SPECIAL MEETING OF WASTE LANDS BOARD.

Dunstan Times, Issue 760, 10 November 1876, Page 3

SPECIAL MEETING OF WASTE LANDS BOARD.

A special meeting wf the above was held on Saturday last. Present: Messrs Strode, (Chairman), Bastings, Buttcrworth, Clark, and Reid. The Chairman: This is a special meeting, called for the purpose of considering the advisability of withdrawing from sale lands of especial value on MTntyre’s run, and which are advertised to be sold on the 7th instant 1 may-as you that 1 telegraphed to Major Atkinson, asking whether the words “with the consent of the Superintendent,” in the Act of 1872, were now struck out in the Act of 1876. I received the following reply : —“ Words repealed ; Board acts alone.—H. A. Atkinson. Mr Reid : Wo have no copy of the Act as passed. I do not think that it has been altered in this respect. I think that we should resolve to withdraw the sections mentioned here. Mr Strode :—You mean to withdraw these and leave the rest open for -sale. Mr Bastings : Cannot we withdraw the lot? ■Mr Reid : As far as I am concerned in this matter, I may say that the Government was committed to certain engagements entered upon by the Province, and we should have to see that these engagements were met in some way, and the only way to have met them would be by the sale of land. I am, however, now free from any responsibility in the matter. This meeting is the result of negotiations with Mr M'Lean, but no doubt the General Government has many means of raising money which the Province had not. It can, for instance, borrow three quarters of a million to meet Provincial liabilities. Mr M'Lean has given his consent to one half of ‘ this block being withheld from sale. We have made a selection, and chosen the half best adapted for deferred payments. 'I h : s is, I think, a very fair way of meeting the difficulty. Mi" Clark : The land is all good. The Chairman : There are some sections better than others. Some are marked “ very pood,”others “good,” “indifferent,” and so on. Tho sections proposed to be withdrawn are the best. Mr Bastings : While fully recognising Mr Reid’s position in the matter, that position does not exist now. As to money being wanted to meet these engagements, if they be not met by the sale of lands, they will have to be met from other sources of revenue. I think that it is a ruinous policy to sell the land in this manner, and I believe that the result of land being forced into the market so quickly is that it has been sold far below its value. The quality of this land is better than it is generally thought to be. I move—" That the whole be withdrawn from sale, with a view to throwing it open for sale on deferred payments.” I believe that tho whole of it is, as a ruls. good laud, and I think Mr Reid will agree with me saying so. Mr Reid : I daresay that your opinion and mine differ much as to what is good land. I hear people saying a great deal about certain lands being fit for settlement. Nothing would please me better than to see them settled upon it, and compelled to make their living out ot it. They would then modify their opinions in regard to these lands. , Now, as to what Mr Bastings said about forcing lauds into the market, I do not know what he means by that term. In every other Province of New Zealand lands are open for application. If Mr Bastings thinks that course would bo a better one, wo would take it. ■ Of course if we aro to keep the lands absolutely shut up, that is another matter. Mr Bastings ; We would not be keeping them shut up when they would be open on the deferred payment system. Mr Reid : You keep them shut up from sale. Mr Bastings : I mean that by putting the land into the market you give tho large capitalists an opportunity of buying it at, less than its market value. I say that it is the policy of this Board and of the Government to Mr Reid : The Board had no policy six months ago. I then endeavored to impr ss upon it that it should have a policy, but it would not recognise it. It then said that it. had no business with a policy. From reading a report of what took place at jthgj Ipst meeting of tho Board, it seetas to be thought that the Board or some other authority: is d sirousbf forcing on the ’sale of large blocks of laud. Any one who knows that this land is laid off in small allotments will see that large blocks are not being sold. Mr Bastings : I believe that every acre of this land would be taken up under tho deferred payment system. It is a pity that a large quantity of land should bo allowed to fall into the hands of a few people, 1 know

one person down there who has purchased 40,000 acres. If this is to bo continued, where are we to settle the people ? Mr Reid : There aro other things to be considered. You cannot settle the people upon the lands unless you have other conveniences, such as roads and schools. It does not do to say that tho money for these engagements will bo provided from some other source, and so shut our eyes to the consequences. The people will have to provide it in some shape. I am content to agree to the withdrawal of the sections mentioned, but if you agree to more, I have no objections. Tho Chairman: It is proposed by Mr Reid that these sections bo withdrawn. Mr Clark : I second that, and think that it is too late to withdraw the whole now. It is meeting the difficulty half way, seeing that we are reserving all the best of the land. Mr Bastings : I move as an amendment—- ■“ That the whole he withdrawn, with a view to its being thrown open for sale on the deferred payment system. ” Mr Buttcrworth : I second that. The Chairman : I think that the reserving the whole of this land would cause considerable disappointment to a large number of people. Action has been taken in the matter very late. I think that tho reserving the really good sections and selling the others is one way of meeting the case. Mr Bastings : The Board should hear in mind the large quantity of land which has been sold in this district, yet it has had no road made and no land left. Mr Reid : I have a memo, down stairs which shows that there is a large expenditure going on in that district; in fact, it amounts to L7OOO, and there are two roads of which the district is enjoying the advantage. The Chairman : It is a pity the withdrawal of the land was not thought of before the people made the arrangements. Mr Bastings : I am judging from what has already taken place. The Chairman : I think that the reserving of these sections is one way of preventing the runholder or other people in the neighborhood from getting possession of contiguous blocks, which is most objectionable. I understand that one person down there has obtained nearly 40,000 acres in this manner. Mr Reid : —Not in one block, as a great portion of it is interspersed with deferred payment blocks. The Chairman ; Then I have been misinformed. 1 have expressed my opinion, and will vote for the sections being withdrawn fi-om sale. Mr Reid : Then I will now move as follows :—“ That the Board recommend His Excellency the Governor to set apart tbe nndernoted sections of land in block Glenkenick District for licenses on deferred payments ; and further, to recommend that in the proclamation setting the land apart, Wednea lay, the 27th December, 1876, bo fixed upon as the date on which tbe land will be open for application. The sections are 1, 2, 3, 9, 10, 11, 15, 19, 22, 23, 24, 26, 27, 33, 34, 36, and 41.” Mr Clark seconded tbe motion, which was declared carried. Mr Reid moved “That the Board recommend His Excellency the Governor to set apart the nndernoted allotments in the Rock and Pillar District for licenses on deferred payments ; and further recommend that in the proclamation setting the land apart. Tuesday, the sth day of December, 1876, bo fixed upon as the date on which the land will bo open for application. The sections are 6, 8, 9, block VI.; "27, 28,29, 30, block VII.; 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, block X.” The motion was seconded and carried. The Board then adjourned.