Wairarapa Standard Published Tri-weekly, Price 1d. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 1886. The Progress of Settlement

Wairarapa Standard, Volume XIX, Issue 1882, 10 September 1886, Page 2

Wairarapa Standard Published Tri-weekly, Price Id. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 1886. The Progress of Settlement

Some interesting and useful information was lately afforded to Parliament wi.h res- . peot to tho disposal of the Crown lauds on the systems of deferred payr ~nt, perpetual lease, special and village settlements. During the past year 1,009 selectors took up 115,257 acres, who, with the selectors of fnmer years, whoso engagements are still current, make a total of about five thousand settlers in holding area of over half a million acres on conditions of residence and the improvement of the soil. Under the West Coast Settlement Act (North Island) seveotythree settlers took up, on thirty year leases, 8,873 acres at au average rental of 3s 8J f .er acre ;so that, for the year, there is the grand total of 1,082 settlers, and 121,130 acres. Up to the Slat March last there were on the West Coast Settlement Deserves 227 lessees, holding 31,288 acres, on a rental of L 6.696 le 6d, or an average of 3s lid per acre. The working of these systems is attended with a great deal of trouble and expense, but they have undoubtedly been the means of spreading the popnlation over the face of the country to su extent which the system of settling the land on immediate payments and without any condition of improvement could never have effected. One drawback common to these systems of easy acquirement of land is, that they induce aome persons to engage in farming before they have sufficient means or experience to successfully cope with the expense and difficulties inseparable from the first few years of establishing a farm. The settler’s difficulties, both in the settlement and freehold systems, are frequently aggravated by his having so much more land than capital that his energies are often dissipated in the attempt to do too much, ending in total or partial failure. Iu the special settlements this evil is guarded by restricting the area for each settler within the limits of fifty to a hundred and fifty acres cn deferred payment, and of one to two hundred acres on perpetual lease. There is the further advent tage under the special settlements that the price of the land is fixed, and cannot be increased by competition, contested applications being decided by lot. Under this system four settlements have been established, two in the bush near Danevirke, and two in the Forty Mile Bush, on the Tiramnea hiver, comprising iu all 16,820 acres among 158 settlers, or a little over 106 acres each. And there are now under survey iu the Wellington, Hawke's Bay and Auckland Land District ninety thousand acres lor about eight hundred settlers. The greater part of these surveys are all but complete, and the allotment of sections should be made at an early date. Another provision acceptable in the special settlement scheme to many persons is that of allowing the residence conditions to be fulfilled bv registered substitute. This enables town residents to take up land aad have it in preparation and improvement against the time when it will be convenient for them to remove to it.