The Evening Star WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 1872.

Evening Star, Issue 3044, 20 November 1872, Page 2

The Evening Star WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 1872.

The proceedings, or rather lack of proceedings, ot the Waste Bunds Hoard, has of late been the subject of many bitter complaints on the part of. persons having business to transact in connection with it. For, what with the delays arising out of the difficulty of getting a (juonim to enable the Board to proceed to business, and those resulting from the absence of any member of the Government, even when a sufficient number of members of the Hoard has put ill an appearance to give validity to the proceedings, the public has been subjected to much unnecessary trouble. A very great amount of very natural indignation has been expressed by persons who have had to make repeated and often fruitless applications—frequently at much inconvenience either to themselves or their clients—to have their urgently needed business attended to. Not only have much private inconvenience and loss resulted, but public injury has been inflicted upon the Province, by the hindrance thrown in the way of expeditions transaction of public business. Some time ago wo drew attention to a dispute or misunderstanding between one of the members of the Board, Mr Gotten, and the Chief Commissioner ; or rather, between Mr Cutten and the Board itself, in the person of its Chairman or President, We took occasion at the time to repeat our decided and often-expressed opinion that the semipolitical construction of the Hoard is a great mistake. Our convictions in that respect have been strengthened by what has since occurred, Since that date Mr Cutten continued wholly to absent himself from meetings of the Hoard, and in .consequence business of pressing importance had, from week to week, to he postponed. The meeting which should have been held on Wednesday last lapsed for lack of a quorum, as the Chief Commissioner and Mr Hughes only were present; Messrs Reid, Cutten, Duncan, and Allan, were Fly absentees. The delegated powers under the Goldfields Act render it necessary that all proceedings of the Hoard in respect to applications for land within goldfields should first be adjudicated upon by the Provincial Executive, A person desirous of taking up an agricultural lease upon the goldfields, therefore, must first put in his application to the Wardfin of the district, who forwards it together witli his report and recommendation thereupon, to the Government for approval or disapproval, as the ease may be. The Government having dealt with the matte)’, its decisions are forwarded together with the application, to the Hoard, before whom the applicants or their agents are expected to appear in support of their applications. Under these circumstances, it has often occurred that arguments and considerations are advanced to the Board, calculated, in the estimation of its members, to lead to a reversal or modification of the decision previously arrived at by the Government; and a member of the Government being present, it has been easy to effect such alterations as the case may have required ; but in the absence of such member, the Board has frequently been placed in a dilemma, having on the one hand a decision of the Executive, and on the other what has appeared to them valid arguments why the Hoard should not give legal cflect to the recommendations of the Executive. Before the departure of Mr Hejd for WelliiMon, we believe such difficulties were readily tided over, as ho was usually to be* found in his place whenever the Board met. Since his return, however, he did not attend, and owing to the other member of the Executive being absent, much announce has since

been experienced. A very forcible illustration occurred at the meeting of the Board held last Wednesday week, when, as will have been seen by our report of its proceedings, the consideration of an application had been adjourned tor three successive weeks, because the a "cut of the applicant could not succeed in getting a member ot the Government to attend. It was put in train to be disposed of only by the extraordinary means of a memorandum by his Honor the Superintendent explaining to the Board the circumstances of the case. Such things ought not to be for as the agent on that occasion very forcibly put it—“ You, gentlemen, won’t proceed unless I cun get a member of the Government to attend the Board, and after three weeks’ efforts I have been unable to do so j so that it seems to me the whole business must come to a dead lock. Whatcvci personal animosities may have been evoked by recent Executive the pinin'duty of political members of the Board was to see that tire business of the Province does not sutler, and we trust those now in office will not allow such petty feelings as have led to so much inconvenience to influence their proceedings.