Jan. 7.] THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE. 21

Rural Lands in Hawke's Bay Land District open for Sale or Selection.

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RANFURLY, Governor.

IN pursuance and exercise of the powers and authorities conferred upon me by section one hundred and thirty-six of “The Land Act, 1892,” and section two of “The Bush and Swamp Crown Lands Settlement Act, 1903,” I, Uchter John Mark, Earl of Ranfurly, the Governor of the Colony of New Zealand, do hereby declare and provide as follows, that is to say:—

1. The rural lands enumerated in the Schedule hereto are hereby set apart for disposal by way of sale or selection on and after the tenth day of February, one thousand nine hundred and four, at the respective prices specified in the said Schedule.

2. The said lands may be purchased for cash, or be selected for occupation with right of purchase, or on lease in perpetuity; provided that in the case of land containing or supposed to contain any metal, mineral, or valuable stone, it shall be selected on lease in perpetuity only and shall not be purchased for cash.

3. For the purposes of “The Bush and Swamp Crown Lands Settlement Act, 1903,” the lands enumerated in the said Schedule hereto shall be deemed to be “heavy-bush land.”

4. No general rate shall be levied or collected by any local authority from the said lands for the period of four years from the date from which such land is disposed of, and no local authority shall have power to levy or collect any such rate from such land during such period.

5. After the first half-year’s rent has been paid by the selector the further instalments of rent payable by him for a period of four years shall not be demanded; provided that if at any time during the first five years of his occupancy the selector disposes of his interest in the land the rent so conceded shall be paid by him in full, and thereupon the Land Board may remit such instalments of rent payable by the incoming tenant, not exceeding in the aggregate the amount of rent previously conceded to the selector, as the Board shall think fit.

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SCHEDULE.

HAWKE’S BAY LAND DISTRICT.

Unsurveyed Second-class Heavy-bush Land.

COOK COUNTY.

All that area in the Hawke’s Bay Land District, situated in Blocks XI. and XVI., Moanui Survey District; Blocks V., IX., XIII., and XIV., Motu Survey District; and Blocks I. and III., Ngatapa Survey District, containing by admeasurement 21,900 acres, more or less.

Description of land: The block is situated at the head of the Motu and Waikohu Rivers. The distance to the nearest point of this block from Gisborne via the Motu-Waikohu Road is about forty-three miles, forty of which is by formed dray-road, the balance by unformed road; and the nearest accessible point of the portion north of the Motu River from Gisborne via Neill’s Road and Waikohu-Motu Road is about fifty-one miles, ten of which is by formed pack-track, forty by dray-road, and the balance by unformed road. About 3,000 acres at the head of the Waikohu, in Blocks II. and III., Ngatapa District, is fairly good land; elevation above sea-level from 2,000 ft. to 3,500 ft.; it is covered by mixed bush of tawa, pine, &c., with birch on the tops of ridges; well watered. About 10,000 acres of land on the south side of the Motu River is poor birch-bush-covered ridges and slopes, from 2,000 ft. to 3,500 ft. above sea-level; the soil is poor except a little along the bank of the Motu River. About 15,000 acres on the north side of the Motu River is broken country, with soil of fair quality; good mixed bush in valleys and lower slopes, birch on tops and ridges; altitude, from 2,000 ft. to 4,000 ft. above sea-level; well watered.

Cash price, from 10s. to 17s. 6d. per acre. Occupation with right of purchase, from 6d. to 10·5d. per acre per annum. Lease in perpetuity, from 4·8d. to 8·4d. per acre per annum.

OPOTIKI COUNTY.

All that area in the Hawke’s Bay Land District, situated in Block I., Urutawa East Survey District, containing by admeasurement 1,500 acres, more or less.

Description of land: This block is situated on the north bank of the Motu River. The access is by formed dray-road about sixty-five miles from Gisborne, and by formed pack-track to Opotiki, about thirty miles. This pack-track passes through the block. The land is, generally speaking, rough bush-covered ranges and spurs; altitude, from 2,000 ft. to 3,500 ft. above sea-level. The soil on the ridges and upper portions of the spurs is generally poor, but is fairly good grazing-country. There are some fairly good flats and lower slopes along the Motu River, with good soil suitable for dairy farms. The ridges and upper portions of the slopes are generally covered by inferior birch and toro, the lower slopes and flats by tawa, rimu, with a few matai and totara. The block is well watered throughout.

Cash price, from 17s. 6d. per acre. Occupation with right of purchase, 10·5d. per acre per annum. Lease in perpetuity, 8·4d. per acre per annum.

WAIAPU COUNTY.

All that area in the Hawke’s Bay Land District, situated in Blocks IX., XIII., XIV., Hikurangi Survey District, and Blocks I. and II., Tutamoe Survey District, containing by admeasurement 6,430 acres, more or less. Bounded towards the north generally by State Forest Reserve, Mangaokura and Waingata Streams; towards the east generally by Waingata Stream, and by Section 3, Block XV., Hikurangi Survey District; towards the south generally by portions of Hauturu and Huiarua Blocks Nos. 2 and 3; and towards the west generally by Mangawaru No. 2 Block.

Description of land: This block is situated in the Hikurangi and Tutamoe Survey Districts, and is portion of the Waitahaia and Mangawaru No. 2 Blocks. The distance of the nearest point of this block from Waipiro Bay, the nearest shipping-place, is about twenty-seven miles, fifteen of which is by formed dray-road, eight by pack-track, and the balance is unformed. About 6,000 acres of the south-east portion of the Waitahaia Block is of clay-and-papa formation; covered by tawa, rimu, and other pines, and light bush; the balance is chiefly rough broken ridges and spurs covered with birch on the tops, and tawa pines, &c., on the lower slopes. The soil is good in the south-eastern portion of the block, and fairly good over the remainder, except on the ridges, where it is poor. The block is well watered, and the elevation above sea-level is from 1,200 ft. to 3,000 ft.

Cash price, 10s. per acre; occupation with right of purchase, from 6d. per acre per annum; lease in perpetuity, from 4·8d. per acre per annum.

COOK COUNTY.—MOTU* AND NGATAPA† SURVEY DISTRICTS.

The block lies about fifty miles north-west of Gisborne, near the Gisborne-Opotiki Main Road. It is bounded towards the east by Section 4, Block VI., Motu Survey District, the Neill Road, and Section 1, Block III., Ngatapa Survey District; towards the south-west by Crown land; and towards the north by the Oamaru and Motu No. 2 Blocks.

As witness the hand of His Excellency the Governor, this twenty-third day of December, one thousand nine hundred and three.

T. Y. DUNCAN,
Minister of Lands.