VICTORIAN STATISTICS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIV, Issue 5818, 21 November 1879, Page 3

VICTORIAN STATISTICS.

We have received a copy of the “ Victorian Statistical Register” for 1878-79, which is compiled from official records, and for which we desire to express our thanks. The return shows that the total area of the colony is estimated at 56,116,720 acres. The total area sold is put down at 11,451,526 acres. The average price realised has varied, from £1 10s. Id. in 1875, down to £1 4s. sd. per acre in 1878. The total amount realised during the year was £375,534. The area in squatting runs at the date named was 19,531,083 acres, which was comprised in 768 runs, and fetched in £122,142 of rent. In 1871 there were 974 runs, which embraced an area oi 27,9/2,528 acres, and there has been a gradual falling off in the area held by squatters ever since that date. The number of holdings exceeding one acre in extent was 47,050, showing an increase in number of 602 during the year. There were 691,622 acres under wheat, which produced 6,060,737 bushels ; 134,428 acres under oats, yielding 2,360,026 bushels ; 221,871 acres under barley, yielding 417,157 bushels ; 36,527 acres under potatoes, yielding 98,958 tons; 172,799 acres under hay, yielding 209,028 tons ; 401,427 acres under green forage ; and 4434 acres of vineyards, from which 410,333 gallons of wine and 1661 gallons of brandy were made. Daring the year ending March 31st, 1879, the proportion of the total land under cultivation iu Victoria was ;

The following table shows that the average yield of wheat is considerably less now than it was some tea or eleven years ago ; the average yield of oats being about the same in both periods under review ;

Of the land in occupation, 8,923,935 acres were freehold, 1,514,896 acres were rented, and 5,462,572 acres were held as selected land of which the purchase was not completed. In the Victorian year-book for 1877-78, which is compiled from the same official records, the total amount of land in process of alienation under deferred payments was set down at 7,055,045 acres ; 1,037,000 acres of the land originally seleotedhavingbeen forfeited, or abandoned. In the Statistical Register, the amount of selected land purchase not completed in 1877-78 only appears as 4,787,784 acres. In the Year Book, the total amount of land, either alienated or in process of alienation, appears as 18.206.000 acres. By the “ Statistical Register” it appears as 14,806,000 acres. The discrepancy is to be accounted for by the fact that the latter return only takes account of the number of holdings, which is admittedly incomplete. It seems strange that 2,300,000 acres of land in process of alienation in 187778, should apparently escape enumeration in the official returns of the number of holdings. The “Statistical Register” is manifestly incomplete, in that it gives full particulars of land sold av.d laud held as runs, but omits to specify what further forfeitures have been made of selected lands in addition to the 1.037.000 acres already forfeited or abandoned, out of a total of 8,092,000 which had been selected up to 1878. Judging by the return of the average produce per acre during 1878, we should not be surprised if the area of laud forfeited and abandoned were more than doubled during the year. The question of most interest to New Zealand readers is undoubtedly the success of the deferred payment land system, which has been on its trial during the past ten years in Victoria. Under the Victorian Land Act of 1869, the free selector may take up 320 acres to be held under licence for three years, during which time the selector must reside on it at least two and • a half years ; must cultivate one acre out of every ten acres, ■ must enclose the land and effect improvements to the value of £1 per acre, He has to pay 2s. per acre rent for the three years, and may then either purchase the property outright at 14s. per acre, or may claim a seven year’s lease at a rental of 2s. per acre and at the expiry of the term the freehold of the land reverts to the selector. We have compiled the fallowing table showing the areas of laud held and cultivated by the several classes of large and small proprietors :

From the above it appears that whereas the free selectors holding from 200 to 350 acres only cultivate 14’6 per cent, of their holdings, farmers holding from 350 to 500 acres cultivate 16’3 per cent, of their land. The average area in occupation to each holder is 338 acres, the average area to each person in the colony is 18 acres, of which 10T2 per cent, is cultivated, equal to 34'2 acres of cultivated land toeach land-holder, or 1 - 82 acres to each person in the colony. The average rental for leases from private individuals of from three to seven years duration for agricultural land was 6s. 6d. to 15s. per acre in 1879, against 6s. 6d, to 17s. in 1878. For pastoral land, from 2s. 6d. to 7s. in 1879, against 2s. 6d. to 7s. 6d. in 1878. The average prices for agricu’tnral produce in Victoria last year were as follows :

The average weight per bushel was as follows: —Wheat, 601bs. ; oats, 401b5.; barley, 501b5.; maize, 561bs. There were 210,105 horses, 1,181,143 cattle, 9,579,276 sheep, and 177,373 pigs in Victoria in March last. The number of sheep is about 700,000 less than last year. The cattle and horses have slightly increased. The number of live stock slaughtered were :—Sheep and lambs, 1,873,744, of which 37,900 were for boiling down ; 185,930 cattle and calves, and 99,082 pigs.

Per cent. Average produce per acre. Wheat 42-98 876 bushels. Hay and green forage .. 35'63 1*21 tons. 835 17 60 bushels. Barley 1*42 18*24 ,, Potatoes 2-27 271 tons. Other crops 9*30 100-00 -

Average produce per acre of— ) 1877 Bus. .. 13*1 I860 . Bus. . 16-2 Wheat } 78 .. 12-4 70 . . 197 ) 79 .. 87 71 . . lO’l ) 1877 19'9 1809 . . 39*6 y 78 .. 39*3 70 . . 25 9 J 79 .. 17-6 71 . . U'9

— No. of Holdings. Total Area. Total Area Cultivated. Area cultivated per Holder. Acres. Acres. Acr’s 1 aero to 4 acres 1,678 4,870 2.400 1-4 5 „ to 15 „ 3,648 3,203 13,507 37 15 „ to 30 „ 3.893 80,149 24,649 63 30 „ 3,203 122,935 32.371 io-i 60 „ to 100 „ 5,784 416.539 89,939 15 5 100 „ to 200 „ 8,607 1,206,807 216,853 25-4 200 „ 14,389 4,137,577 604,503 42-0 850 „ to 500 ,, 1,998 872,522 142,430 '71*2 500 ,, upwards 3.951 9,062,901 482,090 122'0 Totals 47,050 15,901,403 1,609,278

1878. 1879. Price, Price. Wheat, per bushel ..£051 £0 4 2 Oats, per bushel.. ..046 0 3 6 Barley, per bushel ..044 0 4 1 Maize, per bushel ,.054 0 4 2 Hay, per ton ..409 3 15 0 Potatoes, per ton .. 5 15 0 4 12 4