WASTE LAND BOARD.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume IV, Issue 248, 5 December 1873, Page 3

WASTE LAND BOARD.

The regular meeting of the Waste Tanas Board was held at the office of the l-'oard last we6k, at eleven o'clock. There were present—The Chief Commissioner, Mr. j. T. Thomson, in the chair, and Messrs. Horace Bastings, John Reid, A. C. Strode, and J. L. Butterworth. SALE OF ST. BATHANS TOWNSHIP. Mr. Thomas Mulvey, St. Bathans, requested by letter that the Waste Lands Board would pay the expenses of the members of the Board of Enquiry (which was reporting on objections raised by the Scandinavian Water Race Company to the sale of that town), to go to St. Bathans to hold the investigations into . the objections to the sale instead of sitting at Naseby- • Mr. Mulvey wrote as follows: —"I have the honor to inform you on behalf of the business people of St. Bathans, that seeing the almost utter impossibility of bringing a large number of witnesses to Naseby, some 25 miles distant, and alsotseeihg that the Distriot Board of Enquiry "has" no power to' Summon witnesses we, the holders of business licenses, have asked the said Board of Enquiry to hold the investigation here instead of at Naseby (and in this course the objectors to the sale have joined us). They (the Board) have agreed to come here on or about the third of next month, but desire to have their expenses paid, which is only 'fair. We therefore request that the Waste Lands Board will not on T y instruct that the investigation will take place at St. Bathans at the time appointed,, but that the expenses of the District Board of ■ Enquiry, in. coming be paid by the Government." - ■■'

Mr. Mulvey who ■wrote "by order of the . holders, of business licfenses , in a St.Bathans," added as a is the opinion of miners and business persons, both here and in other parts of. the district, that Distrct Boards, to be of any use, should be made moveahle," The .Chairman thought the expense under the proposed change would he more than the sections would bring, Mr. Strode said the answer he would give would be that if they, to use a legal term, wished to change the venue, they should pay for doing so. They should bear the expense incurred by the change, Mr. Bastings remarked that it was not those who wished to purchase the sections that caused the enquiry. After every-, thing was prepared for selling the land the Scandinavian Company stepped in and made the objections! He was going up to the district next month, and the matter j had better lie over in the meantime. He thought it would be better if the Board referred the matter to the Government. • On Mr. Bastings's suggestion, the matter was referred to the Government. Mr. W. D. Stewart subsequently appeared, and stated that he had been instructed by a number of the inhabitants of St. Bathans to support the application for the sale of the township, against the objections that had been made by the Scandinavian Company. Mr. Stewart being informed that the matter had been referred to the Government", asked. it it would Board agnin. ' The Chairman replied that the matter would come before the Board again after having been investigated by the Government. • ' j,< •• ■y. ■