"GO ON THE LAND!"

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8326, 7 January 1907, Page 5

"GO ON THE LAND!"

THE HON. R. M'NAB'S TOUR. The Minister; for Lands, the Hon. R. M'Nab, returned from his trip to Nelson and the West Coast on Friday evening. During his absence from Wellington Mr M'Nab inspected a large area of unoccupied Crown land in Nelson with a view to placing it on the market for settlemennt. He was accompanied on his trip by Mr Flanagan, Commissioner of Crown Lands for the district; Mr Harris, Crowii Lands Ranger, and one of h?§ secretaries The tour commenced through part of the country which is at present being surveyed for subdivision, and will be put upon the market immediately. From Nelson the party proceeded by train, and coach to Murchison, and afterwards inspected some private property—which the Government has hopes of purchasing—up the Mangles River. If this land in question is acquired it will j enable the Government to settle a very large extent of Crown Land. In the old days of "gridironing," long, narrow "stretches of country were taken up by the _ original owners, and §the result, it is stated, has been to retard settlement, because the State property has been literally "locked up." On Tuesday Mr M'Nab drove to Matakitaki and Glenroy, returning at night to Murchison. On Wednesday the party went on to the Buller, and inspected the Marina Block. The property is situated at the lower end of the valley, and stretches away for nearly 33 miles in the direction of the Buller Road. From there the Ministerial party returned to Top House and Lake Rotoiti, and then to Wellington.

Speaking generally, Mr M'Nab said that in the Glenroy district close on 50,000 acres would be offered for settlement -as pastoral leases. This is the only tenure on which the land can be disposed of save such portions of it as are hot I li'lrely to be required for mining purposes. In the Marina block there. are 15 000 acres which will be available for settlement under 16ase-in-perpetuity. . Reverting to the land along the Mangles River, the Minister said if the private property he referred to was acquired, close on 60,000 acres would be available. At present the land is mostly covered with bush, with little natural clearings here and there, but Hhe land takes readily to grass. In many cases it appeared to Mr M'Nab that a lot of the land which came under his notice was almost equal to some of the best bush land of the North Island. He instanced the case of some cleared land in the vicinity of Murchison, which was carrying three and four sheep per acre. The property would be subdivided into areas of from 300 to 1,200 acres, or an average of about 750 acre lots. —Post.

CABLE NEWS.

By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright