THE FEILDING CHRONICEL AND ADVERTISER. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27,1879. THE OTAMAKAPUA BLOCK.

Manawatu Times, Volume III, Issue 69, 27 August 1879, Page 3

THE FEILDING CHRONICEL AND ADVERTISER. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27,1879. THE OTAMAKAPUA BLOCK.

'Wb are glad to learn that the".'aqqiusi---||on;.io£^|be'-P^Wkapu'a'^locki%- the l^breramenfcjpfillj shortly be; The preliminary negpt(a^i«ns have b.een £uished for stime -time, and there reinams only -they process; of passing, the Block through, the Native Lands Oourt. This will be done'at the next sitting of jhe Court, %hicfrfwill'bef held at Napier on the Stha-Setptem^er^^en the titles : of those claiming, to be interested m the land wfllfbe; investigated andUndi- ; 4 It will' thus "be seen that, : m, all, probability* the lan d will jlje put -Into- th' e'jrfarket l a| an early date. We ! Sraw •attention to'ith© jftct for tjie.: pur- '< pose *6f urgijQg upon, tha (jrovernment the desirability, if not -tlie-'atisoli^te ne-/ cessity, of opening; s up byl constructing a main road;- through the I heart of it before the land is pujb up t for sale. There' can >b& no qu'es|ion as ! to the cost of tl\e rojvd t being more than ! recouped by the -hi^h'er prices "which! will be obtained, owing^to the enhanced i Talue of thela^rid' 1 consequent oh the 1 purchasers being, thereby einabled^ to ! enter upon- ih'eiinimediate ?! pr6fitablei occupation of their ,- Jhe ex-: porience; of the XiWiiea Bioeir/ should pc sufficient to warm Government of the folly p| .repeating.such an objectionable praQticre asthat of 1 deferring the construction "of roads until after sale. 'li'At'bQ>noi^we'' t iiefih- quite sure; j that it will be sufficient • tordeter fi-om competing at-the sale>^ VW c therefore trust I G,qyernmeht; t will see /■the! expediency Qf at once compiying^with the Resolution passed at the; Ju|y'.m'ip.et- S ing of" o.ur County'. |Couricil,as^ng that the sum i of £15,000 iodnld be pl^o'od at ] their disposal for the purpose, of contihuirig the Tpmbblton Bpad ! tn rough the ■Block; 4n "' : qtte'stipri. - t^e/trust^al'so; that the Council-'wiil not relay their! j.untij;they have; rjt^kihed' thd^^bjeict..; . jt, is amatter which will' maffcriailly affect the. pros- 1 perity of .^the County. benefits^ *r«nP[ ;a /financial rpoiii^ of view alone* |»hd to their c.ongi^eration :we at' present jconfi,ne oiifselve^— -are by; no means ; injconsiderable. We may safely assume jtKat the value of , the land /will be ;en•Jianued fully ten shillings per afire by" fthe constructidh' of Ifche 'road: u "liis, ; oil fl^dOO a.cres, would represent a sam

of £80,000, andthe 20 per cent, thereof coming to the County would amount . to £16,000 — a s»na wh.icli woujLd prope a welcome addition to th,e f^ncls at th,e; disposal qt the Council. Prompt action on the part of the Goyernmenlb is becoming every day the more necessary. By the time the tenders are let %he season for. such work would be well advanced; and if a further delay of two or three months should supervene, the expense will be greater and the road will not stand so well, "V^e must also express a strong opinion as to the desirability of giving e^ect, m this instance, to the Act providing for the sale of land on deferred payments, which has hitherto remained almost wholly a nullity. From, the Bangei ? s report we .learn that the deferred pay.ments' portion of . the Kiwitea BJ.ock has proved s success far beyond the expectations of the most sanguine even, Bnd this too ijnder "vary unfavorable circumstances, and we do not see why the experiment should not be repeated on a larger scale. '•' II V ; \ : :