Mallee - Part 2

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added per acre to cover cost of reservoirs and roads. The cost of a reservoir may be spread over the whole Hundred in such proportions as is fixed by the Land Board.

                                                                                                 Quality of Land

The quality of mallee lands varies very much. Some of the country grows large timber, whereas in other parts the growth of mallee is very stunted. The prices fixed by the Land Board are regulated by the quality of the land. The Board when fixing the purchase money of blocks also fixes the cultivable area, and the successful applicant is required to clear one-eighth of this cultivable area during the first two years, another one-eighth during the succeeding two years, and one-eighth each year hereafter until three quarters of such cultivable area has been rendered available for cultivation; he is also required to fence the boundaries of his block within six years from the date of allotment. In most instances he is required to reside on the block for nine months in each year, but not necessarily so in every case.The Act provides that the Board shall give preference to applicants who agree to reside unless it has some good reason for not doing so. A relaxation is sometimes granted to bona fide settlers.

                                                                                                  Assistance to Settlers

Monetary assistance is given to the settlers. The Advances to Settlers Board makes advances on the value of improvements effected. Interest on the advances is charged at 5½ per cent. with a rebate of ½ per cent. if it be paid within fourteen days of due date. The rate was previously 5 per cent., a rebate of 1 per cent. if paid within fourteen days from the date on which it became due, but owing to money becoming scarce it was *increased to the present rate*. Advances are made £ for £ up to £400 on improvements effected for the purpose of effecting further improvement and for "other purposes." A further £250 can be advanced beyond the £400 for the same purpose or for other farm purposes or for living expenses, etc., but in such a case the settler receives only 15s. for every £1 worth of improvement over the first £400. Power is also given to lend £200 for the purchase of stock. Up to the present time the Board has advanced over £480,000. On the 30th June last it had taken mortgages for £512,927 and had paid to the mortgagors £456,062. The Act was passed in 1908, and during the financial year 1908 - 9 the advances amounted to £275 18s. only. In 1914 -15 the advances reached £125,419. The Board has power to make advances for paying off mortgages, and has since the commencement of operations in 1909 it had approved of advances for this purpose to the extent of £122,574. The greater portion was for clearing off the mortgages granted by financial institutions. Soon after the declaration of war in 1914 an Act was passed called the Mortgages and Purchases Postponement Act. When a Bill for this Act was proposed, the Board passed a resolution that it would not make any further advances to pay off mortgages, and a large numbers of applications have consequently been declined. The Board had applications from 254 settlers to pay off mortgages amounting to £83,000, which it had to decline because the value of improvements did not warrant the advances being made. ****A settler can obtain more than one advance from the Board, and on the 30th June last a total of 2,024 mortgages**** had been granted to 1,535 mortgagors. Since the beginning of the present financial year, the numbers of persons who have obtained advances from the Board has been increased to 1,580. The passing of the Acts enabling advances to be made to Crown tenants has resulted in a great number of settlers having been able to remain on the land who otherwise would probably have had to abandon their holdings. Under the original Act money could not be advanced to holders of lands repurchased by the Government, but this has now been altered and advances can be made for these lands also.

                                                                                                      Legislation.

Scrub lands in South Australia were thought very little of in the early days. In 1866 an Act was passed to encourage the cultivation of these lands and small areas were set aside. They were put up at auction at a minimum price of 10s. per block, which could not exceed 640 acres in area, with a right to complete purchase after eleven years at £1 per acre.

Since the advent of the stump-jump plough and super-phosphates and other artificial manures, lands which were previously considered absolutely valueless, are now carrying a large population and but for the recent severe droughts would have considerably more people living on them.

Under normal conditions settlers can roll and burn scrub, plough and put in the crop and take it off for about 15s. per acre in this scrub land. When the land is cleared a man who has sufficient area and who has not a millstone of debt around his neck can, under ordinary circumstances, make a living and do moderately well with an average return of six bushels of wheat to the acre at 3s. per bushel, but to this he should have his stock and plant clear and be free from financial liabilities at the commencement.

Adelaide, 9th March, 1917


  • Please check concept....think it should be ****decreased****
        • Please check concept ...think it should be "advances"?****