POST OFFICE NOTICES TUESDAY, JUNE 13, 1871.

Evening Star, Volume IX, Issue 2596, 13 June 1871, Page 2

POST OFFICE NOTICES TUESDAY, JUNE 13, 1871.

Although the report of the Commissioner of Crown Lands contains little beyond a few statistical details, they

are interesting in the present state of the land,question. We may, at least for the present, pass by the statement of the work done by the officers in the lands and survey department. It is made the most of, and in the present stagnation of land sales deserves some further inquiry than the mere summing up by the head of the department. The specific information in this part of the report, is that the cost of surveying rural land is Is lid per acre ; of suburban, 3s 10|d per acre; and of town sections, 5s a section. We are also informed that at Martin’s Bay, G,OOO acres of rural sections have been surveyed, and 124 town allotments mai’ked off, together with some necessary scientific work in ascertaining the bearings of Lake Wakatip and other features of the country. The report, after dealing generally with the subject, and we may say making the most of very meagre materials, presents us with a few tables, from which we extract the following information. We must, however, premise that Southland is not included in the returns, and the report deals exclusively with the land question of Otago. By the first table we learn that from Ist April, 1870, to the 31st March, 1871, within Hundreds, 17,220 acres of land were sold, which realised £-16,932 ] outside of Hundreds, the ai-ea sold was 6,511 acres, which realised £8,289 —a much higher average per acre than the first. There would, ,no doubt, be special reasons for this \ but they are not stated. Of town lands, 88G acres were sold for £7,755. The land sold at 10s. an acre measured 2,330 acres, and the quantity sold by auction as ol “ special value,” or where applications were in duplicate, was 4,585 acres, which realised £7,340. The quantity of land in 185 runs leased under the provisions of the Otago Waste Lands Act, 186G, is 6,131,014 acres, and under license, under the Waste Lands Regulations, ISSG, is 310,500 acres. The last table presents us with a full statement of the main features of our landed property. The classification is, however, imperfect in more than one respect; it gives us no clue to the area of the proclaimed goldfields, and deals with the question more as a grain, beef and mutton country, than in its mineral or manufacturing capabilities. Some of the information in it repeats what has been stated in years past, but is nevertheless useful in refreshing our memories, and telling us what this unseemly attack of would-be squatters on squatters relates to. The whole area of Otago, exclusive of Southland, is set down at 13,360,640 acres. Of this the forest land absorbs 1,421,000 acres —accessible or inaccessible we do not know } nor how much the one or the other. The area of the Lakes is 284,800 acres: the barren land measures 2,346,240 acres—more than onesixth of the Province; but probably much of this vast area contains mines of wealth, the produce of which may be more valuable if less enduring than that of the surface. The agricultural and .pastoral land is set down at 9,308,600 acres. The way in which this vast property is being used is then told us. We have already stated the quantity occupied by the runholders under lease and on license ; in addition to those lessees and licencees are the holders of agricultural leases, who on that tenure use 50,792 acres. Ho estimate is made of the proportion between agricultural and pastoral land, so that from this report we are unable to say what is available for what is understood by the terra “settle- “ mont.” It will be seen in comparing the figures given with the whole area of the Province, there is a large quantity yet to be accounted for, and the way in which it has been disposed of is thus stated:—Area of laud sold within Hundreds, 1,035,620 acres ] area sold within goldfields, 4,628 acres ; land sold within goldfields, previously held under agricultural leases, 3,208 acres. The total area of the Hundreds is 1,424,400 acres, and of these, 388,780 remain unsold. In a note appended to this table we are informed that of the land sold within Hundreds, 65.000 acres are forest land, and 20.000 acres swamp. Of the unsold land within Hundreds, 80,000 acres are agricultural land; 100,000 acres are covered wilh forest j 4,000 acres 'swamp; and 205,000 acres hilly, pastoral, and inferior land.