THE LAND LAWS OF CAPE COLONY.

Waikato Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2154, 29 April 1886, Page 2

THE LAND LAWS OF CAPE COLONY.

There are three modes of land tenure common to Cape Colony — freehold, loan, and quit-rent ; the latter, entailing the annual payment of a small sum, dependent upon the value and circumstances of the land. The laud laws of the colony now in force are contained in the Act No. 2 of 1860, which provides for the sale of all Government lands on perpetual quit-rent and by public auction, excepting grants made for public purposes with the concurrence of the Legislature. A subsequent enactmetit (Act 19 of 1864) authorises lands to be leased by public auction for periods of from 2to 21 years ; and another (Act o9 of 1870) ' gives the lessees permissiop, with the consent of Government, at anf lime during the continuation of their 21 years' leases, to purchase the land at sum not less than the rent capitalised at 5 per cent, and a quit-rent of £1 per cent. The Surveyor-General estimates that there was in existence on Ist January, 1976. under Act No. 19, 1864, about 2100 leases, of an extent of 7.400,000 dorgea (a morgen is equal to about 211 English acres), with a total antflial rent of £67,000. These leases include* a slight proportion of sections of ground of small extent ; but the great majority are farms, agricultural or pastoral, varying much in extent, according to the nature of the country. From the above.figurfa the average to each lot is about 3500 mor« gens. The total rents (£67,000.) capitalised at Q per cent.; gpts the sum of £1, 116,666, representing 1 , the minimum value to the Government "Under Act No. 5, 1870, of the lands held on lease, and which may be converted into quit-rent and wonld then still yield a perpetual annual revenue of £11,666, or 1 per cent, on the purchase-money. As to how quit-Tent leases are obtained, there is an upset price which will cover at least pke expenses of inspection, survey, erection of beacons, and title-deed, and then it It disposed' of to the highest bidder -at auction, . • L

„ Tub largest dog in America if said to be a St. Bernard, oiroed by Glen Core, L. I. He measures 7 feet 11 inches from the end of his nose to the tip of bis tail, standing 25ia. high, and weighs 1921b5. With the exception of the Austrian and Russian zinc works, which are only of local influence, all European zinc works, including the British, hay» now concluded a convention by which they agree to limit their annual production up to June 30, 1888, to the amount dtf> livered in 1884. The four little Siamese princes, who have been sent by their royal father to I receive a French education, are brightlooking boys of five to ten yean old. Each boy is attended by two servant*, and the whole party is under the charge of a doctor and of a Siamese nobleman connected with the embassy. If these four children shoald fall victims to Euro* pean climate or to changed conditions of life, the King of Siam will not by any means be left without offspring, as he no less than two hundred and fifty more sons and daughters at home, forty of. whom are as yet unweaned.