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Grey River Argus, Volume XV, Issue 1867, 30 July 1874, Page 2

At the present moment our Borough Council is very much interested in the matter, of .Municipal Reserves,, as between them and the Waste Lands Boards* of the Province. ' Perhaps the following little extract from the New Zealand Times may enlighten them as to the course they ought to pursue :— " Mr Reynoldß's • little Bill,' 'The Municipalßeservesßill,' which was read a second time in the House last night, and will be taken in charge byjthe Committee on Friday, met with someiadverse criticism, especially from Mr J; L. Gillies j who thought that the title of; the Bill was a misnomer. It did not, he said, convey the real meaning ©f the measure, which was one really to interpret vfhat was the meaning of the words ' objects of utility' as applied to reserves. Many reserves had been made, and a good many by Provincial Councils, for objects which were' so described ;" but it appeared that doubts had. since arisen as to the meaning of that phrase, and the Attorney-General and the present Government held that it was much more, limited than had previously been supposed. He could not see why the scope of the Bill should be confined to one class of reserves and should not be extended to include lands set apart and handed over to public bodies for hospitals j parks, &c. He argued that if it was proper for Provincial Governments to have the power of proclaiming reserves, that power should be abolished ; but if they had that right no Executive Government should be allowed to interfere. Mr : Mervyn thought the rights as, to reserves of :towns not yet incorporated should be protected as well as those which were ; and was. assured by Mr Richardson that the Bill provided: for the cases the hon. member for Mount Ida alluded to."