CROWN LANDS.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 276, 19 June 1874, Page 3

CROWN LANDS.

I .-A •(lE'vom-fclie-'-AVaiigaiiui - *; i The prodigal'toaringr' ! in'' ; Grown lands iani;OVa£d J ibave been' alietfated fep 'capitalists in,. 1 large blocks' is likely %b Bear 1 ' fruit °af an earlier date than ; '. was. ( generally...an r r ricipated!. Recently, a. ;cbange took ; place ; in;tbe Provincial. Executiye,-,X»/f \Oiago), and Mr. Keid, jUponassumins: office,: made ;the statement whichuis lusual upon, such •• occasions; / lu the Icoarseof: that-speech ;he;§aid^7;f'"l'find jlhere;remains pihavailableiagrit-ulihiral land in' round numbers (in'Soffffilafad) ;only 20Q,fiOO t aqres, and: fin! Oxagof of 300,000 acres, making in all 500,000 acres, and:if sales"take pliace'at*the ■> same rate as they i! 'have ; done during last,year, our revenue from agricultural land will be'entirely ;dried.up[^and ; the whole agricultural.estate disposed of. , It is, not ,quite]/clear/ from,, thesje;, words whether or not Mr k Reid .meansthat if sales continue for another year at the same rate as that at which they have been proceeding'-during the lasb twelve months, _ the whole agricultural, estate of the Province 'will tbeiNiaye| been got rid of. As, howe\er, the" sales of agricultural land' i'ri'Ctago last year amounted to 258,000 acres, Mr. ,i -Reid probably rneafrir to" indicate two years as the period.,. Whether iij< be one.or.two years,. the fact isequaily striking thafilth© bulk of the agricultural land of_the Province has passed out pf the nossession of .the ijrxv vernm'ent; witnoiiVanything \'m» v aYiili etJnsuß.rej;uirfis.ifofylS74 ! >give T ß4,'2 r 22" f Hsl ; l b,er J jojrithe";ifihabitantß i J6 ! t ; l t.He- . ' creased ( J pr4}p,qr i tipnallsy, ; jb,y • tlje-/time.? every acre of the half million now remaiutng^'v^s 1 &lof :Il tbere would '.tie about 12,000 persons sand inhabitants in—the whole of that large v ,Pj}Q^in^^ i 4^rjculturai : ,,land -'torbe~ob'tained-~by--|resh private owners.'- All parties in Otago but; —as is .nafcnfel»- i -tlie 'greal?landowners them-) selves agree in deploring this evil,.and? how t6 f - dispose of the' agricuTtru^aHan'd 1 yet left's'o ' secure' its ''prqVidirig , homes for &•'■': large s 'bbdy' 'of "■ people' ! isf, th'e'chief there. .... ''. . V Comparing, tih^nWreturns <bf J. 871 "and ' 1:874;' tpe principal.fact. becomes, yisible that .about half-of the 'addition which has be'eii. duestonthe igrowtb.xjof-.theU t'pwns in it. ;he Colony is'simply foU' lowing in the, path "where Great Britain LaidJfouud-'a vastmass'of pauperism and human misery!" There is not., ' t:hel'e : ait ! rcason', >: tb,'suppose.'.'tSiai;* any miracle will occur to save New Zea-land?-from /haying '.to/ be'ar the! Ba f nije| burdenjif she persists in_wilfully goings . ,tp ineec;itu ':. 1 !Zv H H '> •'•• -'! '■■'•