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THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [March 1, 1902. 
THE ORANGE RIVER COLONY AND 
LAND SETTLEMENT. 
We direct attention to a very interesting 
communication which we may say, comes 
to us from an ex-Ceylon planter, and 
is produced below. As an official in 
the new Lands Department, our corre- 
spondent writes of that with which he is intim- 
ately acquainted, and his information oue-ht 
to be of very great value to any intending 
settlers in the Orange River division in 
South Africa. We shall be specially inter- 
ested from time to time, in learning from the 
•ame quarter, how the work of settlement 
progresses, and of the experience of the 
pioneers among the farmers. Any one in- 
terested can see the copy of the Bloeinfontein 
Post with the details of the Land Settlement 
scheme, at our office. 
LAND SETTLEMENT IN ORANGE 
COLONY. 
{From a Correspondent at the front.) 
Bloemfontein, Orange River Colony, 5th 
January, 1902. 
Since I last wi ote you many changes have 
taken place. Aftera continuous spell of nine 
months on the trek, first with one column and 
then with another, I was selected for tempor- 
ary employment under the Civil Administra- 
tion as Assistant Secretary to the new Depart, 
ment of " Land Settlement, Orange River 
Colony." I, therefore, came in from the Jacobs- 
dal, Petersburg District, on 10th October last, 
and have since been hard at work arranging 
details and getting the offices started. 
THE " LAND SETTLEMENT " DEPARTMENT 
is a new one, and their object is to arrange 
all matters in connection with settling as 
many men of British descent in South Africa 
as possible. Lord Milner is very keen on the 
siibject, and so is the Deputy Ad- 
ministrator. As you can imagine the work 
is of exceptional interest to me. The Secret- 
ary is Major K. P. Apthorp, Royal Irishi 
Regiment and at present of the South Africa 
Constabulary. 
His services have been lent the Civil Gov- 
ernment by the Constabulary like myself. 
He is a man of big experience and energy 
and has thrown himself heartily into the 
scheme. He is assisted in his work and de- 
cisions by a board of advisers chosen from? 
civilians. The work of the Department is 
increasing rapidly. With the close of the 
war, however, and the disbandment of the. 
Colonial Irregular forces, 
THB WORK WILL SUDDENLY EXPAND TO VERT 
LARGE PROPORTIONS, 
for hundreds of time-expired and discharged 
men will at once want to start farming and 
will turn to us for help or advice. We are 
getting ready for them. All those who 
desire to remain in the Colony and take up 
farming are invited to register their names 
in our booky, and to answer a few simple 
questions. I enclose copy of same which may 
interest you: — 
Questions fo be answered by applicants for 
Grants of Land in the Orange Kiver Colony : — 
(I) Surname ; (2) Cliristian Name ; (3) Nation- 
ality ; (4) Permanent Address ; (5) Trade or Call- 
ing ; (6) Experience as a Farmer ; (7) Available 
Capital; (8) Farm or Locality Desired ; (9) Married 
or Single ; (10) Number of Children (if any) ; 
(II) Names of two Ileterences. 
Government who have ample funds at their 
disposal are 
QUIETLY PURCHASING AS MANY GOOD FARMS 
AS COME INTO THE MARKET, 
and the larger ones will presently be sub- 
divided by Government Surveyors to enable 
each settler to have a supply of water and 
a sufficiency of land to make a comfortable 
living for himself and family. Only the best 
land in good districts is being purchased, so 
that settlers will have every advantage to 
start with. Besides these new purchases the 
Administration will fall heir to over 350,000 
acres owned by the old O. V. S. Govern- 
ment. Though nearly all this large area 
is on lease to Dutchmen, much of it will 
eventually fall' into the hands of this depart- 
ment and be available for settling loyalists 
upon. The Colony at present is, of course, 
in much too unsettled a state to allow of 
any such settlement ; but on the other hand 
there are thousauds ot acres of good land, 
within the protected area, which could be 
utilised at once for the season's crop. The 
Land Settlement Department has, therefore, 
received 
PERMISSION TO PLACE A CERTAIN NUMBER 
OF GOOD MEN 
on such places, irrespective of ownership, 
and let them have the land rent free for one 
crop. Many time-expired yeomen and others 
have eagerly availed themselves of this oppor- 
tunity and in the course of a few weeks we 
have "put out nearly seventy men in small 
parties who will live and work together 
and mutually assist in case of an attack. 
Government has lent them jjloughs and 
the plough horses ; seed and rations are also 
given them to be paid for when their crops 
come in. This, of course, is only a temporary 
arrangement and is of little interest to the 
public. The conditions of the Permanent 
Land Settlement are what the people are 
waiting to find out, viz : on what terms will 
Government grant them land. These terms 
have been carefully thought out and will 
soon be ready for publication. They are, I 
• think, most favourable. The settler gets his 
BLOCK OF LAND RENT FREE FOR THE 
PURST YEAR, 
after that he gets 25 years to pay up value 
of his land. The value is fixed on the day 
he enters into possession, and is unalterable. 
AH improvements are, therefore, his own. 
Besides paying a 25th part of the price of 
his farm every year, the settler will also 
have to pay Government 4 per cent, and if he 
has insufficient capital to start his farm 
Government will advance him up to 50 per 
•cent of the value of his holding .at 5 per 
cent. The Government are disinclined to 
