ON OTAGO HUNDREDS.

15

C—No. 3.

period of eight and a half years. I know the country of the proposed hundred. Of the 13,000 acres fully one-third is available agricultural land, and the remainder pastoral country. Land is required for settlement in this locality, and is sought for by a large number of persons ready to take it up. The hundreds system will not answer in any part of the gold fields, that is, wherever gold-mining operations are actually going on, or in the vicinity of such workings. For this reason, the proposed hundred is undesirable. Tho requirements of the population will be best met by the judicious selection of land, under the Gold Fields Act, for settlement through the agricultural lease system. I consider the hundreds system objectionable, for the following reasons : — 1. There is the danger of largo blocks being purchased by individual capitalists, which will defeat the intention of actual settlement by tho mining community, who desire to settle on the land with their families. 2. Tho danger arises of land, which may be highly auriferous, being alienated from the public estate, and also of land required for conducting water for mining purposes —a notable instance of the latter obstruction having recently come before my notice. The case to which I refer, is that of a public sludge channel constructed at the joint expense of the miners and the Provincial Government, which will bo rendered useless, unless arrangements can be made to carry a flushing channel through private property, no other line of survey being available. Agricultural leases without pasturage rights would be insufficient for the purposes of settlement, as most of the leaseholding settlers require to keep a few cattle, principally for dairy purposes. The hundreds system would work well in the gold fields, if the land could be disposed of only in agricultural leases, and not absolutely alienated in the first instance. Tho Tiger Hill hundred, as defined on the plan, contains a large proportion of available agricultural land, and it is desirable that it should be thrown open for settlement. There are mining operations going on in this proposed hundred, and the same objection as to it being proclaimed a hundred", applies equally to this as to Campbell's hundred. Galloway, Wednesday, 4th January, 1871. Air. William Anderson Low, being duly sworn, states: lam one of the pastoral tenants of Run 241, a portion of which is included in the proposed hundred. lam well acquainted with the country in the proposed hundred, and consider about one-fifth of the whole 13,000 acres good agricultural land. I am lessee of the Ida Valley AVater-race, which commands the whole of the proposed hundred. There is another race below the above, which commands the base of the hills and flats within the area of the hundred. The mining operations now going on within the proposed hundred arc dependent on these races ; aud if twenty 1 imes moro water could be obtained, the whole extent of the ranges through the hundred would be worked. I think it would be a public calamity if this country is alienated under the Hundreds Act, as it is highly auriferous. The flat land in the valley is good for agricultural and pastoral purposes, and might be advantageously opened up for bona fide settlement.

Report on Tiger Hill Hundred. —Plan No. 10. The general auriferous character of the land comprised within the boundaries of the proposed Tiger Hill hundred, together with the extent of the workings and races already brought to bear upon them, prevent the Commissioners from advising the proclamation of this hundred. Gold is to be found in all the spurs and terraces within the proposed boundaries ; and, according to the evidence, it, only requires a larger supply of water to extend the present workings, and to establish mining operations on a very extensive scale in this district. This is in itself sufficient reason, in the opinion of the Commissioners, why the land should not bo alienated; and their opinion is strengthened by the expressed feelings and wishes of the whole population in and about the district. The Commissioners must, however, call attention to the desire of the inhabitants of the district to obtain land for sett lenient under the agricultural lease system, portions of the land within the proposed hundred being admirably adapted for the purpose. Thomas Cass, ") Fkedk. AV.vyne, V Commissioners. AV. Carr Y"oung, )

Evidence. Black's, 28th December, 1870. Mr. William Click Burke, being duly sworn, stated : I am acquainted with the country in this hundred as well as that in the proposed Campbell's hundred, on which I havo given evidence. Of the whole 20,000 acres in this hundred fully two-thirds may be considered agricultural land. Alining operations are, to my knowledge, going on within the proposed bound.aries, about forty miners being engaged in the workings. The alienation of land under the hundreds system would be as objectionable in this locality as in the proposed Campbell's hundred. The Ida Burn workings are south of the station, as marked in the plan. As far as my knowledge of the country goes, the plan of the proposed hundred is too imperfect to admit of my speaking definitely as to the amount of gold-workings within the boundaries, neither the ridges nor the roads across the hundred being shown on the plan. A road has been laid off through the proposed Campbell's hundred, which would be also available for this huudred. Mr. Samuel Worth, being duly sworn, stated : I know the country in this proposed hundred, and should say there are 6,000 or 7,000 acres of available agricultural land in the whole area of 20,000 acres. The present requirements for land in this locality would, in my opinion, be met by opening either of the two hundreds, Tiger Hill or Campbell's, rather than both. Still, in my opinion, one better hundred could be formed out of the two proposed hundreds, by taking 10,000 acres of the upper portion of Campbell's hundred, and connecting with it another 10,000 acres immediately opposite, on the eastern