The Express.
London, England, 1848-09-08 00:00:00

COLONIAL.

PRICE OF WASTE LANDS IN THE
AUSTRALIAN COLONIES.
We deem it of Dome consequence that par6m in this
country who have invested in land in Austnha, or who may
intend to emigrate thither, should be put in tosseasion, as
soon as possible, of the following despatch from Earl Grey to
Sir Charles Fits-Roy (presentee to parliament a few days ago),
as it shows the determination of government to adhere to
the open toof 11. per acre :
" Down -strew, Aug. 11, 1848.-84,-1 have the
honour to wledge your despatch, No. 18, of the 18th
January lest, accompanied by the report of a committee of
council on the minima= price of land. I need not say that I
shall always receive with respect any report emanating
from • committee of the Legislative Council ; sad in any
matter peculiar to New South Wales, the superior know.
ledge which they can command of circumstances on the spot
would lend double weight to their authority. It must be
remembered, however, that the present is not a question of
purely local concern, and still less of recent experience. It
Where the meaner of Wept:sing of unoccupied lands through-
sat the British colonies, and coatemplates virtually • retur-
nees to a system which has been tried on a larger scale, and
dating a loom time than any other which can he Wright
• under sideratias: The subject, therefore, is one wWch
her Mojesty's government are bound to consider on its own
merits.
" The opinion of the committee would seem to rest on the
assumption that there ought to be almost en unlimited fa-
for the acquisition of the public lands. Without ad
to the efeeted unfavourable times, and of the extant
to."'Mh the alienation of public lands may have already
bees curled, they appear to consider it as conclusive eel.
dome of a halt tithe sales of such lands as still belong to
the crown should Intermit. An unceasing progress of Was,
however, can only be ed. Wed by contriving some system
which should oppose almost no obstacle at all to any one
who may form any nisi es possess mom lands ; mash, no
dotal, may bs WI kiss of such a coarse. It le common
to hear it signed dot where the unoccupied territory is of
linsaseee Mud, 11111 great aim should be to promote the mg«
==ilmsal me of the land that revenue is • very a-
eresideration ; and that the object should rather be
to leave is the pusseisa of the semen themselves all their
passim .ammo, ht ceder to assist them in the task of
redselag the lied W aativatioa. This is a very natural
view at firstrsaamesdl occordiogly it is not new. It is tie
one upon wi until a comparatively late period, the whale
of the British have been settled, and which has been
attended with sniveled failure.
" In British North America it is the subject of daily Isisimm.
talks with all parties, that by the course of peseme Mes.
tioa such large tracts
have fillets into the hands at desk kr.
dividuals to the great injury of the. country. TM phse
where the Idea has really had the most perfect trial hrllmen
Western Australia, sad its effects are well known: It pled
the settlement. Even iu New South Wales limit IN
have no want of experience of the results of Se
view which the committae entertain. Threesheme
all its early years an almost nominal cheek wee
presented to the appropriation of the crown lands ha the
may, and tits,* was nothing remarkable in its progrese.
Rut sires a price has been demanded for the lands alisnated
by the crown, upwards of • million sterling has been reel
hoed from this source, and spotted in obtainincuia co:
labour, which up to this hour continues to be of
as still deficient; although the population has been
by an immigration of apparently nearly 63,000 persons, for
whom the means of conveyance could not possibly have been
found except from the fonds thus supplied, besides 18,000
more persons who emigrated by ,heir own resources after the
practice was established by the assisted emigration. It Is by
means of the increase of population thus obtained, that not,
withstanding the diminution of the convict expenditure of
this country and the cessation of the supply of labour
formerly aftked by transportation, the colony has continued
to Weenie in wealth and prosperity, and its character has
been changed, as has been web said, from a convict to a free

country. w
" Looking tothese result., it may with eonfidencebe asserted,
that the price paid for laud since 1831 has been more than
returned to the purchasers in the increesed value given to it
by the advantage the colony has obtained from the money
thus received, and that free grants, If the colony bad been
deprived of thom advantages, would not only have been far
Ins beneficial to thaw who have bouiht land than its aft.. ni-
!titian under the exhting arrangen.ents, but would probably
have been as ruinous to them, as similar grants to the settlers
in Western Australia. In thus appealing to experience in
favour of the policy which has been adopted, I must further
observe that the very same arguments which are now
brought forward against the establishment of the minimum
pries of 11. an acre in 1843, were urged with no less waft-
dean against the establtahment of a minimum price of 6e.
an acre as a imbetiate for free grants in 1831, and the sub-
sequent advance of that price to 12s. as acre in 1839. Each
of these changes has been regarded with equal
apprehension, yet as I have observed, it is with the
adoption of that policy which has equally dictated
tech successive advance in the price of land that the great
program of the colony may be said to have commeneel.
"There are some particulars which, although 'ratify of de-
tail, would be essential to carrying out the views of the com-
mittee, but on which I do not re that they arrived at any
opinion. The first question which Immediarly aitggesta it-
self is, what would be the proper price to name it the present
one be abandoned. Sir George Gippe long ago observed,
that if we were to be guided by making a pries at
which lands could sell for pastoral roposes, the'
smallest coin in the colony would soon be too
large a rise for sa acre of land. And this opinion
seems to be confirmed, for whilst sJme of the witnesses speak
of 21. 6d. an say, and others of le. per acre, as the moat that