LAND REGULATIONS OF THE PROVINCE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 222, 5 September 1862, Page 5

LAND REGULATIONS OF THE PROVINCE.

The subjoined document has been forwarded to a nnrubur of the old sailers of the Province, with a view t;> eliciting information for the guidance '■ of the Provincial Council at the coming session :— Superintendent's Office. Dune-din, June 23rd, 1862. _ Sir, —As the subject of the Land. Regulations will probably come under the review of the Provincial Council (Hiring the next session, and as it is. of considerable importance that the Government should be in. possession of the opinions of persons qualified to form a judgment on the important points involved, and further, as difficulties occur in obtaining this information during the sittings of the Coiuit'ii, L invite the ex-tressioivof your opinion on the various subjects embraced in the annexed piper; and should you be disposed to accede to »he invitation, may I request that j th;; observations you may be pleased to shake | may reach this office by the la.*,t week in August next. Tile replies might refer to the questions hy number. I have the honor to be, Sir, Wnv most obedient, servant, J. L. C -Rlt'HARnsON, Superintendent. I. Whaf. is your opinion of the Land Regulatiorss: v!" the Province with reference to th<; attr!ir>ti;in:ot]ere;l by them to the settlement of the nun ot" capital, and the laboring classes1/ 11. if-all-'uncertainty were removed as to the power of the Government to compel the! fu.lninK.-nt-of the conditions of purchase, viz: "The improvement of.the land to the extent of £-2 per acre within 4 years,'' do you think the" l.md would be preserved from the speculator ? . ' 111. If you are of opinion that such woii'd not be the case, how would you. offer the laud for tree selection so as to put it within reach of the laboring classes? IV. Are you of opinion that a classification of die land within proclaimed Hundreds into "10 acres around towns, and into 40, 80, and 240 acre sections, would be desirable? (The three former^ being placed in the market in alternate sjctions, or one in every three so as to deter the speculator, and enable the small purchaser to add to his original purchase.) V. Looking forward to the time when the licenses of runholders will fall in by lapse of time, do you think that the purely agricultural country '-vith the present runs should . b'j set a?ide for settlement? ■ .VI. How would you dispose of the remanider—by sale or by lease? VII. If by lease, would you recommend it being- put up to auction as regards premium at a fixed rental ? VLff. "If by lease, would you have the runs classified as to the period over which the lease should extend according-to the probability of their being required for settlement? IX. What minimum quantity of laud do you consider sufficient for a Run ? X. "Which do you think would be the best mode o.f assessment—an acreage tax, or a poll j tax ? XI. If a poll tax were decided on, how would they secure the full stocking of a Run ? KIT. Would you have the assessment vary according to the quality of the land if an acreage assessment were decided on ? XIII. What would you consider a fair asgessmtiit per acre, or per head, on average land? XIV.. What lias been the average rate at which licenses over Runs, having 7 or 10 years' tenure,", have exchanged hands at per 1,000 acres, irrespective of the sheep? XV. -Supposing it to vary from Is. to 2s per acre, do you think an assessment of 3d. to 6d. an acre on a lease oi 14 years would be exorbitant ? if so, what would you consider a reflfonnbleassessment ? XVI. Do you consider it advisable to continue the operation of the Land Sale and I eases Ordinance as regards the exclusion of the public from purchasing on any Run without the licensee's permission ? XVII. Are you- of opinion that the runholder should have compensation for all improvements necepsjirily connected with sheep farming on the improved portion being purchased by oilier than the licensee ? XVIII Would you consider that laudt Bhouid be designated improved which were nos fenced in and had not been ploughed ? XIX. You are invited to give expression to any opinion's'-3ou may entertain on the subject under review, though not embraced in the above questions.