THE- 50,000 ACRE SALE OF MOA PLAT STATION.

Tuapeka Times, Volume III, Issue 194, 26 October 1871, Page 6

THE- 50,000 ACRE SALE OF MOA PLAT STATION.

(From " Hansard." ) LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. — SEPT. 27tK.

The Hon. Captain "Fraser asked the Hon. 'the Minister of Justice, without notice, Whetner the G-overnment was aware that 50,000 acres of the waste lands of the Crown .in Otugo had recently been sold to a Melbourne capitalist ? The land consisted of a frjnfcage on the valley of the Molyneux, and. and, though supposed to be sold at the rate of £1 an acre, had actually' onty realised about £30,500 in the very questionable transaction which had taken place. The 50,000 acres included a' block of 5,000 acres which had jnst ;b'een surveyed for settlement. There had boon large coin missions allowed, and a commission to the seller, £4,500 had been allowed for the survey, when it was perfectly well known the cost of the curvey would only be a little more than a tithe of that. By the sale of that land a stop was actually being put to settlement in that part of the country, for there was no road allowed to be taken through the land. They were upon the eve of instituting a large system of immigration, with a vietv to the general settlement of thft people all over the land, and the sale to which he had alluded was .the very thing calculated to prevent that settlement. ' Only .50,000 acres had been sold, but 100,000' \ acres might be sold its; the same ques.tionabFe manner.

The Hon. Mr. Sewell was not; aware of any such ti'ansastion to which the honourable member referred, except 'that he had seen a paragraph in a,newj?paper, stating there had been '40'OOCT -sold. But if his honourable friendf" !>vould give notice of his- question, n'e would, ascertain, wjia'fc iie could of the <facts,.ajid give .himythe informations

* The Hon. Captain Eraser merely wished to know whether the G-overn-ment were in possession of any facts relating to the matter. " The' Hon. Mr. Sewell said he was not in possession of any facts, but was not aware whether any of his colleague were.