THE Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. SATURDAY. NOVEMBER 23, 1872.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1348, 23 November 1872, Page 2

THE Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. SATURDAY. NOVEMBER 23, 1872.

Among several bundles of Parliamentary papers recently received from the Government printing-office, we find a bulky budget of Acts pf the Assembly numbering upwards of a score of measures on sundry andj divers subjects, and at least half the |number on subjects intimately associated with the interests of the Gold Fields and of the West Coast. Some of them relate to Land ; some to Mining ; and others to Municipalities. They are all, in different degrees, interesting to separate sections of this community, but are in some instances of such imposing dimensions that it is impossible even to indicate their contents -without encroaching too much upon the space of any ordinary newspaper, or upon the temper of anyone but a very extraordinary reader. It is only possible for us to describe them ia separate divisions, and then briefly— a necessity the annual recurrence of which suggests to us that it would be a matter of great convenience to the public, and possibly of profit to the printer, if a summarised selection of the Acts of each session were produced by some of our city publishing firms at a price whujhj would invite purchase, and of a size which might, as compared with the Government print, invite perusal. Suppose we first refer to the Acts relating to Land. There are three of these directly affecting the administration of lands in the Province of Nelson alone, and one which indirectly does so by the possible imposition of taxes for which power ib given for roadmaking purposes. The three Land Ac£# applicable to Nelson were introduced into the Assembly according to resolutions passed during the last session of the Provincial Council, but the good intentions of that body have not in each instance been carried out in their integrity— the emasr culating process having usually been applied in the Legislative Council, for reasons tho propriety of which is not easily discovered by any mere outside observation. Probably there is less reason in the case than instinct— the primary instinct of Belf-preseiifction, to illustrate the existence and power of which it seems to be the principal object of that body to " live, move ( (backward), and have Its being." Au Act for the promotion of Special Settlements was one desideratum with the Provincial Council during the last session, and elaborate propositions on the subject, more or les3 identical with the Acts relating to Otogo and Wellir.gton, were

framed and introduced by the Provincial Treasurer, Mr Shephard. The product in the Bhape of an Act is in inverse ratio to the magnificence of the propositions, but, skeleton as it only is, it may serve a .useful purpose in the promotion of settlement, if it be only sufficiently known and fairly administered. It is questionable if, in the encouragement of settlement, it will compete extensively, or at all, with the leasehold system under the Gold Fields Act, but there are exceptional situations where it should do so, and it has always the merit of encouraging the purchase and occupation of freeholds. The Act consists simply of seven clauses, the first being the title. The seoond empowers the Superintendent to set aside blocks of land for special settlement, not exceeding in the aggregate a hundred thousand acres. The third deputes to the Waste Lands Board the duty of fixing the price of the land, the minimum legalised being 10s per acre. The fourth limits the quantity purchaseable by any one person to two hundred acres, and enables the land to be sold or leased under the existing Land Act, without, however, the old requirement that the land should be put up to public auction. The remaining clauses give powers for the making of reserves, limit the period of special selection to seven years, and exclude all lands " known to be auriferous or to contain valuable minerals," such exclusion being dependent on the Superintendent, as in the case of Westland it is dependent upon the Waste Lands Board, acting uponjsuch information as may be received from surveyors or other competent authorities. Tht» second Act is not very comprehensible in the absence of a copy of the Act upon which it is an amendment, but the amendment is not extensive, though it may be of intrinsic importance. It consists only of one clause, which is to this effect:— All that portion of clause four of "The Nelson Crowu Lands Leasing Act Amendment Act, 1871," after the word " person " in the twelfth line, and ending in the word "auction" in the fourteenth line, is hereby repealed; Provided that the minimum price of such land shal 1 not be less than seven shillings per acre.

The third of the three Acts to which we have referred was rendered necessary by special resolutions of the Council with regard to public works in the Grey and Buller Valleys, the works in this valley being the Arnold and Ahaura road, and tho road from the Ahaura to the Waiau Saddle. The desire of the Council was that increased facility might be afforded the Government and contractors in entering upon contracts for the payment of public works in Provincial lands, and by this Act that desire is gratified to a very slight extent, but so slightly that it is doubtful if, in the Groy Valley, the Act will be of any practical service. Of course the necessity for it's introduction which did exist has now to some extent ceased by the General Government placing in their schedule the particular works mentioned, but the system of payment in land is nevertheless one which might have been made more easily available, with just sufficient restrictions to prevent possible administrative abuse. As the Act stands, its purpose is "to enlist private enterprise and capital in the construction of roads, bridges, railroads, tramways, harbors, and docks, by means of grants of land as payment, part payment, or consideration for such woik." And this purpose can only be served under certain seven regulations, of which the principal are the second and fifth, thus stated : — "The value at which the land is to be taken by the contractor shall 6e fixed by the Board ? but in no case less than five shillings per aoro, and as regards land Bituated in the Grey Valley not less than twenty shillings per acre, before the contract is made. The land to be granted shall not exceed in quantity three-fourths of the Waste Lands of average quality within two miles, ne^t adjoining to auch work, or any part thereof'; or in case of a work made wholly or in part through other than Crown Lands, then the grant shall be of such other Waste Lands of equal extent. and of average quality in some other locality to, bo benefited by such work. No lands known to be auriferous or to contain valuable minerals shall be included in any contract made under this Act." And it is added, in a clause .separate from the regulations, that not more than ten thousand acres shall in any one year be granted in payment of the works so constructed- The most important clause of the lot, however, is the concluding one, which makes "special provisions for works on Gold Fields," the particular works being those mentioned in the schedule, including the two road projects in the Grey Valley. Head along with a clause already quoted, it appears competent for the Superintendent and Board to assess land at not less than 5s per acre, and to dispose of it as payment for a ridiculed road from the Buller to the Inangahua Landing by the Black water, a road from the Owen to the Lyell, a road or tramway from Westport to the Nine-Mile Creek on the river Buller, and another road from the Graham River to the Karamea Bead. The clause, indeed, seems to be capable of such free construction that it may apply also to the works in the Grey Valley without restriction as to assessed value of the land, f«i' it empowers the Superintendent, w in accordance with the provisions of the Act, in so far as tlw same are applicable," to enter into contracts for these, works, or p.ny part of any of them, "in such manner and upon such terms" as may be mutually agreed upon, and to give such quantity of land as shall similarly be agreed upon. If a discretionary power outside of the Regulations is not thus given to the Superintendent, it at least reads very like it, but we must confess to being more simple than subtle in the reading of Afits of Parliament, and particularly those whioh are' moulded and fashioned in the city of Nelson. Another clause which is rather incongruously incorporated with these amendments upon the. Act is that which relates to the sals of land in Gold Fields "towns and villages"— c. «/., jQharlflston and Ahaura. Our Grey valiey correspondent has already referred to the egregious injußtice of the terms offered to would-be purchasers of freeholds in such localities, and in our present number an independent correspondent deals with the same subject in a Btill more condemnatory strain. Together they are a sufficient indication of tho feeling at the Ahaura or in similar situations in the Grey Valley, and the feeing is apparently thoroughly reciprocated in Charleston. Quoting th« clause, the flemWsays :— -"|Jbw that' property I ia decreasing in value, and when thooe

who would at all care to buy have paid an annual rental of L 5 per annum for froni four to six yoars, they are graciously to be offered the privilege of purchasing the freehold at a price to be fixed by the Board, which is not to be less than at the rate of .£lO for forty perches— or a quarter of an acre. Business people can best judge for themselves as to whether it is their interest -to buy upon such terms, but we cannot but think that a mere nominal figure would have been a fair estimate for ground that has been held under business licenses for three and over three years, as most of the sections have already been. As to the imposition with regard to the terms of occupation under two years, that is simply absurd. The terms could not be more unfavorable under any circumstances."