GIBSON v. BASSETT.

Marlborough Daily Times, Volume II, Issue 98, 27 February 1880, Page 3

GIBSON v. BASSETT.

To the Editor. Srn, —Noticing in your issue of the 10th instant, the case of Gibson v. Bassett, I was astonished at Mr Rogers stating to the Bench that the informant’s credit ltad been stopped by a former storekeeper, Mr Mitchell. So far from my ever stopping Gibson’s credit, 1 was only too glad to have him on my books, and it would have been better for me if I had had twenty customers like him.—l am, &c., Geo. S. Mitchell, Rangitikei. Bulls, Feb. 20,1580.

TIIORNDON RECLAIMED LAND. To the Editor. Sir,— l observe by your Tuesday’s issue that the Christchurch Press states that awkward and troublesome complications have arisen in regard to the sale of the Thonidon (Wellington) reclaimed land by the late Government. It appears that Mr Ollivier, acting as solicitor for a purchaser, was of opinion that although “The Financial Arrangements Act, 1878,” provides for the sale and disposal of the lamlin question it omitted to empower the Governor to grant a title, and the Press goes on to say that, therefore, the whole matter is plunged into confusion, and that the defect will make a difference of a good many thousand pounds to the Treasurer’s Revenue returns next session, unless the law officers of the Crown can find some way out of the difficulty. While quite coinciding with Mr Ollivier’s opinion, that no legal title exists, as her Majesty’s powers in this respect have never been delegated to the Governor, yet to my mind asolution of the difficulty is very simple. lathe first place it is a fact that under the statute authorising the sale, each purchaser takes a good equitable title to the land purchased by him. Now if he desires an immediate title, all he has to do is to make application in the usual way under the Land Transfer Act, By this Act the getting in of the legal estate is not essential so long as a contract capable of being enforced at law exists. This being so each purchaser would have the additional advantage of having an indefeasible certificate of title under the last named Act, and as it is a Government sale this should be free of cost. —I am, etc,, Michael Hart.