WESTLAND WASTE LANDS BOARD.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1216, 21 June 1872, Page 2

WESTLAND WASTE LANDS BOARD.

[abkidged from the west coast times." The Westland Waste Lands Board held a meeting at the I^and Office in Hokitika on Tuesday last. An application was made by Mr W. H. Harrison to be allowed to purchase without competition section No. 1423 at Greymouth, recently declared to be suburban land. The following reasons were adduced by the applicant— " That he had applied for an agricultural lease of the same block of land at the time when, by proclamation of the Governor, a certain portion of the land was withdrawn from the town and made suburban. He was a short time afterwards informed that by a decision of the Board, and duly gazetted, the land so withdrawn would no longer be disposed of except by sale on application, at the upset price of L 2 per acre. Mr Lahman made an application to purchase on his (Mr Harrison's) behalf about a year agoj but owing to it being the opinion of the Board that 'the piece applied for was outside the boundary of the proclaimed suburban land, Mr W. H. Harrison could only purchase it as town land. 'As Mr Harrison had all along been given to understand by the late Chief Surveyor and the. District Surveyor that it was always intended to curve Shakespeare street into Tainui street, Mr Harrison represented his claim to the Board some sue 1 or seven months ago, to have the blocks included in the suburban sections. The Board admitted the fairness of the claim, and, in order to get over what appeared to be a technical difficulty, passed a resolution that Shakespeare street should continue into Tainui street, so as to include Mr Harrison's land within the prescribed limits of suburban land Subsequent reference to the map attached to the Governor's proclamation discovered that Mr Harrison's land had all along been included in the suburban block, and .that the resolution of the Board as to the alteration of the street was unnecessary. Mr Harrison, therefore^ maintained that, under the circumstances, he is in common justice entitled to be placed in tho best position he had held in-. the matter when, but for the technical misinterpretation of I the boundaries of the suburban land; 1 ho would undoubtedly have beon able to

purchase the land without competition at the upset price.' At the time Mr Harrison's application was made by Mr Lahman, land adjoining Mr Harrison's piece was being fraely taken up without > auction, and Mr Harrison felt satisfied that his application would not have beenbppbsed by anyone." " The applicant also' '- " complained that his improvements had only been valued atLl2O, whereas hia actual outlay bad been LI9Q, without in- . eluding his own labor. .'] ' " " •^^•-■-■~ The Board determined, in respect to Mr Harrison's letters, that the valuation for improvements on the land referred to by him be L2OO. With respect to Mr Harrison's application: to, purchase the v laud without competition, the Board were precluded from entertaining it, as his/ application before the Board was made, under the provision of the present Act, , which requires that all suburban land - . shall be sold at auction. > Letters were also received from the County Chairman in the matter of the Kanieri township ; from Mr Shrimpton, of Otago, asking for information as to taking up southern country, which was ;i . ordered to be furnished ; from William Fairhall, complaining of unlawful occupation of reserved land Greymouth by a person named Anstey. In ' reference to this letter, the Board considered that as - the said land is a municipal reserve,, any objection to its occupation should come' from the Borough Council of- Greymouth. Dennis Hannan applied to have two acres two roods of suburban land in block , 69, Arahura district, put up to auction. Granted. .. . / rf^ „ Henry Thomas Symons applied to pur- ..> - chase section '2B6, town of. Greymouth. Granted, Ll2 paid. — • ■'■.■•; '.-<* ■.;;< John Samuel Long and Robert Johnstone applied for 200 acres of land to begranted to them by two licences to occupy, , . of 120 acres and 80 acres, respectively^ • in payment for the construction of public works. „ . [ r The application Was deferred until the : : next sitting of the Board. Dennis Hannan applied to have five *- acres of suburban land in 'block. 69, Arahura district, . put up to auction. ; < Granted. . . ' '■: Joseph Satterthwaite applied for 25 acres of rural land in block 69, Arahura district, to be granted to him in payment for construction of public works. Granted, .. license to occupy issued. ;■ fy The same applicant applied for 95 acres fs in. two sections in block 24, Waimeaf district, also in payment for public works. Granted. ■ ■ , The Board ordered that a road reserve be marked on the map along the line of Lake's tramway, through the unsold por- . tion of block 24; Arahura jdistrict, r ■.;••