KUMARA BUSINESS LICENSES.

Kumara Times, Issue 717, 16 January 1879, Page 2

KUMARA BUSINESS LICENSES.

As it was under consideration by the Waste Lands Board a short time ago to withdraw a certain portion of this town I from the goldfields and put up the withdrawn sections (or sale, the occupiers who up to the present time have held their sections under business licenses, thought under the circumstances that the renewal of their licenses was unnecessary. As the funds of the Borough are naturally augmented by these licenses the Town Clerk on behalf of the Borough Council wiote to'the Commission of Ciown Lands on the subject, as he found that the pnlise had been instructed to stay all proceeding in regard thereto. The following correspondence has up to the present time passed between the Borough Council and the Commissioner of Crown Lands on the subject r< ferred to : To J. Giles. Esq., Commissioner of Crown Lands, Hokitika. Sir—The amounts collected for business licenses within the Borough forming part of the revenue of the Borough, it is my duty t» see they are properly collected ami paid into the Borough fund account. It having come .to my knowledge that several business licenses have expired by effluxion of time, and have not yet been received, I have inquired j of the police (by whom the fees are collected) why they have not enforced j the law ? I have been informed that i they have received instructions not to 1 do so. I have the honor to request that you will be good enough to inform me if these instructions have been given by you ; and, if so, on what grounds. | I may. state that the Boroil h Couu- i cil, in recommending that the town land should be sold, did so in the belief that business licenses would be enforced up to the time of sale, and that no -occupier would be allowed the value of tinse improvements who did not hold, licenses at that.'time. An early reply is requested, as his Worship the Mayor proposes to call a special meeting, of the Council to consider the matter as soon as the required information is received. I have, Ac., James Wylde. . Town Cierk. Kumaia, 10ih Jan., 1879. To L. Barpf, Esq., M. 11 R., Kunmra. kir I ha *6 the honor to forwml for your in forma: i->n a copy of a letter which I have this day sent to the Town Clerk of Knmara with r. ferenee to 'he subject of Business Licenses for the town land- shortly to be sold. I have, Ac , J. Giles, Commissioner of Crown Lauds. Crow i Lands Office, II >kitika : Jan. 13, 1879, | “To Town Oleiik. Kumara. j “ I have the honor to ackuowle Ige the receipt of your letter of lOih

inst., asking whether it is; by my instrnetions the police are refraining from | king proceedings against those persons who hav3 not renewed their busu : n, ‘ da licenses within the area of the I Borough of Kumara which is about to j be offered for sale. I have no authority t to instruct the police in such a matter] but the facts are these : “On Tuesday last, the 7th inst., I received a letter from Mr Barff, infoi ruing me that the police were about to take proceedings against those who had not renewed their business licenses, and requesting me to communicate with the Government, .with the view of staying such proceedings, which, on the eve of a sale of the land, he thought would be harsh and vexatious. “Upon this I saw Mr. James,, the Superintendent of Police, and finding from him that the usual action would betaken unless instructions should be received to the contrary, and knowing that the question of withdrawing the area to be sold from the operation of the ‘ Mines Act* was then before the Government, I requested him to take no further steps" until I should have communicated with the Government. To this he conseiitedjV.aud-T inquired by telegram whether the Government would approve of tlie Police refraining front .'action.. The reply I-received was that under the circumstances the Government approved of the course tajien, provided it was distinctly understood that the persons win* tailed to renew their business licenses must take upon - themselves all risk and reejjonsibility so far as such- failure might affect their tenure or their title. ‘‘ With respect to the principles i which will guide the Laud Board in determine g who a.ie entitled to the benefit of the valuation of improvements, this, as well as all other points relating to the sale, will lie brought before the Board at its meeting on Wednesday next, when I hope everything will be settled, and I willgive you earlj information upon the subject. I may say, however, that I do not see how the Bauds Board can' possibly act [ ripou the principle nngge.-ted-.in your j letter, becah.se there is no aiithiaritv that I know of for unking fo=fm.tme of improvements consequent upon fail lira to renew a bu-iuess license. | “ I have, <fec., J. Giles, j “ Commissioner of Grown Lands, i “ Oroyn Bands Ollic.p, i 41 U -kitika, Jan. ; ! At the meeting oUthe Waste Lands i Boards, held-at Hokitika yesterday, the following business is reported by the ; West Goast I imes to h*ve ranqnred ; relative to K mum town sections ; ; Correspondence relating to the pro- , posed sale of sections at Kumara, and j the petition of the Kumara; Borough ! Council in relation to the non-enfurco-numb of payment of business license , fees, pending the near approach of the . sale, was read and considered. The Town Clerk of Kumara had complained that the non-collection of the license fees had been a serious loss to the Borough revenues, and he had enquired I if the Commissioner had given the police instructions not to collect the fees. The correspondenc as read showed that Mr Barff, M.H R., had, on I behalf of several section holders on the west side of the street, asked that pro- | ceeding should Le stayed until the Go- | verument could be communicated with, 1 and subsequently that 'the...Gpvernment had approved of'the police refrairiihg from enforcing payments. It was considered by the Board that the withdrawal of the sections from ~the goldfields was absolutely a ' necessary preliminary to. the sale of the sections, and correspondence was referred to, in which the ' Kumai-a Borbugh -Council had recoin mended • the survey of the balance of Grown lauds within the Borough, and the sale of present surveyed sections. On the special question of the collection or non-collectiou. of business license fees by the police, it was held that as the Governmenthad decided "that the lauds might ;be sold, and the police were the servants, ■ not of the Land Boaaxl,- but doff'the Government, it was quite within the province of —.lie Government to say whether the police should ..enforce the penalties for unlicensed occupation or not. v. •„ On the motion of ’Mr Robinson, secon ed by Mr Chesney, it was resolved, “ That his .Excellency the Governor be recommended to withdraw uu'ier section 4-5 of Tlie Mines Act, 1877” that portion, of the Borough of Kumara, being the part situated on C.o.vn lands, which is about to be * offered for sale.” It was decided that, the. sale .should be held at Kumara on tlie 12th March, the purchases to be ratified and cotnplet< d at the next sitting thereafter and the Board at such sitting to also adjust * any disputes its to- title .-to improvements. . ..