The Evening Star MONTHLY SUMMARY FOR EUROPE AND AMERICA, Per s.s. Austrblia.'

Thames Star, Volume XIII, Issue 4248, 12 August 1882, Page 1 (Supplement)

The Evening Star MONTHLY SUMMARY FOR EUROPE AND AMERICA, Per s.s. Austrblia.'

Thi month has been an uneventful one. Th© colony continues in a highly prosperous condition, and the prospects locally are improving. In Parliament no great measures have been passed* but some have been read a second time. Two fof r , these are worth mentioning. One is tpTiationalise certain lands, that is to lease them instead of parting with the freehold. The Land Act 1877 Amendment Act purports to be "as to leases of rural lands with perpetual right of renewal." It provides for leasing by Waste Lands Boards of jraral lands for 21 years, the first leases to be sold by tender, the upset price to be 5 per cent, on the capital.value of the land, and persons of ' 18 years and upwards may take leases. As the object of the Bill is to insure the actual settlement of land, a clause is inserted to prevent any person taking a lease under the Bill who will in any "way become the owner, tenant, or occupier of more than 640 acres throughout the colony. This restriction does not apply to persons acquiring a lease by marriage or bequest. About three years before the end of the terra, two' valuations hare to be made—one, of tlae value of the land with all improvements; the other, of the value of all substantial improvements of a permanent character then in existence on the l&nds which have been made by the lessee. The lessee has two years and nine months to consider whether he will take a renewal lease on like conditions," the rental being 5 per cent, on the difference between such two valuations. He can obtain his lease at any time during that period. If he prefers not to take it, then the Board can fix a definite rental for the land, which must not exceed the amount at which it was offered to the outgoing lessee. It is then offered for public tender at such fiatod rent, the tendering being on the amount to be given for the improvements. The lessee can protect himself by making a tender, while if he has added to the improvements since the flate of the arbitration, or if farming prospects are brighter, the competition may result in his getting more for his improvements than the valuation allowed him. If such tendering does not result in a sale, then the lessee has fourteen days more to elect whether he will take a renewal at the z'ental fixed by the Board- when inviting tenders. If he still prefers not to take a renewal, then his land and the improvements thereon revert to the Crown. Another bill provides that all native reserves shall be managed by the Government. This we regard as an excellent measure. The reserves will be inalienable so that there will be no danger of the natives becoming paupers upon the country. Their reserves will become more valuable yearly, and the colony through settlers leasing them, will have the benefit of their utilization. The Whitaker Government is now safe. A* will be seen elsewhere a no-confi-dence motion was defeated. We publish th« speeches of the Colonial Treasurer and Mr Montgomery, the leadei' of the Opposition, which give the gist of the debate. We hope-to be able to report some brilliant returns from the low levels next summary. 18 loads of quartz taken from between 540 and 580 feet helow the surface in the Queen of Beauty mine yielded nearly Boz to the load.