WASTE LAND ADMINISTRATION IN VICTORIA.

Tuapeka Times, Volume VII, Issue 352, 2 May 1874, Page 3

WASTE LAND ADMINISTRATION IN VICTORIA.

The Hon. J. J. Casey, in addressing the electors of Mandurang at Eaglehawk last month, said :—": — " In the administration of his department he had had four objects in view The first was to promote selection ; the second to curtail sales of land by auction ; the third an increasing desire to root out dummyism — (applause) — and the fourth to enforce the laws relating to the occupation oftthe land. With respect to the first object which he had steadily held in view, he would allow figures to speak for themselves. Previous to his taking office the average amount of land selected per month was 60,000 acres. During the last six months of 1873 it averaged 73,000 acres per month ; and now, during 1874, it had averaged from 100,000 to 1 10,000 acres per month, or nearly double what it had been before. One reason why this' advantage was gained was that instead of the selectors having to find their way to tho Lands office as before, there were clerks in the department who one month before the expiry of the threß yeai's' license, sent a letter to the selector instructing him exactly what to do in order to obtain the grant of his land. (Applause.) Of course they were aware that the object he had in view in desiring to extend solection was to afford grazing facilities to the class of farmers at present settling upon the lands. There are two circumstances of which he should always be proud, and .these were that during his term of office two large and fertile tracts of the colony had been settled. He referred to the Terricks and the Wimmera. A short time ago he had paid a visit to Horsham.and haviug driven round the district, he was obliged to see the large number of Germans who had come over from South Australia and settled on the plains of the Wimmera — and all within the past two years. When he asked how it was they had come to Victoria he was told that in the first place a few came over, and when they found the facilities that existed for agriculture and grazing, many others followed them and were still coming. He ventured to predict, and he asked them to mark his words, that the plains of the Wimmera would yet be the granary of Victoria. Another similar district was the Terricks. Two years ago it was merely a squatter's run. Go now and see what it was. Tbey would find that ifc was settled by a class of thrifty fanners, who, with their families, had migrated from the western portions of the colony, driven out by high rents, and settled themselves there. Whatever mighfc be his (Mr. Casey's) future career in the colony he should always feel pleased and proud to know that he had been instrumental in placing these lands in the hands of the selectors. To return to the question of the disposal of land by auction, he had not been selling much in this way, because he wished to preserve ifc as far as possible for the selectors. There were, however, many cases in which it was advisable to sell the land by auction. For instance, if a successful quartz miner wished to become possessed of a few acres of land, and to spend his money where he had earned it, there was no reason why he shoild not be afforded an opportunity of purchasing it at auction. Sometimes, too, it happened that a selpctor was unable, from a variety of circumstances, to comply with all the conditions, and wished the land put up to auction with a valuation upon the improvements. Squatters ulso— he meant honest, bona fide squatters — might wish to purchase a piece of land between their dip and woolshecl, and he saw no reason why they should not be afforded an opportunity. The relative quantifies of land sold by auction before and after his accession to office were something startling. Before, there had been sold between 170,000 and 200,000 acres per annum - say, 15,000 acres per month, and since lie had taken office it had, been reduced to 1,500 acres, or not onetenth of the former quantity. (Applause.) There was another very important xeform

which he thought he might lay claim to having effected in the administration of the Lands Department. He referred to the system of dummyism which prevailed. At the time he undertook to alter that system, his troubles commenced, and he found that he had his work cut out for him. He saw that the only remedy for the defects and evils that existed — as Parliament was sitting at the time — would be to bring in a short bill for the purpose. He was told, however, that the bill would not be passed ; that it would be rejected by the Upper House, and for this reason — that a number of the members of the Upper House held station property in New South Wales as well as in Victoria, and if they passed a bill to enable him to hold an inquiry into the so-called claims of their dummies to the land, it might be also introduced into New South Wales, and the Sydney Legislature would be disposed to follow the example of the Victorian Legislature. As a proof that the measure he proposed was a proper one, and such as would meet with public approval, he might say that all the newspapers referred to ifc in favorable terms, and that even the " Argus," which, on nearly every occasion, upheld tho action of members of the Upper House, did not attempt to uphold the action that was taken by that House in opposing the Bill. He had said in Parliament that while he held office he would allow nothing of that land to interfere with his course of action in endeavoring to obtain for the people of this country that land which was withheld from them by the system of dummyism.