1308 THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE [No. 36

Rather steep hills, thickly timbered with birch, rimu, and
rata. Access by surveyed roads up Bonnie Doon Valley and
Silverstream.

Inangahua County.—Owen Block.

The county consists of flats, undulating spurs, and, on the
extreme east and west, high hills.

Altitude varies from 800 ft. to 2,000 ft. above sea-level.
The climate is, on the whole, favourable.

The flats show good dark soil of fair depth in places, on
limestone formation. On the undulating portions the soil is
fair, improving towards the creeks. The hilly portions show
yellow to chocolate-coloured clays, with light soil. Lime-
stone shows freely over the land.

The country is well sheltered, well watered, and forest-clad,
the forest consisting of birch, matai, white-pine, totara, rata,
and at the northern boundary cedar. The underscrub may
be classed as good cattle-feed.

The nearest railway-station to the block is Kohatu, distant
twenty-seven miles to the east. The Owen Junction Post-
office is about seven miles distant.

Inangahua County.—Matiri Block.

Limestone formation, with outcrops of clay and gneiss.
Small alluvial flats occur frequently near the river-banks,
from which rise the spurs of the higher ranges. The
lower parts of the country are from 600 ft. to 1,000 ft. high,
the higher portions attaining generally an altitude of 2,600 ft.

The valley is covered with bush, principally birch, with
small patches of kahikatea (white-pine) on the flats.

Wild cattle and red deer are plentiful, while the river
itself contains excellent trout.

The freehold country adjoining the block, which has been
cleared and cultivated, grows hops, barley, oats, potatoes,
turnips, and good grass.

The whole block is well watered by the Matiri River and
its numerous tributaries.

Inangahua County.—Owen East Block.

The timber on the land consists chiefly of white-pine,
black-pine, red-pine (rimu), red-birch, black-birch, brown-
birch, and totara, with underscrub of broadleaf, fivefinger,
pepper-tree, maple, fuchsia, &c., varying from medium on
the southern portion to heavy bush on the northern portion.

The soil varies from good along the river-flats to fair on
the spurs and slopes. The formation is limestone, sandstone,
and granite rocks. Well watered. Good grass shows
whenever cleared. Well adapted for fruit-growing. Alti-
tude varies from about 1,000 ft. to 2,200 ft.

It is proposed to construct the continuation of Baigent's
Track from the Owen Forks up the left branch, and Frying-
pan Creek to the Saddle.

At the junction of Baigent's with the main coach-road
there is a good accommodation-house and also post-office.
The mail-coach from Nelson passes twice a week.

Inangahua County.—Maruia North Block.

The land is timber-clad, consisting of brown-birch, black-
birch, scattered rimu, black-pine, white-pine, miro, moun-
tain totara, and rata, with underscrub of broadleaf, five-
finger, pepper-tree, maple, fuchsia, &c.

The formation is limestone, sandstone, and granite rocks.
Well watered. Has a northern aspect, and carries good
grass when cleared. Well adapted for fruit-growing and for
pastoral purposes. Sufficient flat land for homestead-site.

The Town of Murchison is distant in an easterly direction
about eight miles from the block along a dray-road.

The main coach-road is along the Buller River, at the
northern boundary of the block. The mail-coach passes
twice a week.

As witness the hand of His Excellency the Governor,
this twenty-third day of April, one thousand
nine hundred and eight.
ROBERT McNAB,
Minister of Lands.

Opening Lands in Nelson Land District for Selection on Renewable Lease.

PLUNKET, Governor.

IN pursuance and exercise of the powers and authorities
conferred upon me by the one-hundred-and-thirty-sixth
section of "The Land Act, 1892," and its amendments, I,
William Lee, Baron Plunket, the Governor of the Dominion
of New Zealand, having received the report of the Under-
Secretary in this behalf, as in the said section is provided,
do hereby declare that the rural lands described in the
Schedule hereto shall be open for selection on Wednesday,
the twenty-fourth day of June, one thousand nine hundred
and eight; and also that the lands mentioned in the said
Schedule may be selected on renewable lease only, in accord-
ance with the provisions of section one hundred and twenty-
one of the said Act, as they contain, or are supposed to
contain, metals, minerals, or valuable stone; and I do
hereby also fix the prices at which the said lands shall be
leased, as mentioned in the said Schedule hereto, and do
declare that the said lands shall be leased under and subject
to the provisions of "The Land Act, 1892," and its amend-
ments.

SCHEDULE.

NELSON LAND DISTRICT.

Second-class Unsurveyed Land.

All low hills and gullies, with a few small flats in the
creeks; covered with bush, principally birch, with some
rimu; formation, sandstone gravels. Access by unformed
roads up the various branches of the River Tadmor, and by
the main coach-road to Reefton. This block is distant four
miles from the proposed railway-station at Manu.

| Kaiteriteri .. | XIV | 270 | 3.84 |

Rough hills, of limestone formation; originally covered
with heavy mixed bush, now burnt, and grown up with fern,
blackberries, scrub, &c. Distant about twelve miles from
Riwaka Post-office.

| Burnett .. | XII | 324 | 3.8 |

Portion of the Warwick Block. Situated to the north
of and adjoining the Maruia Block (which has been sub-
divided and selected). Access is by main road from Mur-
chison via Matakitaki, about twenty-one miles. Another
means of access in the future will be by road leading from
Murchison via Fern Flat, and through the Maruia North
and Mid-Maruia Blocks to Frog Flat (in the middle of the
Warwick Block), about twenty-three miles. The country
comprises flats, undulating terraces, sloping spurs, and hilly
country; well watered. The soil is excellent on the flats,
and varies from fair to very good on the slopes, but is rather
inferior on the high broken country. The formation is
granite, sandstone, and conglomerate. The elevation above
sea-level varies from 1,100 ft. to 2,970 ft. The land is forest-
clad, the timber being red-birch and brown-birch, with
undergrowth of pepper-tree, broadleaf, black-scrub, and
fuchsia, and, when properly cleared and grassed, will be
excellent grazing country.

INANGAHUA COUNTY.

| Lyell .. | XVI | 420 | 3.6 |

Portion of the Maruia North Block. The land is, except
about 120 acres of fern and scrub, timber-clad country of
brown-birch, black-birch, scattered rimu, black-pine, white-
pine, miro, mountain totara, and rata, with underscrub of
broadleaf, fivefinger, pepper-tree, maple, fuschia, &c. For-
mation is limestone, sandstone, and granite rocks; well
watered. Has a northern aspect, and carries good grass
when cleared. Well adapted for fruit-growing and pastoral
purposes. Sufficient flat for homestead-site.

The Town of Murchison is distant in an easterly direction
about eight miles from the block along a dray-road. The
main coach-road is along the Buller River at the northern
boundary of the block. The mail-coach passes twice a week.

As witness the hand of His Excellency the Governor,
this twenty-third day of April, one thousand
nine hundred and eight.
ROBERT McNAB,
Minister of Lands.