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Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1329, 1 November 1872, Page 2

On more than one occasion attention has been called through these columns to the manner in which the interests of the Grey District suffer by the way in which the land sales are conducted. Not only are tho residents in this district jjut to great inconvenience and expense by the whole of the business being transacted in Hokitika, but in the case of auction sales of town cr suburban land, the inconvenience 18 still greater, as it is practically almost impossible to conduct the biddings through agents, and the expense and loss of time which would be caused by proceeding to, staying at, and returning from Hokitika, in order to attend personally at the Board, would, in most cases be out of all proportion to the value of the land. And, as if still further to prove the contempt with which this district is regarded by the Board, the advertisement notifying to the public the lands which are to be sold by auction on Monday next, appeared for the first time in yesterday (Thursday) morning's issue of this paper, although the Wwtland Waste Lands Act provides that " Ten days at least before any auction sale, a list of all the sections about to ba offered, shall be published in one or mora papers circulating in the County." The consequence of this neglect and delay is, that there js hardly an opportunity for the public to ascertain what these lands are like which are to be put up for sale, as the District Surveyor might not happen to be in the

office for the next day or two, and any intending bidder muot send off his instructions to his agent by Saturday's coach to be in time for the sale on Monday. Ii is bad enough to have all the sales taking place in Hokitika, without humbugging the public still further, as in the present case. It is, and has been for some time, a matter of common talk that the Waste Lands Commissioners seem to do just as they like.