Transcription

 119
LICENSE FOR A STATION & CHARGE ON STOCK.
 

"The Governor in his dispatches illustrated necessity of the proposed changes by the [indecipherable] of several Squatters, whose immense territories were chargeable with with the same annual sum as the 15 or 20 square miles of the smaller settlers - The party in New England hold 1,000 square miles or 640,000 acres, under one license [licence] only; another at Walleworang held no less than five millions of acres {including probably much barren or mountain land on which he depastured 3,000 Cattle and 13,000 sheep for an annual sum of £10. while a second party in the same district paid the same amount for 12,800 acres on which he depastured only one hundred head of cattle. The Australian soil is however very unequal in fertility.  The assessment on live stock also tends
to proportion more equally the charges to which the Squatter is subject and, as applied to the two
parties last mentioned, would give, instead of  £10 each, a total payment of £101-13/4d. & £11. 5/- respectively. The produce of the assessment has exceeded the ordinary revenue, from which the border police Charges are defrayed.  Any increase of Charge, therefore, taking place in the amount of assessment instead of the license [licence] fee, would have proved more satisfactory to the public, as being an addition to a fund that was under the control of their representations & it would probably have applied
more equitably to the Various Circumstances of the squatters - In other respects, however, the addition to the license fee in the Case of the larger Station was neither unreasonable nor excessive.

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