The Temuka Leader TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 1888. LAND SALES.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1806, 23 October 1888, Page 2

The Temuka Leader TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 1888. LAND SALES.

It is evident that earth hunger has once more seized the people of this colony, and that a great many are how ready to invest money in land if the opportunity were afforded them. There is-ffirall sides sufficient evidence to justify this conclusion beirlg arrived at. In proof of this, we recently referred to the extraordinarily! high price realised by the Paterson Estate, the, keen competition for land in the Southland district, and the fact that every land agent had frequent' applications made to him f6r farmsj In addition to what vfb have already said, there is still further proof that the time has arrived when land is j saleable. On Friday, in Wellington, Crown lands were offered for sale at the .Land Office, and it has been prd bounced the best' ever held in, that district. There were 332 applicants for 75 sections, and 26,547 acres were

disposed of, the.competition fori them being extremely teen. Thus it can be seen that whenever the people get the slightest chance of securing land* ' they' are most,ready to invest! their money 1 in it, and it is a; very regrettable thing that the facility they have to do so is somewhat ''circumscribed. The good land of the colony 1 is locked up, and those whoj have possession of it show no disposition to part with it. They have been dinging in our ears for years that as soon as they could get' any reasonable j price 1 for it they would offer it for sale; but now the opportunity to sell has ■ undoubtedly arrived, and they are not taking advantage of it, Prices are high—and are likely to remain so — and they are more anxious than ever to retain possession of what promises : to pay better than hitherto! It is very much to be regretted that they persist in this line of action. The developement of the colony must be slow if the land is not properly settled, and consequently prosperity of any lasting character cannot exist. Thus by their

policy of impeding settlement they are injuring themselves as well as the colony. If we had twice' our present population we-should do twice the business that is being ;done now, and banks and other monetary institutions would have twice their present-faci-lities for making money. In this way they would gain . considerably by cutting, up and settling their lands. There cannot be the slightest jdoubt about it. By keepingthe colony back as they are doing they are keeping themselves back also, and they will yet find: it. out- The day will come when they: will be made to sell, and when compulsion is brought to bear ; upon them, and they have to resort to forced sales their properties will not realise anything like what they would if disposed of in the ordinary way. This is. a matter .that banks and

mortgage companies ought to study, and the, sooner they do so, and decide on selling their lands, the better for themselves r and for the colony. ' , * ,