MINING COMMISSION.

Evening Star, Volume IX, Issue 2582, 27 May 1871, Page 2

MINING COMMISSION.

Tiio Mowing is a rvsimd of j’esterday’s business The Commission is of opiuion that fees for registration in Warden’s Courts should l)e reduced to a uniform rate of Is ; an I tiiab the Warden’s quarters should not be alienated by the Government, but that they should be kept in prop.r repair by Government, Warden to pay half cost of repairs. The chairman laid up n the table replies from the County Council of Hokitika and the Superintendent of Nelson agreeing to co operate with the Commission in obtaining desirable alterations of existing law. The reply of his Honor the Superintendent to the letter of the Commission, under date 17th inst., was read as fo'loas : “ I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of 17th June, in which you suggest that the Mining Conference should adjourn its sittings until after the next session of the General Assembly—a course in which I hj ive to express the concurrence of the Government in consideration of the reasons stated in your letter. “I am, &c., “James Ma can drew.

“John Mouat, Esq.” Amendments to be made in Agricultural Regal dions were suggested as follows: That upon selection of an agricultural area a certificate shall issue to the applicant which shall authorise him to select such land for two years, subject to the conditions that he shall fence and improve the same, and put u-ider crop with the plough not less than two a ires in every ten acres, and pay the annual rent reserved. That no lea. e shall issue for two years from the date of the ce. titicatr j but on the expiration thereof, the holder oi s une having comp icd with the conditions, shall be entitled to a lease of same for a term of Jive years, with the right of purchase at any time upon the expiration of the first year. That the certificate shall not be transferable. That any person purposing to construct a tail race or head race, or apply machinery for working such claims, in addition to the claim, be entitled to hold and occupy one acre for every L2OO expended on such claim, provided that such extra ground shall not exceed six acres, and adjoins his ori -inal claim and with it forms one area or claim. If at the expiration of three mouths from the date of occupation L2OO ; six months L4OII, nine months L6OO, twelve months LSOO, fifteen months LIOO, eighteen months LI2OO, has not been expended in constructing such head or tail race, or the erection of such machinery, such extra ground or such part of the same as shall be 'proportionate to the deficiency of expenditure shall be forfeite 1 . 'lhat tbe word “twenty-eight” be substituted for the word “fourteen” in the Ilth line of clause 21 of the Gold Fields Act: That any oue investing capital in the construction of machinery for opening up raining industries should be allowed to take up a portion of ground equal to one man’s claim for each LSOO so expended.