21th. The pamphlet is illustrated with several tine views of various portions of tho estate, and contains a completo map of the property.