The Palmerston North Land Inquiry

Feilding Star, Volume XIV, Issue 86, 10 January 1893, Page 4

The Palmerston North Land Inquiry

The following is the report of the Land Board, in the cases in which a special enquiry was held under the 99th section of "The Lund Act, 1892," at Palmerston North, on the 20th December last, in reference to the proposed transfer of shares in the Palmerstou North Forest Reserve Farm Homestead Association. The following persons were interested : — R. G. Abraham to E. Stauden, F. Blanchard to H. G. F. Gordon, D. L. Smith to Chas. Crosse and R. Malcolm to W. H. | Cowper. The Board, after carefully con - j sidering the evidence given at the enquiry, unanimously agree that an attempt has been made to evade the rules adopted by the said association under the Farm Homestead Regulations issued on the 17th February and loth December 1891, under the Land Act, 1885, and they de clare all rights to the land held by the above-mentioned proposed transferees or transferors, and all money paid in respect thereof to the Crown to be forfeited. They further wish to express their great surprise and dissatisfaction that the present officers of the Association, Mr W Welch (chairman), W. T. Wood (treasurer), and W. T. O'Donnell (secretary), should, in contravention of the rules adopted by their Association, have been the principal instigators and abettors of the proposed transfers tor money considerations, instead of assisting the Commissioner of Lands to carry out the regulations in their integrity ; ana they further resolve that a copy of this resolution be forwarded to the Hon. the Minister of Lands with a recommendation that in the Palmerston North Forest Reserve Association future transfers should be made under the direct cognisance and with the consent of the Laud Board only. They also further ncommend that the attention of the Hon. ! the Minister of Lands be called to the grave irregularity committed bj the Justices of the Peace, in taking blank declarations and filling in the names in them after they bad been made, and without the knowledge of the person making them, which rendered them null and void, and inadmissable in a court of law."— Post.