WASTE LAND BOARD.

Evening Star, Issue 3930, 29 September 1875, Page 2

WASTE LAND BOARD.

The usual weekly meeting of the Waste Lands Board was held to-day ; present—the Chief Commissioner (-n the chair), Messrs Bastings, Butterworth, Clark, and ■>trode.

Tho following was the principal business ransacted :-

Mr Matthew Hastie wished to purchase sections 75 ami 73,,b10ck 17, Mataur.i bridgo mvnship, or t"> have them submitted to auction at an early date To be readvertised lor sale by auction under clause 'A of tho Waste Lands Administration . ct, 1874. Messrs G.llies aud Street, for Mjr Archibald t'ameron, applied to have the rent on rim No. 456 made payable from October 1 in consequence of the delay in his getting

vo:sesT.ou of it under his lease, aud adso the iifficulties inseparable fn in getting Btook on to sueh new aud unexplored country, i greed to uiider the circumstances ; rent to commence from October 1, 1575.

The Ranker forwarded a report on tbo ap« plication cf Henry . s ch!uter to purchase seo'.ion JB2, bl.-ck 2, Papakaio District. The Ranger's report was approved, and the ap« plication refused. Mr A. Kenny requested the Board to grant hirn six months' extension of time to prospect fur coil on Mr Boyd's run, Hindon. Granted.

Mr J. D. Webb, for Mr John Blair, requested a rehearing ( f his application to purchase sections 1\ 36, and 37, block 5, Tuapeka £ast District, and held by him uuder an exchange lease. Mr v> ebb contended that a th'ei', years' residence by applicant for his land c.u on'y be insisted on when the appiicaut is a licensee under secLion 53 of the Waste Land Act, 1872. Mr Hlair was not a licensee but * leaseholder, and it was not competent for the Board to a lease of agricultural landß to any who was not already .n a pobition to <".emand & Crown on payment of purchase money for thy !ai:d iu respect of which such lease is granted. The lease which Mr Blair holds was granted to him on its being

shown to the satisfaction of the Board tha* he was entitled to have a Crown grant if these sections as soon as he should pay the purchase-money for them. The matter was referred to the Provincial Solicitor for his advice.

Tha Ranger's report was read on an application by Mr Jaiies Andermn for a renewal of his lease of section 115 blcck 5, Otepopo district Applicant to be asked what amount he offers.

Mr James M'Kerras, for Mr B, Short, tendered an amended survey of a slate area at Otepopo, being section 5, block 15, for approval; and requested a twenty-one years' lease at a nonvnal rental, and subject to the usual conditions.—Mr Strode Baid it would be a good thing for the Province if the undertaking p>ovcd Buccesgfu'. Eesolved : Plan approved, rent to be £s per ac e for seven years, 10i per acre for next seven, and 20d per acre for last seveo, with usual conditions under 85th clause of Waste Land .* ct, 1872. Mr S. 0. Newmarch transmitted the runholdet's consent to his application to lease six aeres at Kyeburn on behalf of the Naseby Coal Mining Company. Applicant to forward survey of site as the next step. The District Land Officer at Naseby forwarded application of Mr Joseph Clarke sO purchase hi 3 residence area in Thames street, Naseby, he having erected a substantial dwelling-nou3e thereon, and effected other improvements. To await Chief Surveyor'!) report. Mewrjj ConneU and Mtodift, for Mr ,T>hn Boss, again appHed to have the boundaries of section 9, block 5, Waitahuna East district, settled lor tbo purpose of adjusting payment of purchase money. Former decision rescinded, and Boss to have all land to east of road-line as surveyed. Hanger Valpy reported on the application of Messrs 0. and A. M'i ean for a license to occupy an island in the Waitaki river, opposite to their property. Appl cants suggested that it should be leased to them for a period of five years, at a yearly rental of 5s p?t acre. License under the 161st clause of the Waste Lands Act, 1372. to be issued at LSU J)ef allium to Messrs M'LeaU. Messrs K. Craig and others petitioned the Board to reserve from sale section 3, block 9, Waikaka District, a valuable seam of coal having baen discovered upon it. To be reserved.

Mr tichard Pearson aaked the Board to submit to auction a small triangular piece of Crown land adjoining fection 20, block 2, Dunedia, as he wished to purchase it, having built upon and otherwise improved it. 'I he land had been proclaimed a public reserve, but had not received the Governor's consent, and was consequent y not Crown granted. The Corporation had kaseA the property te Larson, although it now appeared the land belonged to the Government.—Mr Strode was doubtful if Pearson could not recover from the Corporation the rents he had paid them. They had no right to lease the land to him—.Land to be soli ucder the 85th clause of the Waste Land Act, 1572, with consent of Superintendent j ground value to be assessed by Government auctioneer, and to be sold by auction with that as an upset price, under ÜBual conditions for improvements.—Mr Basting having mentioned that the Deputy-Superintendent had complain d that when the Board forwarded any resolution to him there was no one to explain aotion taken by the Biard, the Chief Commissioner said that if sent for he would always be too happy to supply any required information.

The Board considered a telegram received regarding the sale of runs 413 and 463 sold at Invercargill on the 28th inat., for the purpose of determining whether or not the money shoul be received by the Government from tho auctioneer, the leaee having been sold contra.y to instructians. The telegram was from Mr Maerorie, Government auctioneer, who had misunderstood the Board's instructions. The miatake happ ned thiswise : instead of the rim being sold for the highest annual premium, it had been sold for the highest single premium. The Board he'd that they were not resporslblo for the acts of a special agent who had acted directly contrary to their instructions, and it was resolved that the auctioneer not having complied with instructions, the sale should not bo approved of. Runs to be readvertised again and all proceedings to be roenacted dt novo.

The Board at its last meeting decided to obtain the opinion of the Provincial Solicitor as to whether or not it had power !o compel a mortgagee to exhibit the pastoral lease in his possession for the purple of reci.rd'ng transfers thereon under the 147 th clause of the Waste i and Act, 1872. The Provincial Solicitor now reported :—" In reference to the question put to me on the construction of section 147 of the Ofcago ft'aste Land Act, 1872, I am of opinion that the Board may refuse its sanction to a transfer of a pastoral lease until the original leass is produced before it, and that until the Bard has sanctioned the transfer whether by mortgage or otherwise the transfer is not valid.