New-York tribune., 1894-04-22
LAND ~ AUSTRIA liza.
PUBLIC AND PRIVATE OWNERSHIP.

LAND SYSTEMS or AUSTRALASIA BY VIII
lam Eqps Pp. viii ldL Imported 10y 'hdrI's
Scribncrs Sons Social Science S"ricsJ
America seems a now world beside Europe. but
II is ancient beside Australasia So far as p'iItirs
and sooictv are concerned. The history II the far
southern continent did not begin until after the
American Revolution. Then tho energy of
generation was dlsslpatei in dealing with con
y,cts. 50 that the world hal logged along n"arly
t. the middle Of the nineteenth century beior"
Australia began the serious task %; nation build
ing Her history is Therefore. we'll within the
era OF modern sclentin, speculation. on" impor-
tant effort Of which has been - break with pre-
vlous tradition. Through the older colonies
America took up methods 81 thought ana conduct
which belong to the FAR past. Australia has ol-
most no traditions. Shr s.ari"d with u popuia-
ton which knew neither law nor obedience. ani
she has built a structure o. law ami usage almost
exclusively her own. What she has iJohcd - ~
this work was not precedent 50 much ~ theory.
Il Is needless to say that she IS as fhr from b"ing
content az though she had stuck % older fash
ions Terra Austrahs did indeed offer goilen op-
portunltics for the carrying out ~ great regen-
crativc schemes II was thousands of miles from
me places hitherto occupied by civilized man.
II offered every degree II climate. from tropical
heat 10 perpetual winter. and 4 great variety ~
soil and product. Surely" A. Mr. Eppg remarks.
this was a land In regard - which no brighter
ideal could nave been devised than that II
pcopling Il with men able 10 toss Of the trad-
tions Of centuries OF prest-ridden. supersiitious
msrule and build up a new nation which should
In truth b. that drcamt Of Utopia" But In the
matter - which he exclusively directs his atten-
t!on--tha; Of the development II the land system
he frankly con!csses that the result has been p
paug That the operations of land systems in
Ncw-South Wales. NcwZcaland and South Aus
traa during period Of a little more than half
a century should have allowed l.2J0 persons 10
lay hanGs on more than half the area sold IN the
name OF the Crown, while 10000 persons have
only one-fourth. he deems fatal objection -
methods in use hitherto Utopia. therefore.
not be expected 10 be brought about by the ap-
plcaton Of novel theories any more than by CON
servative attachment to old practices.
Considering that the Australian colonies were
planted in the broad daylight Of very recent
times, one would expect that every step In the
growth Of land ownership would be obvious. But
this is not exactly the 1t is not even clear
how far the ownership Of the Crown was sup
posed to extend. Perhaps It was tacitly sup
posed to reach wherever there was no effectual
resistance. When the French contemplated get
tlluR al points Ill AuSudlld InliltdTy occupation
on the part of the English was deemed necessary
TO pre-empt the land. Some years later COM
pany was formed In France to take up part Of
NewZcaand. and people were sent ont as col
onists. But the English authorities scattered
police magistrates with a lavish hand around the
coast and the Frenchmen found the British flag
flying. the courts open and the sovereignty Of
the Queen visibly anG incon,estaby asser.ed"
The origin of individual holdings also appears to
be In some doubt. At first State ownership was
held to be consistent with individual possession,
but the latter was under a more or less vague
control and obligation of service. Rights In fee
simple could not be obtained but the idea was
that Of tenure Of free socage occupation In
return for certain determnate services" But
after 1881 purchases in fee-simple and leases be-
came definite The effort to simplify the meth
ods OF sale and purchase Of land was nampered
by no preconceptOns In Australia. South Aus
tralla particularly took 10 Itself the credit Of adj
vancement along the whole line OF legislation,
and II was the first TO adopt the system Of land
transfer which is now in force throughout Aus
tralasa. Under this system the certificate Of
title to land is registered at the Lands Titles
Office, and the owner Oh i(Ga a duplicate certih-
cate. on the face Of whca. 4s also on the orig
inal. all transactions appear glance suhices
to show whether property Is encumbered. or
what charges are made upon H. When a man
sells land he simply hands over his certificate 10
the purchaser II an old-fashloned deed turns up
in Il transaction it is carefully examined. and II
everything Is in order it Is cancelled and re-
placed by the simpler certificate. Even where a
wrong has been done the innocent holder of a
certificate cannot be deprived Of his property II
he loses his land he is reimbursed from a fund
levied for the purpose.
That the Australian method OF dealing with the
land question was almost purely experimental
that is. without aid OF ordinary civilized expert
ence-appears to be borne out by the fact that
the worst system Is that OF the Oldest colony.