(No. 30.) 18 6 2 . .T A S, M A N I A. ' • \.. ,,., ••'l..- .• , d. t.,. .~ !.. : !, : :_ . " , '-• tt' .1 •• ~- LANDS OF TASMANIA. RETURNS. Laid upon the Table by Mr. Henty, and ordered by the Council to be printed, _ 7 August, 1862. CORRIGENDA. In Preface, line 5 from the top, for "since little influence," read "eome little influence;" :iud in the first note, line 2, for "1857," read, "1856." In page 91, seventh entry in the fifth column,_for "4001" read," 4000." TABLE OF CONTENTS. FAGE PREFACE. LAND GAZETTE •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• ~ • • 1 Area of Tasmania, with alienated and unalienate<l Lands . • . · 33 Population of Tasmania • • . • . • . • • • • • • • • • • . • . • • • • . • . • • • • • . 33 Ditto of Towns . • • • • • . • • • • . .. • . • • • • • • • . • . • . • . 34 Country Lands g:ranted and solrl since 1804 .•••.•.•••....••••..... : . • . • 35 Town Lands sold • • • • . • . • . • . • • . • • • . • • • . • . • • • • • . 36 Town Lands sold for Cash under "The Waste Lands Act." .••..•.•·••..••.•.• 37 Deposits forfeited on ditto...... • . • • • • • • . • . • . • • • • • . • . • • . • • . • . • 54 Town Lands sold on Credit .• ·.•..•. ; • . • • . • • • . • . • • 56 Agricultural Lands sold for Cash, under 18th Sect. of" The Waste Lands Act".. 59 Ditto on Credit, ditto . • . • • . • • • • • • . • . • . • • . • • 60 Ditto for Cash, under 19th Sect. of "The Waste Lands Act" ·.•.•....••• 62. Ditto on Cr~dit, ditto . • . • . • • • • • •. • • • • . • . • • • . • • • • . 64 Ditto for Cash at Public Auction • • • • • • • . • • • • • . • • . • . 74 Deposits forfeited on ditto .•..................•....•......••.•.. _. • . • . • 76 Agricultural Lands sold on CrEdit at Public Auction . • . • . • • . • . • 77 Pastoral Lands sold for Cash, under 18th Sect. of "The Waste Lands Act" . 82 Ditto on Credit, ditto . • • • . • • • . • . • • • • . • . • • • . • . • 83 Ditto for Cash at Public Auction • . • • • • . • . • . • . • . • . • • . • 84 Deposits forfeited on dilto........................ • . • • • • • • • . 85 Pastoral Lands sold on Credit at Public Auction . • • • • • . • • . • • . • . 86 Pastoral, Agricultural, and Town Lands, distinguishing ye·ars • . • . • 88 Ditto, showing amounts re-::ieived and amounts still due.................. 88. Lands sold since the passing of "The Waste Lands Act," and amount realised . • 88 Lands granted under 2nd Sect. of "The Waste Lands Act" . 89 Lands under Lease ...•............................................ : . 89 Transfers ......•.•••• --· •.••.........•.....••.•.......... , • . 90 Lands paid up for under the Preemptive Right Regulations of 1851, with Areas tierl up under the Quiet Enjoyment Clause by each Lot . • • • • • • • • . • . • . • • 90 Ditto, not paid for .•...... ·..... · ..•..•. : •.• , ... ,................... 94 Total Debts due on Preemptive Right Selections, distinguishing years . • . • 98 Lands Surveyed and ready for Sale by Private Contract under 18th Sect. of "The Waste Lands Act," and by Auction .••••......... '. • . • • • • • • • • • • . • • • gg . Total Deht due on all Crown Lands sold up to the 30 June, 1862, with Debt of Colony secured on Land Fund up to that date • • • • • • • • • • • • . • • gg, Corrigenda...... • . • • • . • • • • . • • . • . • • • • • •.• • . • • ••• , • . • • 100 MEMORANDUM. THESE Retums were compiled by J. E. Calder, Surveyor-General, and Messrs. H. E. Smith, H.J. Hull, and Alexander Reid, of the Survey Department. PREFACE. THE Returns contained in the following pages, though illustrative of the settlement of Tasmania since its 'first occupation in l 804, are more particularly devoted to its progress for the period subsequent to the passing of" The Waste Lands Act," at the beginning of 1858. The occasion is, ther~fore, a fitting one for reviewing the advances of Agriculture, and the transactions of. trade in. farm produ<;ie, since that event, which must have exercised since little influence on both. With this view, I have compiled two tables (given at the. end'.of this preface) from the most reliable documents within reach-namely, the Official Statistics of the°Colony : the first one showing the state of trade in the articles of farm produce since the beginning, of 1857,-which year I have introduced to show how things stood just before the Act came into force*,--:-and the second, the gross animal yield of our cultivated lands during the same space ; . from which we may gather, almost at a glance, everything we can desire to know of these most important matters, in so far as. figures can· instruct us in the same. The Statistics inform us that, at the end of 1857 ,. the area,,.of our cultivated lands was 206,120 acres, and at the end of 1861, 248,064; showing an increase of 41,944 acres, or much about 10,500, a year. Of the 41,944 acres in question, it is probable that- 30;000 were entirely new- lands, for, though there is no return for 1858, the "lands newly broken• up'.' during the three following years. show an aggregate of 22,962 acres, which justifies the belief that the quantity stated is not very far from the truth. Of the Tables given in the preface, the one shows a stiHiincreasing production of farm supplies and the other a partial declension of.the exports of the same,-a seeming.,incongruity requiring notice, In explanation, I think it quite possible that'tlie maintenance of farm operations on their present scale, even with ·diminished exports, may be quite consistent with reason and prudence.- [t is. indeed, a necessity of the times, arising out of the exigencies of our own home market heretofore too largely supplied from abroad with nearly all articles of.ordinary, sustenance. This diminution of Exports, a~d indeed of' prices- also, caused by the very rapid extension of · culture during the past two years,t here and elsewhere,.are not thEJrefore producing all the evil con­ sequences which cursory observers of events may· imagine; for our farmers, finding the foreign markets less remunerative now than in bygone times, for grain and potatoes, appear to be changing the direction of their industry, and to be entering into a pretty successful competition with the English exporter of articles of food to this market; frorn which they are in a very fair way of expelling him. At the same time they have entered into the markets of the neighboring Colonies with supplies heretofore derived almost whollY. from Eur.op_e. Thus it appears that last year wedisposed'of £10;739 wol'th- of DAIRY PRODUCE in the various markets of Australia, New Zealand, and ihe Mauritius, receiving in Imports of the same only £4,213 worth,-which shows a vastly improved condition of things over the times just preceding the passing of our Lands Act, when we imported in the single year' 1857 almost exactly as much dairy supplies as in all the four succeeding years-together; namely, £24,489 worth in the 0ne year, and £24,749 in the other-four. ~' I was desirous of• taking four years instead of one, for thff purposes of comparison,- but was defeated by the extraordinfil•y imperfections of the Statistics for the years 1855 and 1857, which are entirely silent on the. subject of trade. t Since 1859, South Australia, Victoria, and Tasmania, have increased the breadths of their ploughed lands by .234,440 acres; the entire scope in tillage, in all three Colonies, being now 1,029,230 acres. · . It is gratifying to learn that the soils of Tasmania are more prolific than the· oft-mentioned ones of South Australia, and even more so than those of Victoria herself.. The following. figures, showing the average yield per. acre, in 1861, of the chief· articles of farm ~roduce, are extracted from the Statistical Registers of the Colonies they .~elate to :- WHEAT. BARLEY, OATS, POTATOES, HAY. bushels. lbs. bushels. lbs. bushels. lbs. tons. cwt. lbs. tons. cwt. lbs. South Australia - - - -- 10 59 15 40 20 10 2 19 0 1 5 0 Victoriat - - - - 18 12 18 28 23 10½ 2 2 96 Uncertain. Tasmania - - - - 18 58 23 20 29 33 5 1 46 I 17 68 New South Wales in 1860, the Statistics 12 16 13 55 15 7 3 0 63 1 0 109 f?r 1861 not having reached here. t Taken from the Agricultural Statistics of Victoria, as _copied into the (Melbourne) Economist newspaper. N OTE.-In the above calculations I have adopted the legal weights of Tasmania; namely ,-wheat 60, barley 50, 11nd oats 40lb~.s. the bushel ; for potatoes and hay, the.long_ ton. , ... 11 The next articles that claim a~tention ar~ those i:ange_d under the heading of Mill Produce; namely, Bran and Flour; the sales of both of w]?.ichappear to exhibit a great declension since 1857. But this view of the case is only partly correct, nor does it show that the neighoqring markets are closing against us in any thing like the degree .which we are apt to suppose from this particular section of the Table. For taking it in conjunction with the Wheat exports, it will be seen, that in 1861 we s~nt away 44,142 bushels more than in 1858, and 114,983 more than in 1857 ; which transactions, though they do not restore the balance in our favor; in'cline it very greatly toward us again. The -supplies received in return were very small in comparison with our sales. In Bran. there was nothing whatever, while iii Flour the relation between purchases and sales was as l to 24. Th~ exported quantity of Orchard Produce is a very considerable and, on the whole, an in­ creasing item of our trade;. the sales of the same for last year amounting to ,118,703 bushels and packages, of an estimated value of £50,816, against 2,620 packages (probably oranges) valued at £3,015; leaving