The Wairarapa Daily. THURSDAY, JULY 16, 1885. CROWN LANDS SALES.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VII, Issue 2043, 16 July 1885, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. THURSDAY, JULY 16, 1885. CROWN LANDS SALES.

The report of tlio Crown Lands Department for the last financial ye;iihas been laid before Parliament, and the returns show that there lias Iwflu lf-ss Crown laud sold fo,r cask, than in any previous year.. This is said to be due, not to "any want of 'purchuserb, for whenever the opportunity has been given of buying good accessible laud, ■it has been readily availed of (sic); the real reason is that the choice ®f suitable land has been very much curtailed, partly by want of roads to open up what is left, and in a verv eonsidprable degree by the extMsive.'araus, amsimting to several million .acres, witheld from disposal, either on cash sale ov settlement, conditions, in connection' with railway proposals. Another reason for the paucity' of sales is, 'that several of the Land Boards, with whom bv law the sale rests, have virtually decided not to sell any rural lanils for cash, except, perhaps, some odd fragments of blocks to complete a property," During the year there were sold on immediate payment- 65,998 acres, realizing L 82,110, and on deferred payment, 70,239 acres, The cash received for this is stated to be L 88,579; but this is manifestly incorrect, because that amount is considerably in excess of £1 per acre, The amount, no doubt, represents thecash value. The only other itetns of any ' magnitude' are pastoral rents, under which 11,384,603 acres are held, and which yield L 168.300, and coal and mineral leases, timber licenses, etc,, which' brought in L 13,178,. There were take up on perpetual ieasa 2.4,410 acres, at an average reni"of a little over Is 7d per awe, or a capital value of £1 12s. The rait revived amounted to L 2350. Agricultural leases on goldfields b?ing the

jtotiil.; iwimo .fur the venr .-.upto £357,541, Frotii tlie tuble showing the total trannnotions since tin; formation of the colony, it appears that a total ■of 12,558,507 acres have been sold, the total amount received in cash being L 12,511,220. The enormous quantity of 0,151,519 acres has been for reserved undprvarious Acts. The area now available for selection is 12,052,339, and the_toti.il area. remain-, ing for disposal, exclusive of the last limned urea, and of native, lands, is 20,352,8t>Q acres. Lithe Wellington district no town or suburban lands were sold during the year, but 11,464 acres of country-land was disposed of at an average of 14s od.per acre, thd rece.pts being L 7,805. There was also disposed of by grant an area of 1869 acres. Up to the 31st March 1884 there were approved of 417 applications for deferred payment selections, representing 86,618 acres, representing yearly fees of L 5965. The area in occupation under previous transactions brought in L 64,780, It may be added that these figures exceed this corresponding ones of all other districts except those of Otago and Southland. The selections during tlio past year represent 4929 acres, representing yearly fees of LBOS. Rents paid on land in' occupation under previous transactions (whatever that may mean) amounted to L 5,123. The area forfeited was 541 acres, When.it is considered that .the total area forfeited in the colony was 39,610 acres, it cannot be denied that settlement in this district is carried out on a very satisfactory basis.. ■ •