MANAGEMENT OF PASTORALLANDS.

Southland Times, Volume I, Issue 78, 29 November 1864, Page 3

MANAGEMENT OF PASTORALLANDS.

■--■The following- message from. the. 3aperiatenje.ti.t^ of Oteg«sTPfasjsijbmittjid..,_to the. Provincial Council, of that 'ProHric^foV'theirtonsiUeratibn^Claring the^ receis. It will- doubtless 'interest our readers :— 1 " In his address to the-Provincial Council on thyj opening -off thopresjent^sessioa, -'the ritzperinten -len.si alluded to the value ami importance bi'tlits Pastoral! X»nd8 ; of r theProFmce'aßX''4Ptt^e.o.ffuJbur^re^enuis,j. an}l' to. the -duty- of ; conaiuerinfj in whalf mannor Enbse'ianiff'may..iw''Apßfc l b'enefiiaaii7 r aUmmistered^ It is very generally known' arid aUniifctedy -'fchat v the (inoderin wjiich-purc P-astajraL. Lands .haye- been; iealt with, is^not^ altogether ;Batisfactofy' t'i thej tenants while it 'is "opposed to public policy ana] interests. The tenure beinp uncertain > 'in '9 r .its( nature, the tenants do not possess .those. induec : ! ments to invest; capital in the .erelosjuse of the; Runs, in the introduction ofnew; and inj making those generaland" permanent; :improve-. ments thereon, upon which materially depend tho; successful breeding and 'management i>f stock: On the other hand, the revMlie.'derivaple from! Pastoral Landß is utterly .disproportionate to their »nnual value. ■ < - - 1 it; i From the annexed table, it appears that the total ivraount.of, Income^acciruing to the Province as- Chef rents of 6,394ylo6^acres'" of land-wnbunts to tho comparatively uma.ll sum of £4,8 ±0 103. 9d. . • • » •,, * .«. .^a. r _#_ « ••- " • i The e'x'pfesiidn^of a decidisd ophiihion upon the working of the Otago- Waste Lands Act of 1863,; and the; 'irinuehce -they mayOexeireise upon the colonisation of- 'the' Province, and the cultivation of its a^riculcaral-landirwouldvioflr-be ; prexnature • j but it- is -not, too early ;to recpgnjse £he.,fact;that the j ■acond of "these acts,' which imposes "Urt 'annual , i tax of ,25.. per. acrelupon all purchased lands" _until j 'their 'owner hairexpended' • £2 per -acre 1 , upon-im^-provemonts v thereon, .is ; inapplicable to lands j which are unadaptcd for agricultural purposes. , -#v' 7-;';* ■■-:.*-.1.' *•: # .•'•••■ .•-: ..*.» ■':* ,-- r •• The.Superihtendeut: submits; to ;thij Council fthe I outlines of a system under -which -(if adapted) a more advantageous result would ,be., obtained i than that' which has attended the ; system ;now in operation. ■ '■• • ■-;.••- •"■ ! ..- . .-; ;,-:■ -..;',; ;::■.::•:'': .';|;;: '. ' The following are. some: 0/s itt^m^in features :-j---1. That 100 Buns, containing- inthe aggregate 3.000,000 acres,- be selobte'd in various parts of th'o j j Prorin.ee, as a Provincial Estate, and that necesiary steps be taken to secure such lands tojtiio I Province as its iniilienable-properfcy.i •!-> x'i.~.. i 2. That on the expiration of the, leases affecting such Runs, the same be let by the Government by public auction,/ on, leases, for 7, LOorli* rears, at the highest annual rent ' obtainable for the. sainer ;. , r ; . • .<■ ■ .-■t? ,• . ;-■ .-- --3 That in addition, to all m'ual and necessary, conditions^ the ..leases should contain the following TiZ . — „-.'■''' "''* r ' '-""■■'••'■'*• Ist. That_at the .espirwfcidri of fcho lease valuation should Wallowed to' tlie ■ tenant, for all suoh fences,, buildings, .attd .'-'.other permanent improvements, includihg'the planting of forest trees as he may have erected or made oil/the land occupied by him during the; currency/ of the lease, by written .consent of the Government. 2nd. That thie goTernmetit shall at -all tinier during the currency of the lease; have full power and' authority to ; ; enter " upon ' ; the " land,- for- the purpose of making and repairing roafcU arid bridges, quarrying stone ibr! building- and; other purposes, and for working minerals ; and shall also have the right,, upon payment of reasonable compensation for the same to* abstract', from .the land! so cleared, if required for agricultural purposes," any part or. parts thereof,' not 'being • more than fi vs. per cent, of the whole, and shall also have the right to erect or cause to be erected, on any par* of the said lands, all buildings required for Poli -c Stations and for othei purposes, as also to authorise the erection of and to license hotels or other houses for the use and accommodation -of traFel--1 rs. ' ' '-'" : - """" -• ? j : i 9wl. .That in the evont, of the Mdor' of any I Depasturing License for any Hun which shall be I so set aside and'reserved:as a Provincial Estate as I aforesaid, being desirous, during the currency of i such licence, of exchanging the-aame-for. a lease of I the conditions before-mentioned, ihe Government I shall be at" liberty to grant the-same, at an annual r«nt to "be i "fixed by.tbem~-with.out submitting- such I lease to .public adctioni, ■>-'■■ -■. 4th That all pastoral lands, except the lands so to be reserved and set aside as, a ;Provincial?estate as aforesaid, shall. Ton the .expiration of the^icenses affecting the same, jhe; open for sale in blocks of not- less than,32oiacre3, . at .the . upaet pi £ 1 per-, acre; and the^purchaserA thereo'f shall be exempV from' th'e J 'operatioh bf the Otago Waste^ Lancls 1863,~N0T2 f bat until the -said liuicte 5 shall be sold;' the same inayVbe let for pastoral purposes in such areas as the Q-overnment may determine, on lease for seven, ten, or fourteen years, subject' to the': following .'conditions in addition to those, contained in clauses two ! and three, viz. :• — , '; . , • -. O;< ,.. _.. - 1; That when any 'portion of lani 'shall be : sold by the Government, the^rent previously payable in respect, of the ■lands i sBO-,spld i^liall cease. .; 2. That the. pu^chaker j>f. any" land comprisei': within a run so 'lea'seH Shall not be entitled to any rights, df .pasturage ;on. tiie (i ?aid? run, beybnii thelimits of' the land_sq pui'chase'd^oy him. ; ! Regulations based upon the foregoing condi- 1 tionß would 'probably "" produce orer- the? first fourteen years of "their trial the following results entirely, independent of the revehue'arising' from the sales 6l '■ agricultural lands :— Estimated netfc "annual" rentalfirom-reßer red estate -o( 'three millions oPJaeres, d6(>s,oOO ;, .estimattsd annual nettrental from, say two millions acres of residue of the pastoraf- lands, ; j estimated nett annual revenue derivable, from sales of pastoral lands,, .60,000, say at £1 per acre, £60,000 ; total amount of rerenue fromi sales of laud, ?£lss;o^o,|.^The^ Superintendent, has been unabie;.during B> the preBent^session to prepare for presonfetiori tq ; the, LCouncil;a complete. code b£ new regulatibna, but ,a* hefbelieyes that the subject' is; 'entitled to^early.. consideration, i with a view! tK>"theWp^s4 of existing regulations at the earliest possible dUtoV 'and also Tthat'v the ; [principles- contained' in 'the-; foregoing I classes would, if particularly applied to productive of great and permanent-advantage to the Province, he ha 3 determined to submit them in their-present^ - imperfect.state, in tlie. hope i that, they may prove * the basis of- a systemi which, when fully natured? by the Council ; and ..the G-eneral Assembly, trill finally secure to the, .'Krqvintsp an equitable *nclj justifiable disposalof our ■ pastoral lands. ■ *■ ! .. - „ - 1 . 1 J. v ,Jlypb Habbw, Superinteudent. '■'.'. >^I^eiiin, BthJforA 18W." '■ ; - ;'. " IV X :