THE Grey River Argus. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 1870.

Grey River Argus, Volume IX, Issue 720, 20 September 1870, Page 2

THE Grey River Argus. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 1870.

As the Westland Waste Lands Bill which was framed by the County Council, has been passed by the Assembly, with a few alterations, it is important that the residents should become acquainted with its provisions. Its main features are to give the Council a fuller control over tht, public reserves, the disposal of the town, suburban and rural lands, and reducing the price, the issuing of pasturage and timber licenses, and for the construction of public works to be paid for in land. As several alterations were made in the Bill while passing through Committee, and not reported, it is possible we make some but it can only be in a few minor details. The preliminary clauses provide for the estabilshment of a Waste Lands Board, and the appointment of Commissioners, who are nomiuated by the Governor and removable at his pleasure. The present members of the Board are to remain in office. The Chief Surveyor for the County is also to be appointed and removable by the Governor, and the whole staff under him shall be removable at the pleasure of the Chief Surveyor. The present, officers are to remain in office as if re -appointed. It is provided that Crown grants for all lands sold shall be prepared and forwarded to the Secretary for Crown Lands within one month after the completion of the sale of any town lands, and within one month after the completion of the survey, in the case of suburban lands. On the recommendation of the County Council the Governor may make reserves of land, whether surveyed or not, for any of the following purposes : - Canals, railways, tramways, drains, landing-places, sites for schools, land for endowment for schools, for mechanics* institutes, all institutions for

charitable purposes, markets, courthouses, prisons, or public buildings either for the Government of the Colony, the County or any Borough Council or Road Board ; for cemeteries, for places necessary to the etnbelishment of towns, or for the health or recreation of the inhabitants thereof ; for the endowment of Municipal Corporations, and for resting places and commonage for cattle being driven from one part of the County to another. The preliminaries and conditions of applica tions will be fonnd in the schedules attached. Tho sites of towns are from time to time to be determined by the Governor upon the recommendation of the County Council, and all town lands are to be sold by public auction in sections, the size and upset price of which shall be determined in the same manner as the sites are fixed, and the sizes and prices so fixed shall nofc be diminished. Every auction sale shall be fixed by the Waste Lands Board, and public intimation of the samo must be given thirty days before the sale, and not before a map of the town has been left for public inspection at the Land Office. Town lands can be put up on application ; and upon purchase, 10 per cent, of the money must be deposited, and the remainder within fifteen days, upon which a right to occupy shall be given to the purchaser, until the Crown grant is completed.

All rural or suburban lands to be sold shall be proclaimed in the usual way, and after sale they will remain open te entry by miners for the purpose of mining for gold, subject to the regulations set forth iv an attached schedule, but which are too lengthy to quote here. With regard to the pre-emptive "rights of purchase for improvements, the provision is a very important one, and may be quoted entire : — "Persons who shall prove to the satisfaction of the Waste Lands Board that they have, previous to the seventeenth day of February, one thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, made improvements to the value of not less than thirty pounds on land declared, or which may hereafter be declared open for sale, suburban or rural land, shall have a pre-emptive right of purchase over the lands in which such improvements have been made to the extent of not more than two acres of suburban lar.d at the fixed price of three pounds per acre, and fifty acres of rural land at one pound per acre. Such preemptive right shall, however, be forfeited unless claimed within one month from the date which such lands have been, or shall be proclaimed open for sale, and unless the purchase be completed within three months from such date." All land in the vicinity of townships is to be classed as suburban, and to be sold by public auction, at the upset price of three pounds per acre, in blocks of not less than one or more than ten acres. The provisions of the Act which apply to the sale of town lands also apply to suburban. All rural land is to be open for sale at a fixed uniform price of one pound an acre, in blocks of not less than twenty acres each ; except under special circumstances when special blocks of not less than one huudred and sixty acre 3 can be sold at an upset price of less than one ponnd per acre — to be fixed in each case on the recommendation of the County Council. Provision is made for the withdrawal of land from sale, under the clause quoted above, when it is found to be auriferous.

With regard to pasturage licenses, all waste lands in the County, not declared open for sale and not required as commonage for stock, can be occupied under annual pasturage licenses, under the following conditions : — "For any quantity of land in one block not exceeding five hundred acres, sixpence per acre per annum. For auy quantity of land in one block exceeding five hundred acres, and not exceeding fifteen hundred acres, fourpence per acre per annum. For any quantity of land in one block exceeding fifteen hundred acres, and noi exceeding three thousand acres, threepence per acre per annum, and for any quantity of land in one block exceeding three thousand acres, twopence peracre per annum, and the fee for every license shall be paid to the Receiver of Land Revenue in advance on the issue of such license. Licenses for cutting and removing timber oil any waste lands can be had at the rate of 10s per month, or £2 per annum.

Special clauses provide for the construction of public works, to be paid for out of land, such as roads, bridges, or other works of public utility. This can be done by the Commissioners, " upon receipt of a resolution from the County Council, that said Council have determined to undertake any such works as aforsaid, and specifying the payment thereof, the Commissioners of the Waste Lands Board shall inconveniently withdraw such lands from sale, and notic 3of such withdrawal shall be published in the County of Westland Gazette."

Those are the most salient features of the Act, but for the filling in of the details we must refer our readers to the document itself.