 The Act allowed for the liquidation of public land, if at the end of a ten-year period, the population of the province or provinces had not reached 20,000 "natural born Subjects of His Majesty".This was to also repay any remaining debts of the South Australian Public Lands Securities.The Act further specified that the Province was to be self-sufficient; £20,000 surety had to be raised and invested in the government securities or Exchequer bills, and £35,000 worth of land had to be sold in the new colony before any settlement was permitted.