The Evening Star. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 1874

Evening Star, Issue 3531, 17 June 1874, Page 2

The Evening Star. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 1874

Among the reports laid before the Provincial Council during the late Session is one by the Commissioner of Crown Lands, giving details of a few particulars regarding the national estate. They are not very circumstantial, being raerelv confined to statements of areas and of sums received in return for land alienated. This very primitive mode of arriving at the value of Crown property may have sufficed for the past, but will hardly satisfy the requirements of the future. Every addition to means of internal communication, every foot of road, every mile of railroad, is so much invested in the way of improvement, and adds to the value of land in the Province. Every immigrant introduced into the Province increases the value ofits Home market, and renders utilisation of the land profitable. It may therefore be fairly questioned whether a fixed price of twenty shillings per acre for rural lands, no matter where situated, or what the special value of the soil or products, is an equivalent for the advantages to the purchaser. It might be when Otago was a desert, withouteven tracks across its wastes; when settlers were isolated from the rest of the world, and there was only a mere chance of disposing of produce profitably. But the rapid changes now taking place have reversed all this, and it is evident that every purchase at those primitive rates must repay the buyer enormous interest in a very short time. The Otago Waste Lands Act, 1872, about which so much bitter eloquence was paraded, proves how shortsighted is the policy on which our land regulations are based, and how necessary it is that a more elastic system should be adopted. The early settlers bought their property when no such future as that which has enriched them dawned upon their minds’ eye. They paid a much higher price in proportion to their probable returns than is now asked. Before settlers of to-day a prospect of a constantly and rapidly increasing demand is opened up. The rough work has been done for them; they enter upon and enjoy the fruits of other mens’ labors. It is therefore of interest to the community that some definite idea should be formed of the actual position of the fine estate-which is supposed to belong to them, in order that all may learn how the common property is dealt with. The Chief Commissioner states in his report, what most of us have heard and which few remember, that the whole area of Otago, exclusive of Southland, is 13,360,640 acres. He classifies this princely area as follows : —Forest land, 1,421,000 acres ; lakes, 284,000 ; barren, 2,346,240; and agricultural and pastoral land, 9,308,600 acres. This very rough-and-ready analysis is, perhaps, better than nothingbut it really gives very little idea of what the value of the country is. The forest land, for instance, may be very easily utilised, or it may be nearly ir accessible : a few tens of thousands of pounds might be well spent in the construction of railways or tramroads, so as to open up a market for the timber; or, so far as the public are concerned, the forest land may be valueless, through being beyond reach at a payable amount of labor. No doubt the million and ahalf acres of forest includes the fine .timber on the West Coast, which just now, if obtainable at reasonable rates, would prove useful in cheapening the cost of building on this eastern side of the Province. The lake acreage should, and no doubt will, when settlement has travelled West, pyove a cheap means of communication between districts yet desert. The 2,300,000 acres reported barren, reduce the available area of the Province to about 11,000,000 acres, of which 9,000,000 are set down as fit for pastoral and agricultural purposes. But here again we are left in the dark, for we are not told the proportion which one bears to the other. The general impression is that our agricultural land is very rapidly becoming alienated : but if so, it is highly requisite the fact should be ascertained. No doubt land once considered fit for pasture only, has become changed in character through having been fertilised by stock feeding ; but there is a large area which on account of its physical conformation will never be cultivated. No idea is given in the report of the extent of our goldfields, our coalfields, our building stones, our flax, or other valuable indigenous plants ; yet all are included in the 11,000,000 acres j and more than probably some thousands or even tens of thousands of acres set down as barren , may really be capable of affording remunerative employment to hundreds of thousands of human beings, whose labor may tend to add immense value to the rest.

The summary to this very meagre report informs the Council that the area under pastoral leases is 6,405,018 acres, and held under license 20,000 acres! The acreage sold within hundreds is 1,247,902 acres ; sold within goldfields 86,761 acres; to which must be added 14,495 acres, formerly held under agricultural leases, The area sold under the tentative system pf “ deferred payments" is 9,527 acres. The quantity held under agricultural leases is 92,505 acres, and under coal-mining leases 1,691 acres. The area of Hundreds proclaimed fronji the settlement

of the Province to this date is 1,440,400 acres, of which only 192,498 acres remain unsold—a pretty good proof of the desire to obtain possession of land. The prices obtained last year for portions of this extensive, though limited landed estate varied' according to districts. The acreage alienated from the Crown was 166,335, which only realised L 163,158, or about L 3,000 short of one pound an acre. No doubt the sales were strictly and literally according to law, but in view of the vast improvements contemplated and in progress, and the liabilities undertaken by the Province, it will become a very grave consideration whether a better and more enlightened system than selling national property under its value is not possible. Such is the amount of information laid before the public in regard to the landed estate, in which every man, woman, and child is supposed to possess an interest, and on which legislation is supposed to be based. Of course additional knowledge is attainable at considerable expense of time and trouble ; but for years nothing further has been demanded, and our Council have considered similar reports sufficient to justify them in proceeding to legislate upon the mode in which the estate may be disposed of. Had it belonged to any one of them, we are inclined to think the commercial value of every corner would before now have been ascertained.

Mr Justice Chapman will ait in Banco tomorrow to dispose, of any business that may be brought before him. The Supreme Court and offices will be closed on Saturday next, the anniversary of her Majesty’s accession. The argument of the rule nisi for a writ of attachment against the ‘ Guardian’ Will be taken on Wednesday next. Three little waifs named Callaghan were to-day committed by Mr Bathgate to the Industrial School as being neglected children, the eldest for six and the other two for seven years. The Canterbury Jockey Club have removed the disqualification from Wm. M'Kay imposed upon him at the Club’s last annual meeting, for throwing away some lead while riding Medora in the Hurdle f.ace. The Dunedin portion of the immigrants by the Atrato were released from quarantine this morning, and brought to town by the noon train. They were then conveyed by rail to the Immigration Barracks, where their wants were immediately attended to. They will be open for engagement on Friday. The Oamaru paper records the sudden death of Mr Robert W. Adair, watchmaker, of Oamaru, and one of the members of the local Municipal Council. Deceased had been ailing since Tuesday, but no serious results were anticipated. He expired suddenly on Saturday. Disease of the heart is understood to have been the cause. An accident happened this morning to one of the boys belonging to the Buckinghamshire, named Richard Hogg. It appears that he was working alofb, and somehow or another caught hold of the running part of some gear, which came away with him, and he fell upon the deck. Dr Drysdale immediately attended the sufferer, and ascertained that no limbs were broken, but cannot say yet whether there is any internal injury. The question of the right of a litigant to compel the production of telegrams in Court is now fairly before the Supreme Court. In tha action of Dodson v. Macandrew (Superintendent) the plaintiff avers that is-necessary to his case that certain telegrams should be produced. JLhe Sperintcadent’ is willing that they should be produced, but the depart ment, in order to have the question legally determined, oWjects ; hence the necessity for the rule nisi, which Mr Macassey to-day applied for and obtained. A full report appears elsewhere.

“ Gleu Gath ” was repeated at the Princess’s last even to a numerous audience. The part of Miily flardaker was manifestly uusuited to Mrs Hill, who, however, made the most of it. Mias Willis’s Olive Gath was a very creditable impersonation, and we are pleased to observe the rapid progress this young lady is massing in her profession. Messrs Steele, Keogh, and Musgrave were good in their respective parts. The pertormance concluded with the amusing farce of ‘-orimshaw, Bagshaw, and Bradshaw.” “ Camille” will be-produced tonight. Dr Carr, the welhknown mesmerist and phrenologist, commenced a series of lectures and entertainments at the Masonic Hall last evening, to a well filled house. The programme was opened with a brief, but amusing discourse, full of good advice, on “Heads and Paces,” after which some twelve or thirteen of the audience submitted their heads for the Doctor’s manipulation. Many of the persons were well known, and the qualities assigned to some of them caused great amusement. The second part of the entertainment consisted of experiments in mesmerism of a very interesting, and in some cases laughable character, plenty of subjects offering themselves. In the course of the evening Dr Carr stated that he had no collusion with any ef the -persona operated upon, and vouched for the genuineness of his performance. The stance gave great satisfaction to those present, and was frequently interrupted by great laughter and the lecfcur e will be on “ Self-Culture.”

in theeourse of his Financial Statement. Mr Jollie, Provincial Treasurer of Cantermade the following reference-to the Waxtakx bridge I wish to call attention 5? ?!T a3, l 1° c . ol ! Btruct a bridge acioas the Waitaki, at the joint expense of the two Provinces of Canterbury and Otago The Superintendent of Otago has advised his Honor the Superintendent here that a similar appropriation has been sent down to the Provincial Legislature of Otago, new in session. The engineers belonging to the Provinces have met upon the ground and decided all the preliminaries that can be settled without a further survey. They have fixed upon the locality, and have estimated that a sum of L 15.000 will be required as the cost of the bridge. On the Canterbury side, this bridge will be in the main “ ne a most important traffic, leading from the Waimate Gorge road—now in course of construction—through the country of the Waihou, and thence to the cutting on the Waitaki, which is fixed upon as the locality of the bridge; the river here being extremely favorable for constructing a bridge. The site about fifteen miles above the present

The Canterbury Provincial Government mtend to spend L 50.000 on Harbor Works at limaru. Mr Jollie, in referring to the vote, said :—“ It is thought this sum will be sufficient to initiate works, provided that the engineer shortly expected from England reports upon their practicability, and that his estimates are in any way within such limits as may be reasonable when compared

with the advantages to be gained. The question is—Can the work be done? and what will be the cost ? These two points satisfactorily determined, the financial part of the business is a rrjatter of arrangement. Whether any further sum than L 50.000 should be allocated from the land fund of the district, or the balance of what is required to carry out what may promise to be a successful work should be raised by loan, secured on the harbor dues, is a matter for consideration. If a further grant is required from the land fund, then so much the less will there remain to expand upon the country roads and bridges around Timaru. At all events, if the engineer’s report is of so favorable a nature as to justify the expenditure of tbe grant at present allocated, that expenditure should, so far as it will go, create a property wpon which money could be bqrrowed to enable the works to bo extended in accordance with the plans that may be decided upon. I may here state that the engineer expected from England to report upon the feasibility of constructing harbor works, has been advised as about to leave England bv the July Suez mail.”

During the present week the fixing of the pumping gear of the Arrow Biver United Mining Company has been completed, and a start made. We (‘ Observer’) are glad to report that the machinery acts admirably, and is daily improving as the little roughnesses incident to new castings work off. The pumps are very powerful, and have proved quite capable, so far, of overcoming the large body of water draining from the extensive flat over which the company’s work extend As showing the necessity for powerful and substantial machinery to drain the ground, it may be interesting to show the quantity of water drawn. The pump is kept going jat an average rate of 14 strokes to the minute, and throws over 20 gallons a stroke (of four feet), being 280 gallons a minute, or 16,800 per hour. The pump is capable of a six-foot stroke, but it has not yet hem found nec< s sary to work up to this power—rindeed the four-foot lift has not been tested to its extreme, having at its present range proved sufficient to beat tbe drainage. The shaft is at present down about 20 ft, and it is known that at least another 20 feet must be sunk before bottoming; but the drainage is not expected at any time to be so heavy as at present, as large bodies of water have long been accumulating on the flat. The smooth and satisfactory manner in which everything works reflects the highest credit on Messrs Kincaid, M‘Queen, and Co., of Dunedin, by whom the machinery was made and fitted up. It is needless to say that deep interest is felt in the undertaking by residents in the dis trict, and that numbers of visitors are daily on the ground—the general hope being that the company will be handsomely repaid for their outlay and enterprise. The inspection of the Dunedin Naval Company is postponed uncil Thursday, 25th inst.