The Inangahua Times, PUBLISHED TRI-WEEKLY. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 17,1883.

Inangahua Times, Volume VIII, Issue 1298, 17 September 1883, Page 2

The Inangahua Times, PUBLISHED TRI- WEEKLY. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 1883.

Amongst the returns laid upon the table of the House during the session just closed was one showing "(1.) All lands which have passed through the Native Land Court since the coming into operation of " The Native Act, 1878, and ha7e been alienated otherwise than to the Crown, stating the locality of each area, with its acreage, price per acre, and name of purchaser. (2.) Of all proclamations over Native lands that have been withdrawn by the Government. during the same period, with the particulars as aforementioned, and giving the* names of the persons who have obtained the ownership of ■ such Native Land. (8.) Of all applications made to the Courts, or other action taken by the Native Minister j to prevent, dealing with Native land without the consent df the».,Government.'- This dbcnment was furnished on the motion of Mr Hutchison, the mejnber for Wellington South; whViS" an Oppositionist. It is shown by the return that since the coining into operation of " The Native Land Act, 1878," no less than three quarters of a million acres of land have passed from the possession of .the Crown to, European purchasers, at the. pepper-corn price of 5s 1£ per acre. Of this large area nearly 400»000 acres have been alienated within the last beventeen or eighteen months, and this, in. spite of all the legislation which the people of the Colony have been taught to believe has been introduced to prevent it. Here is a summary sho^ng the area of land in each district of the North Island Which has been disposed' of under the conditions stated, with the figures giving the average price per acre : — Wanganui, Bay of Islands, and Hokiariga — 7,153, acres, average price per acre 7s 2d. Whangarei aril Kaipara — 1 28,202 acres, average price per acre 8s 6d fd. Cprpmandel and Thames — 61,836 acres, average price per acre 7s. Waikati— 2B9,9sß acres, average price per acre 4s B|d. . Bay .of Plenty, Taupo, &c, 79,425 acres, average price per acre 2s lid. ... East Coast and Poverty Bay 118, 979 acres, average price per acre ss. . Wellington, Ofcaki,, Manawattt and Wairarapa 82,032 acres, average price per acre 16s 6£d. Monganui and Patea 88,245 acres, average price per acre 6s. BJd. It will be observed that the price per acre ranges from 2s. lid. to 16s. s£d., the average pricefor the whole. 750,000 acres being just 1 ss. l£d. The total area of land held by the Crown in both Islands is something like 22,000,000 acres, of which probably fully one-third is quite useless for either agricultural or pastoral pur poses, being either volcanic, snow laden or otherwise unfit for settlement The figures we have given above relate only to Native land in the North Island, and take no account of the dealings with the public estate in the South Island by auction, deferred payment, and otherwise. During the past year there was disposed of by sale and on deferred. payment in both Islands 222,442 acres, which, with the 750,000 acres of Native-lands before alluded to, shows that close, upon a million acres of the public estate has gone into private hands during the past year and a-half. These figures are alarming, showing as they undoubtedly do, that at the present rate of disposal, in ten years time the whole of the saleable land of the Colony will have passed from the possession of the people. If there was ever a country where the necessity for the' nationalisation of the land existed, it is surely this," if. the nationalisation mean, nothing more than merely putting an end to any further plundering of the Colonial

estate. But nationalisation of the land is little thought of just now. It has been brought up for discussion, discussed and dismissed, and will, probably be thought of no more, or not until public attention is once ? more Btartledby a more than ordinarily daring piece of rapacity on the. p^ct of some Whitaker or Russe.ll, w^ien i£ will probably be found too late, that another monstrous land job has been consummated.