The Palmerston North Land Enquiry.

Manawatu Herald, 7 January 1893, Page 2

The Palmerston North Land Enquiry.

The following is the report of the Lnni Hoard in the cases in which a sieoial enquiry was held under the 99 h eection of "The Irnl Act, 1892," at Palmerston North, on the 20:h December last, in reference to the proposed transfer of shares in the ?'a!mwj»ton North* Forest Be-de-ve Farni Homestead Association. " The following persons were in'er- 1 patfd : E G. Abraham to E. Stm- ' den, F, Blanchavd to H. G F. Gordon, D L. Rmifch to TharlAß Oco««i« and R, Malcolm to Wi H

considering the evidence at the en quiry, unanimously agree that an attsmpt has been made to evade the rales adopted by the said association under the Farm Homestead Regulations issued on the 17th February aud 15th Du'CPinber, 1891, under the Land Act} 1885> and they declare all rights to the land beld by the abjve mentioned proposed transfer ees or transferor's, and all money paid in ivspect thereof to the Crown to be forfeited They farther wish td express their great .{surprise and dissafcisfacti->n that the present o cers of the Association, Mr W. Welch (chairman), W. T. Wood \ treasurer), aud W. T. O'Donnell (secretary), thould, in contravention of the rules adopted by their Association, have been the principal instigators and abettors of the proposed transfers for money considerations, instead of assisting the Commissioner of Lands to carry out the regulations in their integrity ; and they further resolve that a copy of this resolution be forwarded to the Hon. the Minister of Landau with a recommendation that in the Palmerston North Forest i-eserve Association future transfers should be made under the direct cognisance and with the Consent of the Land Board only. They also further recommend that the attention of the Hon. the Minister of Lands be called to the grave irregu larity committed by the Justices of the Peace in taking blank deslarations and filling in the names in them after they had been made, and without the knowledge of the person making them, which rendered them null and void, and inadmissable in a court of law."