n.
1) The process of selectingor choosing land under the Land Laws, or the right to choose.Abbreviated often into Selection. See Free-selector.
1865. `Ararat Advertiser' [exact date lost]:
«He was told that the areas open for selection were not on theGeelong side, and one of the obliging officials placed a planbefore him, showing the lands on which he was free to choose afuture home. The selector looked vacantly at the map, but atlength became attracted by a bright green allotment, which atonce won his capricious fancy, indicating as it did suchluxurious herbage; but, much to his disgust, he found that `thegreen lot' had already been selected. At length he fixed on ayellow section, and declared his intention of resting satisfiedwith the choice. The description and area of land chosen werecalled out, and he was requested t0 move further over and payhis money. `Pay?' queried the fuddled but startled bonafide, `I got no money (hic), old `un, thought it was freeselection, you know.'»
1870. T. H. Braim, `New Homes,' ii. 87:
«A man can now go and make his free selection before survey ofany quantity of land not less than 40 nor more than 320 acres,at twenty shillings an acre.»
1878. `The Australian,' vol. i. p. 743:
«You may go to nine stations out of ten now without hearingany talk but `bullock and free-selection.'»
1880. G. Sutherland, `Tales of Goldfields,' p. 82:
«His intention . . . was to take up a small piece of landunder the system of `free-selection.'»
1884. Rolf Boldrewood, `Melbourne Memories,' c. xx. p. 162:
«This was years before the free-selection discovery.»
2) Used for the land itself, but generally in the abbreviatedform, Selection.
1887. R. M. Praed, `Longleat of Kooralbyn,' vol. vi, p. 56:
«I've only seen three females on my selection since I took itup four years last November.»