THE WANGEPEKA SETTLEMENT.

Colonist, Volume XLIX, Issue 11990, 17 July 1907, Page 5 (Supplement)

THE WANGEPEKA SETTLEMENT.

THE BALLOT FOR SECTIONS.

The ballot for sections of the Wangap3ka estate took place on June the 27 at the Land Board Oflice in the presence of a considerable number of interested applicants and others. The estate which was recently acquired by the Government from the late Mr John Tinline, comprised some 6,167 acres, suitable for agricultural and grazing purposes. For the purposes of closer settlement the laud was cut up into seven subdivisions, comprising some sixteen sections, and there were altogether over forty applicants, the majority being from Canterbury and Otago, while there were alo several from the North Island, and one or two from the Nelson district. Before tbe ballbt. was taken the Commissioner of *>o"vwi Lands (Mr F. W. Flani^'i 1) exolained the conditions upon which the lands were being thrown op=*n for selection and said that the ballot was an important event in the history of land settlement in the Nelson District and augured well for tbe development of the back country. The applicants, he said, had been examined by the Land Board, as required by the Act, on the previous day, and some, for want of experience in agriculture and others on account of their inability to undertake the financial part of Jthe obligation, had been weeded out, but the applicants on the whole were a splendid class of settler. Many were from the South, and in a large measure the success of land settlement in the Wellington and Auckland districts was due to southern men. Some land vas taken up in Wellington twenty years ago, and in Auckland, some thirteen years ago. These districts had gone ahead by leaps and bounds, and he believed that now that land in the Nelson district was available for selection and was becoming better known, this district would advance more rapidly than it had done in the past. He strongly advised those who were unsuccessful at the ballot not to leave Nelson, and said that in Au gust some twenty or thirty thousand acres in the Maruia district would be thro fn open. After some further remarks, the Commissioner said the Land Board intended to encourage tbe sattler but would do all it could to keep down the land speculator. (Applause). The ballot was then proceeded with. Messrs Fergusson and Adams being appointed scrutineers, while the numbers were drawn by Mrs Cameron, tbe only lady present,. The sections were disposed of as follows • —

ORDINARY FARMS. Sub-division 1, section 22 , block xi, 539 acres. M. J. Corrigan, Waimate, South Canterbury; nine" approved applicants. Sub-division 2, section 17, block xi, 599 acres, D. S. Hanger, Becks, Otago; section 18, block xi, 347 acres, Angus McPherson, Pleasant Valley, Canterbury; four approvad applicants. Sub-division 3: section 19, block xi, 344 acres, W. Wattie, Christchurch ; sections 21 and 29, block xv, grouped as one allotment, 449 acres, Mrs Bessie B. Cameron, Nelson ; section 28, block xi, 243 acres, N. A. Hewitt, Asbburton, Canterbury; section 30, block 'xv, 138 acres, Charles Gray, Hawarden, Canterbury; eight approved applicants.

Sub-division 4: section 20, block xv, 477 acres, W. A. Gainsford, The Peaks, Canterbury ; section 27, block ix, 232 acres, Mrs Julia Hanger, Becks, Otago; section 9, block xv, 93 acres, Mrs Beatrice Cameron, Nelson. Sub-division 5; section 7, block k\, 105 acres, Thomas Cocker, Porirua, Wellington, being the only ap--1 icant, was granted the section. Sub-division 6: section 32, b10ck xv, 14 acres H. B. Jane, Hope Saddle ; section 33, block xv, 14 acres, Trßcy McCarthy, jnr., Baton ; two approved applicants. Sub-division 7: section 10, block xi, 1959 seres, small grazing run, Miss Hogan, Cheviot; three approved applicant?. * In sub-division 4 there are still v.vo sections to be disposed of comprising 322 acres and 385 acres respectively, and an allotment of 105 acres subdivision 5 was not taken up, but it is notj anticipated any difficulty will be experienced iq disposing of these sectiops,

The j remaining sections in the Wangapeka settlement, which was ballotted for on Friday last were disposed of during the day, and the whole estate has now been taken up. It is probably the first time in the history of land settlement in this Colony that all sections in an estate have been taken up within two days. Before \long there will be fifteen settlers* on the estate, who have among them over twenty children, and stßps have already been taken to see about the erection of a school at Wangapeka. It is learnt that £2300 was received at the Lands Office in deposits from applicants.