The Argus at KellyGang 8/7/1865
THE LAND SELECTIONS
(BY THE CORRESPONDENT OF THE OVENS ADVERTISER, JUNE 27)
I attended the sale held in Beechworth yesterday, and took my stand outside the Court-house, at 9 am. At this time there were six or seven gentlemen in attendance, all well known in this district as being squatters, or farmers, in the vicinity of the land open for selection; but there was not the least excitement in the town, or in the vicinity of the Court-house. On entering the land-office, I was addressed by Mr Morres, the land-officer, requesting to know how much land I proposed to take up. As I was there merely for the purpose of watching the proceedings, and was aware that I could not be present without a lot-ticket, I put a bold face on the matter, and said I wanted to lease forty acres-the least that can be taken up. For this I was requested to deposit 40s. being half a year's rent, in lieu of which I was handed a receipt containing a promise to return the money in case of non-selection; a small card was also given me, which proved to be the redoubtable "lot-ticket."
According to the land officer's directions, I wrote my name on this and deposited it in a box, which was in sight of all present. As I wanted, however, to wait till the last, and would have been obliged to go out if my name were called, I meditated whether, as the whole appeared to mo to be a complete swindle, I should not slip the card up my sleeve so that I should have the opportunity of remaining till the end, and protest against the day's proceedings. I do not, however, claim this as an original idea. The authorship is due to quite another person, of whom I may as well speak here. At the first Wangaratta area day, there was a large number of mediums presenting, as we have heard, certificates, which had been purchased by the celebrated Mr Hugh Glass. Amongst these a very innocent-looking individual, quite "a young man from the country," with a great air of ignorance as to the meaning of the whole proceedings, asked for a lot-ticket, as he wanted a bit of land. He had, apparently, great difficulty in getting his ticket into the box, but at last made his way amongst a crowd of strangers, who had already obtained their cards, and were congregated in one comer of the room.
These gentlemen were mediums, and the young man from the country, having suddenly thrown off his air of stolidity, was evidently the moving spirit amongst them, marshalling, cautioning, advising, and instructing his subjects with a master's hand. One by one the mediums, as their names were called, disappeared, one or two only making mistakes by taking up allotments on the wrong side of the river, from the fact of the map being turned the wrong way towards them, It seemed strange enough that our verdant friend's ticket should have remained the last. When the land-officer put his hand into the lottery for the last time, he found that the simple person's ticket was not there, and asked him how it was. Our friend said he would very much like to know, and was extremely indignant, although the ticket was no doubt in his sleeve, where he had deposited it, in order to remain in the room to look after the mediums. Well, having paid my 40s, I looked round, and found fourteen others assembled, all of whom without exception were bona fide selectors. When the doors were closed there were fifteen of us altogether, all bona fides except your humble servant. Wishing, however, to see how the land lay, I turned to a group of two or three gentlemen near me, all of whom I knew, but none of whom, I think, knew me, and asked whether a medium was wanted?
They ail seemed to take it as a matter of course that there should be such articles present; but told me that they did not think there was much call for them there. The drawing commenced immediately, and the first lucky individual selected an allotment of 640 acres, which, as I afterwards understood, every one present had an eye on, and for which £1,000 would have been freely given after the selections were over. In fact, I am quite convinced, from the conversation I heard amongst those present, most of whom spoke pretty unreservedly about the iniquitous system which brought them there, that had the lands selected yesterday been put up to auction, the whole would have been eagerly bought up at from £2 to £3 per acre. Every person present, except two and myself, selected an allotment. I happened to be last, and, as the land-officer could not find my ticket in the box, and us a search was instituted on the floor, I begun to think that, without intending it, my ticket must, after all, have accidentally slipped into one of my pockets. As I was commencing to feel quite guilty. I was about, in my desperation, to protest against the day's proceedings, when my ticket was found, wedged into a silt in the bottom of the box; but I assure your readers that I did not place it there, although suspicion might attach to me from the fact that I of course desired to stay in the room till the last.
I could not help thinking that, during all this child's play, we all somehow appeared to feel very small, and by no means at our ease, as if we were endeavouring with sober faces to look on at some farce in which the jokes were good but on rather serious subjects. I thought, too, that if the best land in the country is to be frittered away in this manner, we must be killing the goose that lays the golden eggs, and that our credit in England will be terribly shaken when she hears what fools, gamblers, and spendthrifts we have become by law. I thought, finally, that if Mr Grant's system had not a most demoralising tendency I had been done a horrible injustice to at school, in being whipped for playing three up for penny pieces. The whole thing was over in exactly three quarters of an hour from the closing of the doors. There were fifteen lot-tickets taken out altogether, three of which were taken with certificates. Nine lessees selected 1,124a or 19p. The three certificate holders selected 587a 1r 32p, making a total of land taken up 1,711a 2r 11p. The entire rent taken was £129 17s. All were bona fide applicants, except your own reporter. I cannot close my report without protesting, in the name of every man I have heard speaking on the subject, against a system which, more than any other, is likely to prevent settlement, and bring discredit upon the country.
| ! | The text has been retyped from a microfiche copy of the original. We have taken care to reproduce this document but areas of the original text may been damaged. |
