Untitled

Grey River Argus, Volume XIII, Issue 1611, 3 October 1873, Page 2

According to a telegram which we published yesterday, a measure of material importance to settlers on the gold-fields of

the Province of Nelson has passed through its various stages in both divisions of the Legislature. The measure in question was introduced by Mr Curtis, and, as he explained on the occasion of moving its second reading, its specific object is to entitle the holders of agricultural leases on the gold-fields of that Province to a second term of seven years at the same rent, and at the expiration of that term to Crown grani^s, should all the ordinary conditions as 'to rental, &c, have been, complied with. As further explained by Mr Curtis, he had confined the operation of the Bill to the Province of Nelson, as it was late in the session, and it was poasible that provisions which might be extremely desirable in that Province would not be suitable to another. The Bill had already been approved of by resolution of the Provincial Council, and in fact it did no more than assimilate the laws relating to agricultural land on goldfields to those in force in other parts of the Province. He had proposed it as a clause of the Gold-fields Bill lately before the House, when that Bill was under the consideration of the/ Gold-fields Committee, and it was incorporated into the body of that Bill by the Committee ; but he was apparently not very sanguine as to the prospect of passing that Bill, and he correctly pursued the course of pressing forward this special measure. Though seconding the motion for the second reading, we notice that Mr T. L. Shepherd was still less sanguine. as to its becoming law this session, and was somewhat severe in his remarks upon some of his fellowmembers from the gold-fields. According to the authorised reports, he " expressed his regret that the action of certain goldfields members should have prevented miners and settlers in the Nelson Province from getting the benefit of this provision, because there was little or no doubt that, inconsequence of the action taken by those members, this Bill would not j become law this session. Now, had the Gold-fields A.ct lately before the House been passed, the miners and setters on the West Coast would have had the benefit of this provision, which they were told would be a very valuable one, and also of many other provisions which their so-called representatives had prevented them receiving." Mr Shepherd's fore-' bodings, however, were not realised ;- the Bill was read a second and a third time, and it now only awaits gubernatorial assent to become law in the Province to which it applies, and, it is to be hoped, to be taken advantage of extensively by that class of settlers whose numbers can well bear increase with benefit to the country. ■ t ■ '