MILBOURNE ESTATE.

Gisborne Times, Volume IX, Issue 812, 29 January 1903, Page 2

MILBOURNE ESTATE.

EVIDENCE ON BEHALF OF GOVERNMENT,

(Per Press Association.) NAPIER, last night,

In (he Arbitration Court to-day, in the claim re the Milbourne estate,evidence was taken on behalf of the Government.

R. P. Gieville, surveyor and land agent, bail inspected Milbourne, comparing it with Forest Gate. He thought Hie latter was better acre for acre. Mangatoro, which was bought last year by the Government for £<t 10s per acre, was decidedly better than Milbourne all ovciHe -valued, the latter at, £4 Os Id ‘per acre, and did not consider any of the land fit, for dairying ; it was too dry. .]. Griffiths, dairy-farmer, of Konini, visited Milbourne in March last. He would not dairy-farm on any, of it. I-le valued the properly at an average of £4 fis Ml per acre. W. .Waltemail, dairy-farmer, of PaliJatua, did not think Milbourne fit for dairy-farming. He valued the estate as a sheet) ruu at £4 10s 3d per acre fie had visited Forest Gate, which wanted irrigation to make it suitable for dairying, but it was better for thas purpose than Milbourne. J. Hughes, farmer, valuer, and land agent, of Pabiatua, considered Milbourne unsuited for dairying, and assessed the value of the property, at £4 2s 2d.

D. J. Cameron, sheepfarmer, of Masterton, valued Milbourne at £4 4s per acre. George Grani, surveyor and land valuer, of Gisborne, considered Milbourric was worth all round from £4 to £4 os per acre. \Y. id. Griffith, land valuer, valued •Milbourne at £1 12s per acre, which was an outside estimate. He did not think Milbourne was suitable for cutting up. Di. Findlay said lie had other witnesses. but he thought the evidence of those lie had called would he sufficient to show the Court that the price offered by the Government was a fair one. Lie asked no more than a reasonable award on the evidence before the Court. ~

'l’hc case will be continued to-mor-row*