A BIG SPECULATION

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1847, 22 May 1888, Page 3

A BIG SPECULATION

The foil i wing app a-o in * recent Issue of fhe " M .'hducae Herald" :- ' A rumor is ourrent. i'- c;rolea usually weil iuformed lu^on Buch poiots «hat agents «>£. the Kothpchilds, now in Melbnu n<s nre p epaved to offar to the Government £30.0 0 000 sterling for a 99 yearn' leaae of lands west of 'he city, known »s tho West Melbourne H wamp, the app'^x'mate area being five equare m'lei or 3200 acres, Tbeae cm hardly **e the correct figures as to the area, in-namuoh 88 the whole rf ifaa district known »e the 'West Melbourne Swamp,' together with the drldge B nd, does not reach to m nr e tha:j from 2000 to 2200 aores. Supposing the report to be substantially o r'ect, and this offer to have been ma ie, if there are 2200 acres the price per acre is abmt j £13,636 for the lease of three generations; I if 2000 ictes only, the offer If, of oonree, £15 000 per acre. Apart from the gi^entio nature of the undertaking, the prioe does not eppeir outrageous when ws remember that some time ago a block of six Acres (certainly neater the oity) wxb l'o d to a syndicate for over £200,000, tbat is nearly £33,500 per acre."