The Southland Runs.

Otago Witness, Issue 1584, 1 April 1882, Page 23

The Southland Runs.

At a recent meeting of the Southland Land Board an important report was read from Messrs Mitchell and Toshach, members of the Board, with regard to a number of runs the leases of which fall in in 1883. The Southland Times says :— "Mr Mitchell and Mr Toshach spent eight days in laborious inspection of the runs in the Western district, going as far north as the Mararoa River, and as far east as the Apariina. They had the great advantage of the Chief Surveyor's guidance and assistance throughout their investigations. Their report reconmmnds a general policy in regard to the Southland runs, based on two peculiarities of the country. The Southland runs have not, like ihe runs of Otago, remained intact up to the expiry of the leases, but have been open since 1865 to free selection, first at £1 per acre, and then at £1 for pastoral and £2 for agricultural. The natural result followed, and they have been cut into on all hands alike by tho lessees and the general public, until, to use a common phrase, theeyes havebeen taken outof the wholecountry. Here and there, but always in out-of-the-way places, are to be found stretches of agricultural land still belonging to tho Crown, but with such exceptions, it may be said, in tho words of t.he report, that ' only the ref\i»o of the ];uid -fiinains in the hands of tho Crown.' This is a different state of things from that existing in Otago, where, between good agricultural land

and hill country, farms may be found suitable for pastoral deferred-payment settlement. But this is not all the difference between the two districts. The second peculiarity of the Southland runs is that they are even now overrun with rabbits, and that to an extent that seems to have startled the two commissioners of the Board and Mr Spence. It will be observed that the terms of the report on this point aro about as emphatic as they could well be. 'Over the entire area inspected by us the rabbit nuisance has prevailed to an almost incredible extent, and it is owing only to a comparatively cheap system of poisoning and extraordinary exertions on the part of the present lessees that the nuisance has not rendered the land - worthless.' The runs are now carry ing, after all that has been done, only onethird or less of the stock they carried before." The .Commissioners conclude their report thus : " Our visit of inspection' has deeply impressed us with the extent of ,the rabbit plague, the enormous loss it is annually entailing on the country— this part of it in particular, and the absolute necessity that exists for exterminating it at all hazards. We would therefore recommend a moderate uniform upset price of twopence (2d) per acre, and a tenure of at least 10 years. If the land be anywhere worth more, it will, in the absence of compensation, fetch its true market value." , The Commissioners recommend that on Run 173, 4350 acres be reserved for agricultural de-ferred-payment purposes, and generally that the others should be re-leased intact. In two or three cases only is subdivision recommended.