The Inangahua Times, PUBLISHED TRI-WEEKLY. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 1884.

Inangahua Times, Volume IX, Issue 1474, 24 November 1884, Page 2

The Inangahua Times, PUBLISHED TRI-WEEKLY. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 1884.

We publish today another instalment of lapsed mining leases. The area of the ground thus thrown open to occupation reaches to something like 460 acres. Looking over the list we find that upon some of tho leases thus cancelled as much as £10 per acre has been paid to tlie Government in rent, aud £3 per acre is about the least su:n paid upon any of it. Tlie annual rental of 203 per acre paid by K'-fftou on this 460 acres equals the sum recftived yi-a;-ly by the Government upon nearly 40,000 acres of pastoral land in other parts of the Coiony, the average leutal on pastoral land being about three pence per acre. Ar, tlie. c!')*e of hist year there was 10,3)0 acres of land hold under mineral lease and prospecting licenses in Llie Nelson Piuv;i:ei;il district, yielding an annual rental of £1600, the rental d.. i abin from^HOOo, nci-es of pastor. 1 l.uid iv the Southland Provincial district being only £1333 per annum. T.iere is no question this heavy yearly rental of 20s per acre for mining leaseholds is an imposition so utterly monstrous that it is truly puzzling to know how it has been horn for so many years. Thorn is however, a prospect at length of relief, the Goldh'elds Committee having joined in a strong recommendation to the Government i.i

t'.iafc direction, and the souiier it i 3 acted upon tho better.