THE LAND BILL.

Globe, Volume VIII, Issue 990, 28 August 1877, Page 3

THE LAND BILL.

[By Telegraph.] ( Continued.) GENERAL PROVISIONS AS TO RUNS,

Subject to provisions hereinbefore contained, in respect of runs within the land districts of Canterbury and Otago respectively and to any rights subsisting under any enactment repealed hereby: —• All Crown lands which at the time of passing this Act shall be occupied for pastoral purposes by virtue of any lease license or other authority may on determination or surrender of any such lease or license if the Governor in Council shall see fit bo exposed to auction in runs of such extent as he shall approve. All unoccupied Crown lands, all Crown lands the license for which may be forfeited or surrendered, may in like manner bo exposed to auction as aforesaid. No larger extent of such land than will be sufficient according to the estimate of the Board to carry all the year round five thousand sheep or one thousand head of cattle shall be offered at auction in one lot under the provisions of this Ad.. Before any run shall be exposed at auction the Board shall determine the upset amount of rent at which the same will bo put up at auction and notify the same by advertisement, and notice of such auction shall be given in the same manner in all respects as herein enacted with regard to town and suburban lands about to be sold by auction. The license shall be for such term, not exceeding ten years, as the Board shall fix, subject to be determined af. any time in the manner next hereinafter provided. If the Governor shall be of opinion that land therein comprised or any part thereof is required for sale as agricultural or pastoral land, it. shall be lawful for the Governor at any time to cause to he given to the licensee twelve months’ notice in writing that the whole or any part of the land comprised in any such license is so required. At the expiration of such notice the license in respect of land then specified shall determine and be void. If part of the laud only comprised in any license is affected by any such notice it shall be lawful for the licensee at any time either before or after the expiration of such twelve months’ notice as aforesaid, on giving not less than six months’ notice of his intention to do so, to surrender his license as to whole or part of land therein comprised but not affected by such first-mentioned notice. No licensee shall be entitled to any compensation in consequence of his license being determined as aforesaid as to the whole or any part of the land therein comprised. The person who shall pay the. highest sum by way of annual rent for any such run shall he entitled to receive a. license to occupy the same for pastoral purposes, provided he shall pay the first year’s rent in advance at the time of such auction and in default of such payment the run shall be forthwith again put up to auction. Every license of run purchased at auction as aforesaid shall if the run is held under license at time of sale, bear date on next first day of March or September following the determination ot Bach license and in respect of lauds not hold

under license shall bear date on next first day of March or September following date of such auction, provided always that the purchaser of the license shall pay over and above the first year’s rent required to be paid in advance and at the same time as such is paid a further sum equal to the amount of rent that shall be payable in respect of the run described in such license for the whole period that may intervene between the date of auction and the date of license. If there be no bidder at such auction the Board may reduce the amount of rent and the run shall be again exposed to auction after notice of same shall have been given in the manner hereinbefore provided, and so on till the license is sold. A pasturage license shall entitle the holder to the exclusive right of pasturage over thelands specified therein but shall give no right to the soil timber or minerals and shall immediately determine over any land proclaimed a hundred or which may be leased licensed or granted under this Act. Roads and rights of way may at any time be taken by the Governor or Board through any run without compensation. Licenses may bo transferred. If at any time it shall be shown that any condition of the license has been violated the Board may forfeit and revoke such license and may dispose of the run as if no such license had ever been issued. The licensee of any run may with the sanction of the Board and upon payment of a fee of £lO for every subdivision divide such run and the Board shall determine the amount of rent to be paid in respect of each subdivision of the original run, so that the rent to be paid for the whole of such subdivisions shall not be less than the rent paid for the run when undivided, and the Board shall issue a license authorising occupation for pastoral purposes of such run into which the original run shall have been so divided at the rent so determined by the Board. If the area of any run shall be diminished by reason of any portion thereof being proclaimed a hundred licensed leased purchased granted or reserved the license fee of the run shall be revoked to the extent that the same shall thereby be diminished and the rent to be paid in future in respect of such run shall be reduced to an amount proportionate to the area over which the license has been so revoked. It shall be lawful for the Board to permit the original holder of a pastoral license to apply for a purchase in one block, and at such price as the Board may determine (not being less than the upset price of land in the district and an allotment of land not exceeding three hundred and tw r enty acres on which to erect building yards or such other improvements as may be necessary for working the run, provided that any licensee who has at anytime heretofore of a pre-emptive right in such run (?) shall not bg entitled to purchase hereunder. The Board may refuse to receive any such application for any land supposed to be auriferous or to contain any mineral or metal or which in the opinion of the Board may be required for the site of a town or ferry or for any reserve or public purpose, and such application if received shall be surveyed in all respects in conformity with the regulations as to roads and frontages in force in the land district. Notwithstanding that the Board may have received such an application it shall be lawful for the Board after the survey of the land has been made, if to the Board it shall seem fit, to grant this application either as to the whole or as to part of the land applied for and to return the moneys (if any) paid on account of purchase-money or surveys or such part thereof as has been paid on account of the portion of land the application for which shall not be granted. The rent payable in respect of any run shall except as is hereinbefore provided in respect of the first year’s rent be paid in equal parts halfyearly in advance on the first, day of March and the first day of September in each year. The rent may be recovered in like manner as any rent is or shall be recoverable by law and in case the same shall be leased by distress an order of the Commissioner of Crown lands shall bo sufficient warrant and authority to distrain any law or enactment to the contrary notwithstanding. If the occupier of any run shall not pay the rent within seven days after it shall become due he shall be liable to a penalty of £2 for every day that such rent shall be in arrear after the day at which'it became due added to the amount of the rent due, provided always that it shall be lawful for the Governor to remit the whole or any part of such penalty, and if the rent and penalty be not paid within one month after such rent became due the said Board shall cause to be inserted in the “ Gazette” a notice to the occupier of such run that the same is liable to forfeiture and if such rent together with the full amount of the penalty be not paid within three months after the date of such insertion it shall be lawful for the Commissioner of Crown Lands at any time thereafter to declare such run forfeited and after any such declaration the interest of such occupier in such run shall cease and determine. When any difference exists or shall arise between the occupiers of adjoining runs as to the common boundary thereof the Board may by an order in writing direct that the same shall be ascertained by some competent person to be appointed in such order and by two other persons, one to be appointed by each of the said occupiers, and such three arbitrators or any two of them shall make their award in writing of and concerning the premises on or before the day named for that purpose in such order or on or before such further day us the Board shall by writing endorsed on the same order appoint. Any such award shall be transmitted to and deposited in the office of the Board and shall he binding and conclusive on her Majesty and the said occupiers respectively, and the cost of such arbitrators shall bo borne by the said occupiers in such manner or proportions as the said arbitration shall direct. Arbitrators to make boundaries on the ground. The Board may have runs surveyed to ascertain area, may charge to license £3O which shall be taken from part of the rent payable that year. Runholders not entitled to compensation if the Act be altered or repealed. Travelling stock maybe depastured twentyfour hours on unsold Crown lands within a quarter of a mile of either side of road or track if not affected with contagious disease. Persons travelling with stock deviating from the road, to give notice to the runholder before entering upon the run, and state whence he brought and whither he is driving them. Cattle to bo driven daily not less than ton miles; sheep six miles. Offending against, those provisions renders persons liable to a penalty of £2O. The Governor may make reserves temporarily or permanently, and these may be granted in trust. Before any land is permanently reserved as an endowment a description of the same is to be laid before each House of Parliament who may alter or nullify such reserve by joint resolution. The Governor may change the purpose of reserves. Public reserves may be leased but the to be sur-

rendered at any time after notice of not less than twelve months without any right to compensation. No lease to be granted before survey made. Laud leased may be taken for roads or railways to an extent not exceedi.ip one-twentieth part, the lessee to have no claim for compensation except a reduction in rent in proportion to the land taken. Any promise of reserves made by public authority may be fulfilled if claimed within twelve months from the commencement of the Aetaud notice published for four successive weeks. The Governor may lawfully grant such lands in fee to trustees. The Governor may on application of any Board cancel reserves. Land discharged from reservation may be sold after thirty days’ notice. Lauds within mining districts may be sold at a like price and subject to same condition as Crown lands of same class not in mining districts. In certain cases of unsold lands the value of improvements to be added to the upset price. Upon discovery of mineral, metal, or stone on leased land the license may be cancelled. The lessee in certain cases to be entitled to compensation. Leases of mineral lands outside goldfield* may be granted by the Board. The powers of the Governor in respect to water-races may, outside of mining districts, be exercised by the Board. Road reservations to be made. Purchasers of 320 to receive an allowance of 21 acres per cent. Purchasers of over 320 and under 1000 2 per cent.; over 1000 acres I) per cent. The Governor may proclaim town and suburban lands or may exchange these lands for roads in cases where the direction of a road has been altered, appraisers to make declarations in all cases before entering upon them. Outlying pieces of land may be sold to adjacent owners at valuation. Twenty pounds penalty may be imposed for the unlawful occupation of Crown lands or removing boundary marks, to be claimed as a misdemeanor. The Governor may withdraw land from sale or lease and make regulations for the management of reserves and domains, and offences against good order and decency to be punishable before any magistrate by a penalty of £5. The Governor’s powers as to general regulations respecting surveys, forms of leases, &c., may be delegated. Convictions not to be quashed for want of form. ITo he continued.)