Eleven Land Ballots Within Next Few Weeks For Servicemen Settlement

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26559, 6 September 1947, Page 8

Eleven Land Ballots Within Next Few Weeks For Servicemen Settlement

Ballots for the settlement of ex-servicemen on 11 sections of land in the Otago district will be conducted by the Department of Lands and Survey in Dunedin during the next few weeks. Already a number of applications for participation in the ballots have been received from ex-servicemen with the necessary qualifications, and further applications are invited by the Department. It is expected that a good number of names will go to the ballot for each section of land. All ballots will be conducted in the office of the Commissioner of Crown Lands, in the Chief Post Office building in Dunedin, beginning at 10.30 a.m.

The first ballots will be held next Wednesday for one section at Viewmont and one near Kelso. _ The Viewmont section, of 744 acres, is five miles north-east of Waikaka and 15 miles from Gore. It was purchased from Mr M. Kirkpatrick in 1945. The buildings consist of an old seven-roomed dwelling, a sound woolshed, and various other outbuildings. Another section of the Viewmont farm settlement has already been allotted to an ex-serviceman. The other section being ballotted for is nine miles south-west of Kelso and six miles from the Waikaka railway station. It comprises 508 acres and was acquired from Mr J. A. Fleming last July. There is a full range of buildings in good order. Island Cliff Block On September 22 a section of 393 acres at the Island Cliff farm settlement will be balloted for. The Island Cliff block is a composite one. The original purchase by the department in 1944 was made from Island Cliff, Ltd., and subsequently land was acquired from Messrs J. and G. Gardiner, J. Wilds, and G. A. G. Harrison. While only one section is being balloted for, ne others will become available to ex-servicemen later. The buidings on the section for ballot include a fivemmed house. Ballots for four sections—two at the Arclif farm settlement and two at Clinton—will take place on September 24. One section of the Arclif farm settlement comprises 2325 acres and the other 566 acres. Both are 18 miles east of Gore and between three and four miles from the Arthurton Railway Station. There is a new five-roomed house on the larger property and a sound five-roomed dwelling on the other, while both have adequate outbuildings. The department has been developing both sections for some years. The two Clinton sections are of 297 acres and 331 acres, both being acquired last year from Mr W. J. Roberts, of Clinton. The first section is situated a mile and a-half north of the Clinton Railway Station and has a seven-roomed house and all outbuildings. The second section is two miles and a-half north of the railway station, and the buildings consist of a new five-roomed dwelling, a new implement shed and store shed. All of these sections will be permanently allotted to the successful applicants. Undefined Sections On October 1, ballots will be conducted for three undefined sections in the Awamangu farm settlement, and about that date a ballot will be held for one undefined section in, the Taipo Hill farm settlement. The successful applicants for the Taipo Hill and Awamangu sections will be employed on the farm blocks on wages, with the ..promise of a section. The particular section to be allotted to each man on a block will be decided by a further ballot (among the men so employed) at the end of the development programme. The Awamangu farm settlement is situated on the Hillend road 10 miles north-west of the Balclutha Railway Station. The area comprises approximately 2944 acres, and will probably be divided into five units ranging from 366 acres to 725 acres. The block was purchased from Messrs Gordon and Bews and Mr Thomas Gordon. The Taipo Hill farm- settlement is of approximately 462 acres and was acquired from Mr and Mrs W. Rayne. It is situated eight miles south of Oamaru and one mile from the Teschemakers Railway Station. Development work has been carried out by the department on all the properties except that acquired from Mr Fleming, near Kelso.