WASTE LANDS BOARD.

Evening Star, Issue 4125, 17 May 1876, Page 2

WASTE LANDS BOARD.

The weekly meeting of the Board was held this morning; present—the Chief Commissioner, Messrs Bastings, Butterworth, (.lark, and Strode. Messrs Stewart and Doughty, for Mr J. M'Kenzie, applied for a seven years’ license, under clause 91, to occupy section 29, block 6, Waikaka, for raising lignite. Banger to report. Mr Harris renewed Mr Ibbotsoh’s application to purchase ten acres of land, pre-emp-tive right on run 175b. to secure shephercrs hut and yards. Warder to be asked to report. Mr James Ferguson applied to take water for mining under clause 65, from Cook’s Creek, Waikawa. Survey to be submitted. Banger Campbell forwarded his report on a letter from Mr Fitzgerald, stating that certain persons were illegally occupying Crown lands at Waikawa, and also that claims and water-races were flooding the land and destroying the forest. Bead. Messrs Connell and Hoodie, for Mr T. H Watkins, applied to purchase a small portion of land adjoining section 34, block 1, Otepopo, to complete his property. Banger to report. Mr W. Pacey applied for a seven years’ lease of seven acres of section 24, block 3, Chatton, for coal-mining. Banger to report. Mr James Skinner asked that section 1, block 25, Havelock, be offered at auction at the original price of L 3 per acre instead of L 5. The price had been altered since his application to purchase. Upset price to remain at L 5 per acre. Applications to purchase at 20s per acre : Mr Thomas Burton, sections 48 to 54 (inclusive), block 2, Dunedin and East Taieri; Mr Samuel Herman, section 4, Upper Taieri. Both were refused. Mr Hugh Gunn asked a re-consideration of the Board;s decision as to Mr Henry Manning’s application to purchase a small part of the bush reserve adjoining sections 31 and 32, block 1, Warepa. Boad to be reserved if Chief Surveyor recommend it; if not, the sale to go on. Mr W. Lawrence applied to purchase twenty acres of land, part of the tailing reserve adjoining block 1, Waikaia. District Land Officer to report. A letter was read from the St. Kilda municipality requesting that the Board would grant it a lease of the sandhills at a nominal rental. The letter stated that the sand was fast being removed and there would shortly be a level approach to the sea. The Board thought this would be an advantage, and that the sand was very useful to the citizens. The letter was minuted as read. Mr N. M. Morgan wrote that in cutting fencing he had mistaken section 14, block 1, Waikawa, for section 24, over which he had authority from the owner to cut. The Banger also wrote on the same subject. Go- r verpment to be asked if the country police could be allowed to send a constable coca-

aionally to visit this district, who could also I report as to the desirability of a constable | being permanently stationed there. A letter was read from Banger Campbell with reference to Mr M. Fitzgerald's complaint as to forest at Waikawa burned by Mr P. Anderson. Mr L. 0. Holmes, for Mr J. Sim, applied for a license to occupy half-an-acre of the Belt at Lawrence under clause 91, for brickmaking. Government to be asked to seetionise that part of the town for sale. Messrs Smith and Anderson asked the' sanction of the Board to the assignment of deferred payment leases 245, 246, and 248, from John Litchfield to Fetor Harrington. Befnsed. 4 The residents at Switzers objected to sections 2 to 12, block 1, Waikawa, being open for sale, on the grounds that the land was auriferous, and also not suitable for agriculture. The petition was read and referred to the Government. Banger Valpy reported on Mr John Valentine’s application for a quarrying lease of lour acres of the bush reserve at Hawlubury. Government has already been asked to sectionise the reserve. Mr John Bruce applied for a ten years’ lease of bush reserve, section 10, block 1, Eaitangata, for grazing purposes at Is per acre per annum. Banger to report. THE SUPERINTENDENT AND THE BOARD. Mr Strode said: Before the Board adjourns I should like to draw the attention of members to a paragraph published in this morning’s ‘Daily Times,* in a letter from the Superintendent of this Province to the Premier of the Colony. It is as follows “I cannot bnt regard the attempt on the part of the Colonial Government to coerce what is supposed to be a non-political body like the Waste Land Board as uncalled for, if not illegal and reprehensible. It is the small cloud in the horizon which foretells what Centralism really means.” Now, I can only say that this is striking at the root of the independence of this Board. I could have afforded to treat idle rumor with contempt, but cannot read such a statement, coming from j the Superintendent, without calling upon I the writer to prove his words. I defy anyone to say that I ever received any communication from the Colonial Government on the subject of these block sales, and I consider such a statement entirely uncalled-for, either as referring to the Board or to an individual member of it. I speak now for myself, as an individual member, and I assert that no person has a claim to be guilty of such a deliberate insult to me. Such a statement must be taken some notice of—they are strong words and not a mere rumor, and it is for the Board to defend itself. I defy anyone to prove that ever the Colonial Government attempted to coerce me. I care as little for the Colonial as Ido for the Provincial Government—one is just the same to me as the other. I sit here as an independent member of the Board to do my duty, and I shall do it in defiance of any Government—whether Colonial or Provincial. Mr Bastings: As one who voted against the block sales, I can only reiterate what Mr Strode has said, namely, that I have had no communication from either the Provincial or the General Government on the subject. The Provincial Secretary, Mr Donald Beid, once mentioned the matter slightly to me in his office, and 1 then said that 1 could not sanction the sale of large blocks of land. I can only regret that this statement has been made. Mr Strode : It has been made for political reasons—it insinuates that we are things of the Colonial Government. Mr Macandrew must apologise to the Board for what he has done.

Mr Bastings : An application must be made to Mr Macandrew requesting him to state what grounds he had for malting such an unwarrantable statement. 'Mr Clark : Would it not be enough to simply deny it ? Mr Btjtterworth : No; the Superintendent

Mr Strode : He must deny the statement in the same public manner as he published it. The Chief Commissioner : As a servant of the Colonial Government 1 must say that they have in no way ever attempted to coerce me either now or before—nor would Ibe so coerced. These words of the Superintendent are aimed at me rather than at any other member of the Board. The General Government were as much against the sale of the block of land to Mr Clark as these, but they said nothing. Mr Butterworth; It is the Board’s duty to get this matter cleared up. It was resolved that the Board deny the allegation in the Superintendent’s letter, and that the Chief Commissioner be asked to write to the Superintendent asking what authority he has for making such a statement.