WASTE LAND BOARD.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume IV, Issue 256, 30 January 1874, Page 3

WASTE LAND BOARD.

The usual weekly meeting of the members of the Waste.Land Board was.held last week. Present: Messrs. A. C. Strode (in the chair), Jjleid, Clark, and Butterworth. The following was the business disposed of: — ), ' Application's to Pctbchase.—Mr. Jas. Scoullalr applied to purchase VII., Table Hill. Declined. —The jjistrict Land Officer roported'fchat it wa%'reasonable that Mr. James TannahilL/ should become the purchaser of the pie(',e of land occupied by him afc'tlie Upper Ferry. Eunhol der's consbn t to be 01-ftained, and land.to be surveyed at applicant's 4 expense.,' Depasturing License. —Driver, Stewart, and Co. applied, on behklf of E. W*. Humphries, for a license jto depasture stock onVthe StrathLaieri,Hundreds. —Li-.' cense to A'sne without prejudice. ' A Sawmill License.—The application of Mr. Stout, on behalf o£ Messrs. Rerbcrte and Jloward, for a' license of the Victorian sawmill, Tapanui, was adjourned for-'a week. V \" < ' Land Payments.—Mr. E,. C. Ferguston, for* Mr. Duncan Campbell. proteSfejJl »;jaijjst the'rejection of his' applicatios&«> purchase, on deferred payments, sections Waipahi jdistri'ct. ,'M.v. Ferguson wrote to the Ohpirmanof the' Waste Land Board as tollowsl: —" I beg to hand you for the consideration Board the 'enclosed applications, for'land in block'VJ:, Waipahi distric\ made by me as agotitfo,- the applicants. VChos'e applications were presented at the 1 Lands Office, Dnnedu>! oh

the 20th instant, (he day appointed for receiving them, and deposits of Is :M. per acre rendered, but were rejected 'in Liie ground thab they were not made by the applicant personally. Against this decision I beg respectfully to pro best for two reasons—first, because there appeals to me to he no c'ause in the Oiago Waste Lands Act of 1872 prohibiting agents from making applications on behalf of iheir clients ; secondly, because [ was distinctly informed at the Land Office, on a previous occasion, that applications from agents would be accepted. The 49th clause of the Act contains thsse words :—' Any person may on any day during office hoursapply personally to the land officer acting in the district, &c,' But I apprehend that these words are scarcely to be considered to-mean that any person must apply, personally and through no other channel. The use of the word ' may' seems to leave it open to the discretion of applicants as to whether they wish to apply personally" or by agent. To prevent any misconception,.however, on my part, t pointed out the 49th section of the Act to the officer in the Lands Department some days he-" fore the day on which the applications were to 'be made, and inquired" of him whether it was intended that personal applications only could be recognised, at the same time drawing his attention to division 3 of clause 52, wherein the following words occur: ' All applicant's in. attendance, either by person or by agent.' . The answer of the officer was that the-Act did not prevent agents from making applications for other persons. I wish the Board clearly to understand,-in stating this, Ido not wish to lay any blame upon'the officer referred to, as he doubtless gave me what he believed to be a.true interpretation of the Act. Indeed, it is quite apparent that whoever authorised the printing of the public placards notifying the sale of the Waipabi lands interpreted the Act in the same 'sense also, for these placards bear- the words,, printed in large type, ' Applications may be sent by post.' And applications by post are not personal applications. I enclose a copy of one of the placards, for the Board's inspection. Under these circumstances,. I-venture to appeal to the Waste Land .Board against the decision of the Receiver in the Waste Land Department. I bog respectfully to request, on behalf of my clients, that the applications be received and accepted, should the decision of the Board bejfavorable.-=; The deposit, as required by the Act,'shall/be immediately forwarded to be .paid into the Land Office.—l am, &c, E. C. Ferguson."—The- Board considered that, under-the terms of the 49th section of. the Act,'it had no power to grant the application, the personal application of the mtendiug'purchaser--appearing to be absolutely necessary. The Board also resolved that Mr. Ferguson-' be written to, informing him, in. reply to his letter, that the portion of the placard which'he quoted refers only to land sold in the ordinary way at £1 per acre,, and nol to land -sold on deferred payments.—Mr. Gillies for F. K'ennard, of Palmerstoh, appeared to.protest'against the rejection of his application to purchase, on deferred .payments, section 43, block Vll.j' Wai-, pahi district, and requested that his • application be received. Mr. Gillies stated the .ground on which the application was' refused was .that the applicant himself did not apply. The Act, however,' did seem-to~justi£y._t.he .course- taken. --The Board considered the terms of section 49 made personal application imperative.—■ Mr. W. Brown, for Messrs. W. ■ MofFatt, jun., A. Moffatt, and W. Moffatt sen., of Eaikiki, protested against the rejectiom'of 'their applications for several sections in block VII., Waipahi district.—Same decision as in the last two cases.

An Impoetant Suggestion..— Mr. Clark said it appeared to him that the Government had power, in proclaiming large blocks open for sale, to so- arrange it that such blocks should bp partly taken up on deferred payments and partly on immediate payments. Doing this, would prevent many of those fine blocks of land getting into the hands of one person. Mr. Strode said that, though this had not hitherto been done, yet he did' not tbink there was anything in the Act to prevent Mr. Clark's suggestion being carried out. —As Mr. Bastings was not present,,'it was resolved to postpone the , considei-a-ti on of the matter unt'l next meeting., y Ths Board then adjourned."—' Otago Guardian.'