THE WASTE LANDS BOARD.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1331, 4 November 1872, Page 2

THE WASTE LANDS BOARD.

. : [TO THE EDITOR.] ;? . Sir— l am sure that a large number of -. your readers will coincide with the views you have expressed in Friday's paper re- : specting the manner in nhich the Waste Lands Board conducts its business. Instead of realising the fact that they are placed there to administer an important trust for the benefit of the public, the - members of that Board seem to consider"' the interest and convenience of the public quite secondary to their own arbitrary/ ru les and fancies. 1 have known, for example, of a resident in Greymouth having had to appear at the Board four 7 or five times (twice in person), before he could get. one transaction completed, - although the matter was perfectly simple," and the whole form of procedure is laid down clearly enough in the lAct. \ But I wish more particularly to bring '' under your notice in the present letter a N rule which the Buard appear to have*, made that all. rural sections purchased shall be at least 40 chains in depth. Now, one would naturally suppose that in this country of all others, with its heavy bush ; and rugged surface, every encouragement" would be given to the agricultural settler^ to cultivate the ground and make a home for himself. But if such a one goes to the Board and wishes to buy a 20-acre section, he finds that he is compelled to take it in the shape of 5 chains of frontage to 40 chains of depth. Imagine what shape this would be— B to I— about the shape of half a yard of ribbon; and imagine also, that the formation of most of the' country is such thatthe back part of the; section would probably run- into break neck ranges and gullies, and you catf easily see what encouragement is given to the small settler. Yet, this is done entirely by the arbitrary rule of the Board, for the Act says that sections maybe of any shape which the Board thinks fit, and although the original Westland Waate Lands Act did contain this4o-chainßruley yet in the amended Act, under which we are now worfciug, it waa purposely altered to what I have just stated, inconsequence of the inoonvenienoe which had been found to result from its working. Yet, in face of this, and in contravention of the plain intention of the Legislature when they passed the present Act, the Board, of its own authority, re-enacts the obnoxious provision. For this and many other grievances there appears to be no possible remedy, as the Board is responsible to no one that lam aware of. If so, the sooner it is made amenable to publio opinion the better. lam, &c., Settler.