ELECTIVE LAND BOARDS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1277, 30 June 1886, Page 2

ELECTIVE LAND BOARDS.

[From the Mail.]

® There will, we think, be general satisfaction at the prospect of a change f being effected in the constitution of a the Waste Lands Boards, the opinion d being almost universal that a change e is required. Sir George Grej’s BUI, f which passed its second reading with- ; 0 out a division on Thursday night, is not perhaps so radical a measure as '{ might be desired, but the system it e proposes is, in our opinion, a decided □ improvement upon that which now obs tains. Its proposals are that the existd ing Boards shall continue in office till ? the first day of March next, and that their successors shall be elected in the following manner ;—The Board for s each land district is in future to consist y of the commissioners of Crown lands 1 and six other members, who are to i hold office for three years; each ' “ local body,” within the district, to * have the right of nominating and voting e for six members or any less number, r For the purposes of the Act, the words 3 “Jocal body ” are to mean and include t the Council of a borough, the Board > of trustees, or other peisons having 1 the control of roads or highways in any road district, and Councils of the . counties included in, or partly included j respectively in any land district now existing, or which may ' hereafter be constituted. In all cases where the boundary of any land district intersects and passes through the district of any local body,* such local body is to have i, the right of voting for the members of j the Land Boards of each of the districts I in which part of the district such local ; body is situated. Any person qualified to be a member of the local body is to t be eligible for election to the Land 5 Board, and all retiring members are to * be eligible for re-election, It is fm&er P provided that the , Crown Lands is to be Chairman of the i Board, and to have a casting vote, t The nominations of the new Boards ; • are to be made between the first and ! thirty-first days of January, and the elections are to take place not later than ! the 15th of March. After it has been ascertained that candidates have by an absolute majority of numbers been elected, if it shall appear that there is an equality of votes for one or more candidates remaining to complete the list of six members, the Minister of Lands is to decide which of such persons shall be the member or members. The discussion upon these proposals brought out, as might have been anticipated, a variation of views as to the precise direction which reform should take, Mr Eolleston advancing the pro posal that Land Boards should be dispensed with .'altogether, and the entire responsibility devolved upon the Minister and the Commissioner, while Mr Turnbull advocated that the powers of the Board should be enlarged, and the members elected directly by 1 the people. Mr Steward suggested that one third of the members should be nominated by the Crown, and the remaining two-thirds elected by _ the people direct, and Mr Walker joined issue with the proposal of the Bill to make the Commissioner ex officio

Chairman, and urged that the Chairman should be elected by the Board.

All the various proposals will doubtless | be thoroughly ventilated in Committee, j and the Bill passed its second reading | by common consent, the whole House being agreed as to the necessity for || some radical change. We entirely !,

concur in that view, and trust that the united wisdom of our representatives will result in a thorough and satisfactory reform.