The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE. Equal and excat Justice to all men, Of whatsoever state or persuasion, religious or political. TUESDAY, JAN. 13, 1891.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXVI, Issue 2886, 13 January 1891, Page 2

The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE. Equal and excat Justice to all men, Of whatsoever state or persuasion, religious or political. TUESDAY, JAN. 13, 1891.

Out funning friends in the Albury district, in New South Wales, seem to he having a hard tune of it just now. Not long since, this locality, in common with nearly the whole of Australia, was suffering from the I'tlects of a prolonged drought. Oraphic accounts wore written— .some of them liy New Zealanders who happened to bo over there at the time—about the deplorable

sfntD nf affairs n.titl tlis losses unci sufiVriuo entailed upon both man and boast, tlic country, four hun-tli-pfl mile.s nt a stretch, being describfid as a desert. Then camo the opposite extreme, whole districts, including Albury, being swept by disastrous Hoods; what little food escaped the drought was destroyed by water. Now that the climate conditions have settled into a more normal state, and with every prosoect. of a cood season for agriculturists, the news conies that they ■ire afllicted with a plague of locusts, which are devouring everything before them. It is early in the soason. and therefore difficult ■it present to say how far this insect invasion may spread, but the losses cannot fail to be very serious.

.Many of our readers would be inclined to remark, that no sensible man would care to take up land in a colony where the seasons and rainfall are so precarious and uncertain, where the profits of three good seasons may be anl indeed frequently have been swept away by the losses on the fourth. Yet as a fact what do we see. A oeneral desire for land, both freehold and leasehold, which for keenness and magnitude of extent is unparalleled in the history of the colony of New South Wales, and certainly has never been even approached in our own colony. Millions of acres in the country districts of New South Wales, formerly held in great areas under pastoral leases, have during the past twelve months been thrown open for selection and the demand for it has been simply phenoininal. The plan adopted in the neighbouring colony in disposing of these lands is simple, effective and liberal. In each of the districts a land office is established, where applications for lands are dealt with. Lands are divided into two classes, viz., ordinary lands and lands within special areas. The price of the former for ordinary conditional purchases is £1 per acre. The price of land within special areas varies, ranging above .£1 per acre on account of the land being of a superior character. The minimum area of land (outside special areas) that may be conditionally purchased is 40 acres, and the maximum G4O acres, but a total area of 1280 may be acquired, under conditional purchase and conditional lease combined. ,

With evei-y application for a conditional purchase of ordinary land, a deposit of 2s per acre is payable together with a survey fee,_ the balance of purchase money, with 4 per cent interest added is payable by annual instalments of one shilling per year, commencing at the end of the third year after the date of application for the land. In every case where two or more persons apply for the samo section, the question is decided by ballot._ This plan compares favourably with our auction sales, inasmuch as in New South Wales all men stand equal in applying for land, with us the rich man can easily outbid his poorer rival. We reprint an extract from the Town and Country Journal, which shows the results of their new land policy, and also a suggestive list of the lands disposed of in one week only: — The wisdom of the land policy which has thrown open so many acres of laud in the eastern division for settlement of the best kind, and which has, by judicious advertisement, let the fact be known throughout Australia, has been fully justified during the last few days. The lands offices of Now South Wales have been literally rushed, and according to the information received by thn°L'inds Department the selections taken up hav#j become the property of people of the best sort for the purpose, namely, those who do not attempt to take up land to the uttermost limit allowed by law, but who take it up to the extent of their moderate but sufficient resources, and derive from it by patient industry an ample reward in the support of themselves and their families in comfort. It certainly does not look as if New South Wales was the Australian " washpot" which certain foolish people are endeavouring to make her out to be ; for it appears that among the host of the selectors of the past fortnight is a very numerous contingent from the other colonies, notably from Victoria. These immigrants, to whom New South Wales in the plentitude of her_ resources, and in the easy conditions for industry and development which her social and political life affords, do not seem to have beeu affected by the raving of persons who, for some two years past, have been howling the"mselves hoarse in efforts to depict her as a very pariah among the Australian colonies, i while at the same time they themselves evinced no inclination to go outside her borders. However, it is not worth dwelling on this matter now. The agreeable fact which deserves note is that in almost a day the productive industry of the country has received a gigantic but perfectly healthy stimulus, which cannot fail to make its immediate influence felt. Each selector will at once begin to get something out of his land, for in his case to let cither the land or himself lie idle would involve destruction to his prospects. This means in effect that almost at once we have in activity an enormous addition to our industrial and productive population —an addition that will for its sustenance make demands upon other industries, and in return will give largely increased produce. This it is that sets trade of all kinds in active motion, and keeps it going. It is not too much to prophesy then, that New South Wales has at a leap, entered upon a long season of the soundest prosperity, which will be assisted materially by a judicious expenditure on such public works as will facilitate traffic within her boundaries, and enable the settlers on the soil to

get their produce to market and receive supplies in return.

When shall wo see in this colony such a buoyant and hopeful feeling with regard to our lauds ? The fact seems to be that the Australians are a go-a-head people, and have realised that the agricultural outlook for all the colonies, now that they have boon brought within oasy reach of tho great European markets, has undergone a very material change ; and that land, given fair seasons, is well worth owning and cultivating. This is tho spirit wo should like to see amongst ourselves, That farmers havo been too heavily weighted is true, all their vitality seoms to have been taken out of them, and tho main cause undoubtedly was the price originally paid for their lands, out of all proportion to the returns at any time made, and to which so many have succumbed. Eree from the tonible visitations which so frequently overtake the Australians, possessed of a mild and equable climate, and much bettor soil, does it not seem madness for us to sit lamenting and frittering our time away over evils the greater portion of which are entirely our own construction, instead of being up and doing, casting about for tho best means of still further developing our natural resources, aud at tho same time gaining that which is the only true fcmudation of a country's wealth aud stability, a largo increase in our agricultural population.

'■ CnndrMonal j Conditional . Purchase. j Lca^i!. District. | '._ , iNo. A ma. j No.' Area. I ' ■ Allniry ...' —P. Holiday.i — — Armirtalc .. i f.3|10,0O8 2 'oj 48 2S,:;09 0 0 ... 1 lim 0 (li — — IV.lingcn ...' 2 22'. I Oj — — liombala ...; 81 092 :t 0 6' 1,185 0 0 liuornwa ...i 111 322 2 01 10 l.fnS 0 0 Uraidwood .. I -I Nil I -' - Casino .... HSilS.;i74 0 0 70-('.-S.".:i 0 0 Cooma ...| 42] 5.071 1 OJ :tl! M.:!.">*< 0 0 Cootamuadrv , 4r.;lo.t47 I 0. 2«;i'.i 4:K' no ■"oivrs "... 10 2.02S O o: 11! IS.IIOT 0 0 KJijii ... 1. iin i! o :'.; iiuo ii o (Jlen lnnts .. ' * 1,010 0 (I; 7 4,430 0 <) ' Gratton ...•■ 14i 1,032 0 0' ii s$5 0 0 (•undatrai ... 22 7 71S 0 i<- 9' 4.770 0 0 Invorcil .. : 43 S.5S3 3 0 :(il'20,!W7 0 (I Kcmpscy .. 211 3,172 0 oj lill 4,974 (I 0 l-iimon; ... ! S SO.") 1 01 — — Molonj; ..J Fi7 0,0:10 0 Oj 2315,2511 0 0 Moruya ...': 5 510 I) 0 — Murrurundi ...' Ill 1.0S3 1 ilo, !l| J.GC7 1 0 Murwillumba \ 21 OS!) 0 0; — - Pt. Maccjuarie 1 -! Nil ' —I — Quoanbeyan ... 18] 2,0."if» 2 0| 151 4 Hot 0 I) lamwm-th ...' 110ilS,9l7 1 Oi 90(48.250 2 0 i'l-ntefii-ld ... S 925 0 o! <i] 2.4.).-. 2 0 Tuinut ... 12 2,092 0 o| 7: :!.175 0 0 Walcha ...' 42 7,529 0 0! 3019 S40 0 0 Vass ! 10 1.111 0 Oj (ii 2,970 0 0 Yminf; ; 23| 5.852 :1 0] 4511,540 0 0 1 7:«122.0-i3 2 20 1 '•'0 2!""> , :7 f! n