Jan. 12.] THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE. 21

Situated at the junction of the Kohi and Tirohanga Roads. Access from Whangamomona, thirteen miles distant. The section comprises generally rather steep hillsides, covered with a forest of towhai, tawa, rata, rewarewa, and rimu, with the usual undergrowth of supplejack, &c. The soil is vegetable mould and clay, of a medium quality, resting on a papa formation; well watered. The elevation varies from 400 ft. to 1,300 ft. above sea-level.

Stratford.. | Mahoe | .. | 10 | X. | 732 0 0 | .. | 292 16 0 | 0 4·8 | 7 6 5 | 0 3·84 | 5 17 2

Situated on the Kohi Road. Access from Whangamomona, fourteen miles and a half distant, by the Whangamomona and Kohi Roads. The section comprises generally rather steep hillsides, covered with a forest of tawa, towhai, rata, rimu, &c., with the usual undergrowth of supplejack. The soil is vegetable mould and clay, on a papa formation; well watered. Elevation from 500 ft. to 1,400 ft. above sea-level.

Stratford.. | Mahoe | .. | 1 | XIV. | 500 0 0 | 10 0 | 250 0 0 | 0 6 | 6 5 0 | 0 4·8 | 5 0 0

" .. | " | .. | 8 | XIV. | 435 0 0 | 10 0 | 217 10 0 | 0 6 | 5 8 9 | 0 4·8 | 4 7 0

" .. | " | .. | 9 | XIV | 575 0 0 | 11 0 | 316 5 0 | 0 6·6 | 7 18 2 | 0 5·28 | 6 6 6

These sections are situated on the Kohi Road. Access from Whangamomona by the Whangamomona and Kohi Roads, fifteen to sixteen miles distant; access also from Strathmore by the Brewer, Mangaehu, and Kohi Roads, seventeen miles and a half to nineteen miles distant. The sections comprise generally rather steep hillsides flattening off towards the bottom. The forest consists of tawa, towhai, rata, and rimu, with the usual undergrowth of supplejack and karamu. The soil is vegetable mould and clay, resting on a papa formation; well watered. Elevation varies from 500 ft. to 1,500 ft. above sea-level.

Locality and General Description of Land.

This land is situated to the south-east of Whangamomona Township, from 3½ to 17 miles by surveyed road therefrom. Whangamomona Township is on the main Ohura Road, 41½ miles from Stratford Railway-station, on the Wellington-New Plymouth Railway, or 35½ miles from Toko Railway-station, on the proposed Stratford to Ongarue Railway, and has ample accommodation at all times for visitors. It possesses also postal and telegraphic conveniences, and a coach service leaving Stratford Post-office at 8.30 a.m. every Monday and Thursday, returning the following day. Another access to this land is by the Makahu, Arnold, and Tirohanga Roads, 4 to 12 miles distant from the Pohokura Post-office, which is 32½ miles by the Ohura Road from Stratford, or 26½ miles from Toko Railway-station. From Pohokura 2½ miles are formed dray-road, the remainder being a walking-track only. The south-eastern portion of the land is accessible also from Strathmore Township (on the main Ohura Road, 20½ miles from Stratford), from 17½ to 19 miles, by the Brewer, Mangaehu, and Kohi Roads, 10½ miles of which are dray-roads; pack-horses have been taken to a point 14 miles from Strathmore. Further probable access will be from a point on the Wanganui River, at its confluence with the Tangarakau. This point is 29 miles from Pipiriki, or 85 miles from Wanganui, with which it is in almost daily steamer communication.

The general character of the country—which is at altitudes varying from 350 ft. to 1,735 ft. above sea-level—is somewhat rough, though it eases on the falls into the Whangamomona Stream. There are also other good slopes and flats along the streams, suitable for homestead-sites. The soil is of vegetable mould on clay, and ranges from fair to good, resting chiefly on papa formation. All the sections are well watered, and are covered with a heavy forest of towhai, rimu, rata, rewarewa, and tawa, with birch (beech) on the higher ridges and spurs, and generally a dense undergrowth of supplejack, karamu, &c. The land, when cleared, will be chiefly adapted for grazing.

As witness the hand of His Excellency the Governor, this twentieth day of December, one thousand nine hundred and four.

T. Y. DUNCAN,
Minister of Lands.

Rural Lands in Auckland Land District open for Sale or Selection.

PLUNKET, 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, William Lee, Baron Plunket, 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 Schedules hereto are hereby set apart for disposal by way of sale or selection on and after the fifteenth day of March, one thousand nine hundred and five, at the respective prices specified in the said Schedules.

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 lands containing or supposed to contain any metal, mineral, or valuable stone, they 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 First Schedule hereto shall be deemed to be “heavy-bush land,” and the land in the Second Schedule shall be deemed to be “light-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 in the case of heavy-bush land, and three years in the case of light-bush land, from the date from which in each case respectively such lands are disposed of, and no local authority shall have power to levy or collect any such rate from such lands 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 in the case of heavy-bush land, and three years in the case of light-bush land, 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.