Land open for selection as Grazing Farms must also be open for selection as Grazing Homesteads, and at the same rental and for the same term of lease. As already stated, an application to select as a Grazing Homestead takes precedence of a simultaneous application to select the same land as a Grazing Farm. The requirements of the law as regards Grazing Homesteads are the same as in the case of Grazing Farms, except in the following respects:—
(1.) During the first five years of the term of a Grazing Homestead the condition of occupation must be performed by the continuous personal residence of the selector on the land.
(2.) Before the expiration of five years from the commencement of the term, or the death of the original lessee, whichever first happens, a Grazing Homestead is not capable of being assigned or transferred. Unless with the special permission of the Minister, a Grazing Homestead may not be mortgaged.
SCRUB SELECTIONS.
Lands entirely or extensively overgrown by scrub may be opened for selection as Scrub Selections up to 10,000 acres in area and with a term of thirty years. These are classed according to the proportion covered by scrub, and for periods varying from five to twenty years, according to the classification, no rent is chargeable. During the first period the selector must clear the whole of the scrub in equal proportions each year, and must keep it cleared, and must enclose the selection with a good and substantial fence. The annual rent payable for the subsequent periods ranges from ½d. to 1d. an acre. A negotiable lease is issued to the selector when his application has been approved by the Court.
UNCONDITIONAL SELECTIONS.
The greatest area allowed to be acquired by any one person as an Unconditional Selection in one district is 1,280 acres; the price per acre ranges from 13s. 4d. upwards, and is payable in twenty annual instalments. As the term implies, no other condition than the payment of the purchase money is attached to this mode of selection. A negotiable lease for the term of twenty years is issued to the selector when his application to select has been approved by the Court. A deed of grant may be obtained at any time on payment of the balance of the purchasing price and the deed fee.
PRICKLY PEAR SELECTIONS.
Prickly Pear Infested Selections.
Prickly Pear Infested Selections comprise lands heavily infested with prickly pear. The area must not exceed 5,000 acres.
The term is fifteen years, with a peppercorn rental for the first ten years and an annual rent of one-fifth of the purchasing price for the remaining five years. During the first ten years of the term the land must be absolutely cleared of prickly pear—one-tenth of the pear being eradicated during each year—and must be kept clear for the remainder of the term. The freehold may be obtained prior to the expiry of the term on proof being made that the land has been maintained free from prickly pear for three years consequent on the eradication having been completed in advance of the prescribed period.