The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. THURSDAY, JULY 2, 1874.

Thames Star, Volume IIII, Issue 1715, 2 July 1874, Page 2

The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. THURSDAY, JULY 2, 1874.

A proclamation appears in the Gazette ©f Juno 25th declaring certain lands to - be waste lands of the Crown, under " The -/, Immigration and Public Works Act, -«' 187&" This proclamation is important, as by.it, about one hundred thousand acres ■of/land have been added to the public estate of this Province, "to bo sold and dealt with according' to the provision of •>. the laws for the time being in force in the Province of Auckland regulating the sale • and disposal of waste lands of the Crown within such Province." The proclama- {\ tiori.is as follows : Whereas under the provisions of " The Immigration and Public Works Act, 1870" the Governor was empowered, from time -;' io time, in the name and on behalf of' Tier Alajesty, to purcha.se or in any way acquire any land in the North Island of JSew Zealand, or. any interests therein, which the owners might be willing to sell, r surrender as there mentioned :

convey, o „,,,..., And whereas by " The Immigration and * Pttblic Work's Act, 1873" it is enacted that whenever the Governor is satisfied that any lands purchased out of the sums of two hundred thousand (200 00 " pounds and five hundred th'ousuud ("iOU.OOO) pounds therein mentioned, aro free from Native claims and all dillicullics in connection therewith, he shall by Proclama-

tion, declare such lands to be waste lands | of the Crown, subject, except as hereafter provided, to be sold arid dealt with ac-.ij cording to the provisions of ,the laws for the time being in force in the Province in which such land is, regulating the sale and disposal of waste lands of the Crown i within such Province, and thereupon such lands so proclaimed shall become subject to such provisions: And whereas the, lands described in the schedule hereto have been purchased out of the sum of ; . two hundred thousand (200,000) pounds, declared to be applicable for the purchase pflands in the lNorth Island under the ' provisions^ Part Four (IT.) of " The Immigration and Public Works Act, 1870; " And whereas it is expedient that the said lands shall be declared to be waste lands, as hereinafter set forth : \ .

Now, therefore, I, Sir James, Fergusson, Baronet, the Governor of New Zedland, being satisfied that the lands described in the schedule hereto'are free from Native claims and all difficulties ija connection therewith, in pursuance and exercise of the power and authority vested' in me by " The Immigration and Public, Worts Act, 1873," do hereby proclaim* and declare the said lands to be waste' lands of the Crown, subject (except as by the- said Act is provided) to be sold:and dealt with according to the provision 6f the laws for the time being in force in the Province of Auckland, regulating the sale and disposal -of waste lands of the Crown within such. Province. ■ /

Given under the hand, &cV < ; The schedule referred to in the proclamation gives particulars of the land and where situated; of which the following extracts will .afford some idea, without troubling the reader with the exact boundaries— • j

Kaitaiar Northern section, of JKaitaia block, in the District of Hokianga, in the County of Mpngonui: five thousand eight hundred and six (5806) acres. i Xaruhiruhi: land at Wirinaki, in the District of Hokianga, known "by the name of Karuhiruhi ; five thousand two hundred and eighty (5280) acres more or less.

Pungaere: land situate at To Keri Keri, in the Bay of Islands District, known by the name of Pungaere ; seven thousand one hundred and eighty-four (7184) acres, more or Jess. Te Papa : land at Te Eere Kere named Te Papa; one hundred and twenty-seven (127) acres, more or less. Hukerenui: in the Bay of Islands District, County of Hokiauga, known as the Hukerenui Block; nineteen thousand five hundred (19,500) acres, more or less. Okahu: situate at Waiwerawera, in the District of Mahurangi, County of Marsden; two thousand four hundred and eight (2408) acres, more or les3. (Some exceptions are made in the above blocks in terms of the proclamation, but the acreage is a mere trifle.)

Marunui ; land known as the Marunui Block, in the District of Kaipara;' two thousand one hundred and sixty (2160) acres, more or less. 'Taranoho: land at Whitianga> in the District of Coromandel, Queen's County, known by the name of Taranoho; three thousand seven hundred and ninety-six (3796) acres. Te Karo No. 1: land in the Coromandel District, Queen's County ; one thousand two hundred and' -seventy

(1270) acres, known as Te Karo No. 1 Block. -"•■ '; , ::.'.:'. TeKaroNo 2; Coromander. District, Queen's County, one hundred (100) acres, more or less. -.]■■ ■•■ Tairua: land at Tairua, in ihe Bay of Plenty, Queen's County, known as Tairua Block ; thirty-six -thousand (36,000) acres, more pr less. Otama East: District of Hauraki, Queen's County, known by the.name;of Otama Block East; one ' thousand, two ; hundred and seventeen (1217) acres, more or less. ; Otama West: District) of Hanraki, Queen's County, known as Otama Block West; one thousand two.hundred \.and ninety-eight (1298) acres more or less.! > Opango : District of Hauraki, Queen's County, Opanga Block; one thousand (1000) acres, more or less. „.■'.. ; / Hotoritori:. District of . -TTauraki,. Queen'a County, Hotoritori Block ; five hundred and twenty-three (523) acres, more or less. . i Hihi and Piraunui: District: of Hauraki, Queen's County, Hihi and Piraunui Block; six thousand seven hundred and. fifty-five (6755) acres, more or less. ; From the above abstract it will be seen that the total acreage proclaimed reaches nearly one hundred thousand acres I more 'than the half being comprised in Queen's County, of which this district forms apart. lii addition, over thirty-six thousand (36,000) acres of. land, comprised in the Whangamata, Hikutaia and Omahu Blocks, have already been included within

the Hauraki Goldmining District,

In connection with this matter we may mention that in March, 1873", Mr. Janies Mackay furnished to the General Government Agent in Auckland a return ; o f Native lands purchased by him or under negociation for purchase, under 'the 34Lh section of "The Immigration and Public Works Act, 1870 ; " and strange to say, under the heading of "Blocks, the purchase of which., has been completed " are included all the blocks in the schedule to the Governor's proclamation of date June 25, 1874, situate in the Hauraki District, and also the Tairua Block; so that it would appenr as if it h#& taken the Government flileen months to satisfy themselves that the JN'ative claims had been extta&uUlicd, and lhat:the land could safely be brought under the

opcratioa of " ri he Immigration and Pub- ' lie Works Act." How much further delay will occur in administering this land by the Provincial -Government remains to be seen, but the advocates of ■pecial settlements will now have soniot>hing definite./to go to the Govcrnnient • Tf ith, if they are not altogether committed to the choice of a particular block—the \Vharekawa (?) —towards the purchase of which very little had been done at<the date of Mr.- 'Mackay's -report, abovejre'-! ferred.'to.; Gfrihe.blpcks included in-the above schedule aud situate in the Hauraki District, Mr. Mackay fui|pishbs scarcelyany information regarding the' suitability of the land for agricultural purposes.- He says Otama East and West give access from tlie sea to landjowned by the^Crown, known as Ototoro, and'that the land is reported, to,.^ auriferous ;.that the Hih'i. mnd Piriftui^biock, giv^es^tllo Government access to the [fairua Block from Shprt? land jjHptojrifcqri^an'd'fOpangDrr valuable-; Irom^prdxiinity to Shortland • and '' within proclaimed goldfield ;. Taranoh.Q adjoins land pur|hasedat| Mercury] Bajr for the'Crowfi, and is believed to be auri^ 'ferous ; ■-■ Te " Eoros; 1' .'and 2;.;' an d; Tairua-—give ' access to/ the sea jfco , the eastward ; gold has been found, and. there is some land available Jfor cultivation. From the same report it would appear that these lands have been acquired at an average of-two shillings- and 'eightpence--per,acre.r •..■■,.■ > ■/ ; ■ i : \ \; >■