John Irving, a land proprietor in
Victoria, felt cheated after colonial officials reduced land costs from £1 per acre to four
shillings and two pence in
1861. Irving had previously made a down payment of £50 for 159 acres in
North Saanich - and angrily discovered two years later that he could have paid £33.26 under the
new system. Irving demanded the government fully reimburse his purchase and reclaim
the acres he no longer wanted. Colonial officials declined, however, as they had already
refused similar demands and didn’t want to encourage more by accepting Irving’s claim.
Officials briefly considered allowing Irving to choose 50 acres (to match his £50
down payment) and relinquish the rest of his contract; however, the government eventually
deemed the idea unsustainable. With Irving and future cases, proprietors would select
the best land and leave the government with unpopular acreages. In the end, Irving
completed his purchase under the old system.