SUBDIVISION OF RUNS.

Clutha Leader, Volume III, Issue 152, 8 June 1877, Page 5

SUBDIVISION OF RUNS.

o— At Wednesday's meeting of the Waste Lands Board, the Chief Commissioner brought tip the following memo, from the Chief Surveyor : — " To the Chisf Commissioner of Waste Lands, " Survey Office, June 6th, 1877. niw 17 and 23. " Memo. : Regarding these runs I beg to make the following report, in connection with which I enclose tracing for your information. There is a certain amount of Agricultural land on both runs ; the remainder I would classify as pastoral country ; the greater portion of the latter being what is known as purely ' summer country.' "On Run 17. — Agricultural land between Black Hill and road line at Trig Station, 2ohst> acres; pastoral land, remainder of run, 18,000 acres ; total, 20,586 acres, "On Run 28. — Agricultural block between Kurow and Otekaike rivers co'oured brwwn, (POO acres 5 proposed new liun 28, 20,000 acres (vhis is nearly all summer country) ; proposed Run 2Sa, do, 15,4000 ; total, 44,400 acres. " (Signed) " W. AKTHUR, Chief Surveyor." The following petition adopted at a public meeting- held at Papakaio last week was read : — That your petitioners view with great satisfaction the efforts which are being made to open-up for settlement those parts of the country which have hitherto contributed but little to the general wealth of the Colony. They ate therefore desirous of respectfully laying before you their views, so that you, as the custodians of the public estate, may not be unaware of the experience and views of what they believe to be th^ large majority of the inhabitants of the district. Owing to the increased facilities for travelling and for tlie transmission of goods throughout Otago, the value of land has been greatly augmented. In places not far distant from Oamaru, where a few years ago employment could only be found for a limited number of people, large tracts of land are being cultivated ; and land which was only worth a merely nominal rental is now capable of yielding a handsome return for any capital invested therein. At present, too, there are great numbers I of persons who have hitherto puisued agricultural pursuits in a comparatively small way,' and have by thftir industry and thrift accumulated some means, and are desirous of having presented to them a wider scope for their pursuits. There arcalso persons whose capital has been used for the construction of the public works of the Colony, and which, owing to the stoppage of these works, hasbeen liberated, who are desirous of turning their energies to new pursuits. Labour, also, which during the carrying on of the public works, was expensive, is at present comparatively cheap. Your petitioners, therefore, respectfully submit to you that on all hands are evidences that the

large tract-, of country which are at present lying comparatively unremuner»ttve to the pul>l ; o, and unimproved to the occupants, ought to bo opened for settlement in such arc is as a''e likely to suit the wants of that part of the generalpublic looking out for places wherein to invest their capital .and labour and whereon to settle, and to be most remunerative to the public chest, and that thereby the lands which at present contiiimte but little to the bearing of the public burden may henceforth bear their share Your petitioners, therefore, most respectfully urge upon you the desirability of having a thorough examination of the waste lands of the Crown made, so that when the present leases expire the various runs may bo cut up into areas suitable for settlement, and sold or leased as may seom best for the public good. And your petitioners will ever pray, &c. The runs referred to in the petition are : No. 17. Ben Lomond (Campbell's), 34,000 acres, less sold land, expires on July 10, 1878; No. 28, Otekaike (Campbell's), 51,000 acres, expires on September 11, 1878; No. 98 (Teschemaker's), about 12,000 acres, expires in October, 1879 ; No. 23, Kurow, 47,000 acres, expires in December 1880 ; No. 33 (Oakden's), 25,000 acres, expires in March 1881 ; No. 160, Oamaru Harbour Board endowment, 60,000 acres, expires in March. 1881. Mr Stout, who appeared in support of the petition, said that so far as the runs were concerned, he did not know their names or the names of the lessees, but he understood that the leases would fall in next year. He would point out to the Board that Oamaru was peculiarly situated. There were a number of large properties near the town, and there had not been the same number of small settlers round about there that there had been in other districts in Otago. Any land that had been offered in the district had fetched a large price, and the Board would l'emember that that was the case when the Awamoko Estate was cut up and offered by Messrs Gillies and Street, though none of that was particularly good land. He believed that land that had been sold at 10s. per acre would now fetch L 4. Land had been sold at a high price at Maerewhenua, and in some cases holders were getting as much for the rental of the land as they gave for the freehold. Tlie Oamaru district was one of the finest wheat-growing districts in the Colony, and a large number of the large-property holders were letting their land at 15s. per acre for wheat-growing, just for the purpose of getting it laid down in English grass. There had been an enormous return from some of this land which had been sown with wheat. The petitioners merely asked that the land comprised in the runs, the leases of which would fall in next year, should be opened for settlement. They did not diet ite to tho Board how this should be done, but left it to the members to view the runs and receive a proper report from the officers before they decided what to do. Mr Aitcheson, who had obtained the signatures to the petition, was an old settler, and he had only met with one refusal After some discussion, the Board resolved — " That notice be served upon the lessee of Run No. 17, that the Board lias determined that it is not expedient to lease again for despasturing purposes the whole or any portion of the land within the said run." It was resolved — "That the lease of a portion of Run 28, namely, 28a, containing 15,400 acres, and 28, containing 20,000 acres, as marked on the plan forwarded by the Chief Surveyor, be released for a term of 10 years ; that the block of 9000 a^res be reserved for sale, as also marked on the Chief Surveyor's plan," the approval of Excellency the Governor to bo requested to the resolutions with respect to both runs. RUN no. 74. The Chief Commissioner said that at the last meeting of the Board it was decided to recommend that Run 74 should be re-opened for lease in terms of the Waste Lands Act, 1872. As this land formed a portion of the Education Reserve, he thought it better to refer the matter to the Education Board, and he had since received the following memo. : — Dunedin, 6 Hi June, 1877. A meeting of the Education Board was held to-day, when the Board considered a memo. fr>m the Commissioner of Crown Lands in reference to the leasing or disposal of Run 74, which forms a portion of the Education Reserve, under the Otago Reserves Act, 1874. lt, was resolved — That the Waste Lands B-iard be requested to give to the pastoral lessee of tbe said Run 74 tbe notice required by the Act of Assembly, that tlie lease of the said run will be determined on the expiry of the current term — viz , on February ti, I 1878. (Signed) J. Hislop, j Secretary to the E lucation Board. Mr Green said that the Education Board were of opinion that it would be better to sell the land. It was resolved — " That resolution No. 16 of the 30th May last bo rescinded, and that the- course requested by the Education Board be followed with respect to serving notice on tlie pastoral lessee that land contained in Run No. 74 will not bo again re-loasod for depasturing purposes in whole or in part." new hundreds; The f ollowing letter was taken into consideration : — General Crown Lands Office, Wellington, 21st May, 1877. Sir,— Referring to the proposed proclamation I of the Warepa, Spylaw, and Waihemo Hundreds I in the district of Otago, I have the honour, by direction of the Hon. the Secretary for Crown Lands, to inform you that, though descriptions j of these runs, with maps, have been furnished by I Mr Arthur, no recommendation to proclaim them has been forwarded by the Waste Lands I Board. The 9fiUi section of tho Otago Waste Lands Act, 1872, empowers the Governor to proclaim Hundreds on tho recommendation of the Board, and I have therefore to request that, if it is desirable that these Eundreds be proclaimed, j you will be good enough to move tho Board to | take the necessary action. J. Giles. To the Commissioner Crown Lands. The Chief Commissioner stated that he had conferred with the Chief Surveyor, and they had come to an understanding on the subject. This was embodied in a memo, by the Chief Surveyor, who recommended the following areas : — Warepa Hundred, 12,500 acres on runs 72 and 122 ; Spylaw Hundred, 8075 acres on run 178 ; Waihemo Hundred, 13.000 acres on 255. Total area of the three Hundreds, 33,575 acres. Of run 122, 1200 acres had already been included in Catlin's Hundred. Of run 178, 16,885 acres had been already included in the Hundreds of Heriot, Tapanui, and agricul tural lease blocks. The lease of run 72 terminates on 27th August, 1878 ; run 122, on 12th February, 1880 ; run 178, on 4th December, 1882 ; run 255, on 22nd December, 1882. The Board resolved to recommend His Excellency the Governor to proclaim three Hundreds pf the areas given above.