THE BLACKSTONE HILL RUNS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13421, 23 October 1905, Page 4 (Supplement)

THE BLACKSTONE HILL RUNS.

TO THE EDITOR. Sm,~l have read with interest the letters from your various correspondents on the subject. Your correspondent "Anxious Inquirer" is, I am sure, only ono of maliy who would like to know something of the nature of the country in question.

will take the Lauder run to begin with. This property is portion of the Dimstaii Range, the majority of it being under snow for fully seven months of the year. It consists of high mountainous country, reaching an altitude of something approaching 5000 ft. above sea level. The sheep are grazed on the tops from the time of shearing (January) until the end of April (practically four months' grazing), when they arc mustered in and put below the snow-line fences until sheurina time conies round again. About 3000 acres only of this property, including the freehold, can be termed suitable for lambing, or, in other words, you have sufficient lambing country for about 1500 breeding ewes. This number not being anything like sufficient to keep Tip your flock one would bo compelled to buy young sheep every year to replueo the culls and make up for your death rate. It goes without saying tii.it a property such as described is only suitable to work in with other lowlying lambing country, and is quito unworkable without such.

Wo will noiv pass on to Home Hills. They comprise runs 227, 227 a, and run 445, the latter licing portion of Hawkdun Range, including Mount Ida (0000 ft high). The Lauder and Home Hills runs have a total area, of 117,632 acres. As in the ease of the Lauder Range, tho sheep are'mustered off in the beginning of May, and a portion of them wintered on ihe Home Hills, which consists of rough, hilly country, ascending to a height of over 3000 ft, the balance going on to the lower and sunny slopes of Mount, Ida. To give some idea of the safety of this country during winter, I mav state that in 1895 out of a flock of 8000 noggets wintering on Home Hills only a. few hundreds were shorn, and later,' in 1903, the same thing happened, 1400 remaining to be shorn out of something iiko 7000. Tha total loss in 1695 011 Lander and Home Hills totalled over 33,000, and in 1903 fully a third perished of the total flook. The fall of snow ill 1903 being more general than in tho former storm, the breeding flock on Blaekstone Hill was also seriously affected. No portion of the Home Hills "run is at all suitable for lambing, 1 understand it was once tried, but tho increase was anything hut eneonraing. Now wo come to Blaokstone Hill proper (the wet nurse for the whole property), comprising 16.354 acres. This saie little property is now all that is loft of the original Blaekstono Hill run. The present lessees, finding it. impossible to carry on Lauder and Home Hills without some lambing country, purchased Black-tone Hill privately from its late owner, Mr T. G. Fogson. It then - included Rough Ridge and Highfield, in all about 40,000 'acres. Within six months, however, of the purchase they were notified by the Government that tho runs in question were required for closer , settlement, and almost immediately they lost possession of portion of Rough Ridec and tho upper end of BlackKtone Hill. Since then it has gone bit by bit and acre by acre. The remnant left- is nowthreatened. I think I have shown your readers pretty conclusively that the small portion of Blaekstone Hill still remaining is practically the life of the other two properties. It is, iu fact, tho nursery whereon t-h« young stock is reared to lceop up the stock 011 117,682 acres of country that would bo otherwise unproductive, and I maintain that to. fake tho low country from the high would be tho height of folly. To, give you a further idea of the nature of tho high country included in Home Hills and Lauder. 1 ' I may mention that the annua! rental of these runs, comprising 117,632 acres, is £500, whereas Blaekstone Hill, comprising 16,354 acres, carries a rental of £465 7s 6d.

Tho figures alone will bear out my argument, and further comment is needless. The future settlement of this country is a large question, and wants careful consideration. It i 6 not so much a question of justice to tho present lessees »s it in one of what is best to do with tho high country so that it may be profitably worked both to tho individual and the State.—l am, etc., Snowgiuss.