THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 2, 1880.

Thames Star, Volume XI, Issue 3673, 2 October 1880, Page 2

THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 2, 1880.

A few days ago we referred incidentally to an offer made by Messrs Grant and Forster's agent in New Zealand to the, Waste Lands Board in respect of land at Te Aroba on which to form a special settlement. At the meeting of the Land Board held at Auckland last week the proposal was discussed, and from the report given in yesterday's Herald, Capt. Steele's offer is as follows : The Lincolnshire farmers arc prepared to purchase 17,000 acres at Te Aroha on the following conditions: —1. The price not to exceed £1 10s per acre. 2. Ten per cent of the purchase to be paid in London three months after the execution of a valid agreement confirming and completing the purchase. 3. The remainder of the pur-chase-money to be paid by five equal annual payments, the first of such payments to be made fifteen months after the execution of the said agreement, and one of such payments annually thereafter until the balance is paid. 4. It being the intention of Messrs Grant and Foster to introduce, for the purpose of settling the above-named lands, none but substantial and monied farmers, I am prepared, as their agent, to enter into such reasonable conditions for the settling, occupation, and improving of said lands as the Waste Lands Board may suggesi." The decision of the Board after a long discussion was to sell the acreage required at £2 per acre on the condition that 45 families were settled on the land within six months of their arriral in Auckland. We have already pointed out in the strongest terms the desirability of the land required being disposed of to Messrs Grant and Foster, but will be excused here for using another argument in favor of so disposing of the Te Aroha block. Much of the land, though rich, is swampy and the persons who settled it would need to be provided with capital to expend on it before it could be made reproductive. Mere cockatoo farming would be almost certain to result in the ruin of the settlers. The English farmers it is proposed to introduce will all have some capital to tide them over the first few years, and coming from Lincolnshire may be expected to be somewhat acquainted with the treatment of lowlying and swampy lands. The benefits to the district at large through having such a class of settlers would be incalculable, and the only thing wo regret is that the Board could not sco their way to charge less for the land; iudeed sooner than miss this opportunity we would prefer to see the land disposed of to them at a very low rate, as long as the conditions of settlement were insisted upon.