NELSON LAND BOARD.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XVI, Issue 101, 29 April 1881, Page 2

NELSON LAND BOARD.

Meeting held 28th April, 1881. Present — Conainiaßioners Barnicoat, Bird, Eerr, Sharp, Wastnoy, and Chief Commissionei Greenfield. Minutes of previous meeting read and approved.

PROSPECTING XIOENSHS.

Mr Bayfeild's application for license over 1000 and 640 ucres Inangahua for minerals other thun gold considered^ together with letter from County Chairman and telegrami from the Undor-Secretary for Lands relating theieto. Resolved, That the applications be postponed for the present, and that the Chief Commissioner inform the Government and the County Council of Inangahua that a prospecting license merely gives the right to proapeot, within the area, for minerals other than gold, and that tbo licensee can only obtain a lease of 'such portion of the licensed area as the Board may determine. That licenses are issued for six months only, and that such licenses cannot interfere with goldmining or with the railway ; and that every precaution will be taken before granting a lease bo bb not to interfere with those interests. Resolved, That license No. 91, J. W. Tatton, for 350 sores, Aniseed VaiUy be renewed for six months from the date for which it wAs previously issued. OCCUPATION MOBNSB. No. 139. T. M. Eeeton for 80 aores Grey district. Resolved, That the liosnse be refuted, the ground hating bean previously applied for by John Magill.a* a le&so. MINERAL LEASBB. The following letter relative to mineral l«ases in the Golden Bay distriot, addressed to the Board by the Chief Commissioner, wa§ read, and ordered to be reoordid and published witk tho minates : — Crown Lands Office, Nelson, 26th April, 1881. Gentlemen, — My attention has been called to a letter in the Colonist of the 26th hist., signed " H. P. Waahbourne," relative to the exiating mineral leases in the Distriot of Golden Bay ; and bb that letter contains many mis-etatementa, I think it right to lay before you the following facts, as, like myself, many of you wore not on the Board at the lime when moat of the lease* were granted. The mineral leases still extant ia the distriot are seven in number, the total area 1480 acres, and tho annual rent £83 135., viz. : — a. r. p. 1. Parapara Iron and Coal Company (formerly the Colliugwood Coal Com* pany) 160 0 0 2. Tb« Pioneer Company 113 O O 8. Hematite Paint Company 42 0 19 4* Hematitt Paint Com* pany (formerly A» Berth wick and Parapara Iron Company) ... 600 0 0 5. T. R. Htckelt (formerly W. 83. Waibbo*rn«, Bichmond Hill Company) 320 0 0 6. The Johnston Bedstead Gully Mining Company (formerly Johnston) ... 87 0 0 7. John Walker 141 3 25 1480 0 4 Mr Waihbourne states that over 1300 acres hold under the mineral leas* are in the " heart of tho digging!," whereas 1270 aores are in the Parapara, Tukurua, and Onekaka districts, viz,, No«. 1,8, 4, 6, and 7. Mr Washbourne states that the only case in which a bona fide attempt has been made to prove the ground is on the Richmond Hill leasehold. The facts are that the Parapara Iron Company and the Collingwood Coal Company have gpent many thousand pounds in the honafide endeavor to daveiope the iron and coal, and large sums of money have also been expended on Johnston's leasehold and that held by tho Hematite Paint Company. With regard to the lease granted to D. J. andW. Johnston and transferred to "Tho Johnston Bedstead Gully Company." Mr Washbourno states that in September, 1876, Johnston and Sons applied for a mineral lease at Bedstead Gully covering all the known reefing ground in the district, and on. the 2nd January, 1876, Snell and Guinness appliod for a gold mining lease, that the

application was heard, and there being no objections, the Warden granted a certificate, that the gold mining "lease was refused by the Commissioner of Crown Lands in May without giving nny reasons, and in July, two months after tlio refusal {of tho gold mining leaso, a mineral lease of 97 acres, was granted over tho same ground knowing it to he auriferous.

The facts are these : The ground had been held under a gold mining lease by the Perseverance Company, and abandoned as not payable, Johnston Brothers applied for a mineral lease in September, 187G, and tho Laud Board agreed to grant the lease in March, 1877. Mr Washbourne know this at the time ha wrote his letter, as only a few days before I informed him of the fact. Guinness and Snell's application for a gold mining lease was made in January 1878, and not in 1876, as stated by Mr Waskbourno, and the mineral leaso having been previously granted the land was exempted by tho Mines Act, from being leased for gold mining, excepting to tho Lessee of the mineral leaso. Mr Washbonrne states the lease was refused by the Commissioner without giving any reason, this is inco^ect, as the reasons were duly recorded in the minutes, and published in the CQlQtii4 ncwspapei of the 28th of May, iS7B.

With regard to Walker's coal lease, Mr Washbourne states prospecting licenses were granted over the same ground to himself and Di- Irvine. Tha prospecting license to WashboUrho wtts talseu to Ijg outside Walker's leasehold, as the description given in tile applicatioh'rnight be taken as anjwhero up the Obekaka Greek; in fin un-surveyed country it is very difficult to lodate Stick applications correctly. Dr Irvine's application was granted, subject to prior rights, (if any), and was not issued, as it wa& found to overlap Walker's lease.

With regftf-d to the Pioneer leflso Mr Washbourne's grievance appears to hti that the miners have not had the opportunity of prospecting the land for eleven years, and that if they had found gold, which they did not find, the lessees would have reaped the benefit, there again he is wrong, because, until the Mines Act was passed, thore was ample power to grant gold mining leases over mineral leases to any applicant, and that power existed at the time the Board granted all the leases ( except Walker's, and therefore the conditions we're not so stringent as they are in Walker's lease, which compels the lessee to employ a certain number of men in working the ground.

In conclusion I have also to point out that Mr Warden Guinness is reported to have made a similar mis-statement in op«n Court as to Johnston's lease, although he was previously informed by me that the lease was granted" by the Land Board in March 1877, although not executed until 1878.— 1 have the honor to be, Gentlemen, your most obedient servant,

Alfred Greknpibld, Chief Commiaiioner To the Nelson Land Board, Nelson.

Application from A. J. Brean for a license for 40 acres, parts of Sections 8 and 9, Block XII, Keefton, — Resolved, That applicant be called upon to get surrey executed, and that tha deposit for survey be refunded on approval of the plan, as provided by deotien 16 of Appendix E of the Land Act, 1877. Publia Reserve*. — Resolved, That the publio reserve at Wak«field, containing 74 aoree, having beon originally set opart »»a reoreatioD ground, it is not doiirable to lease it. Kosolved, That Sections fgO and 76, Eoto-iti, and land between (ho road and Inks opposite thost sections be recommended to be roseived for public re-creation. Publio Cemetery. — Rosolvod, That Sections 17 and 18, Wahnangaroa suburban, bo rooomtnendoi to bo reserved for a public cemetery. Land Act, 1877. — Land assesied for Lensing.-- *Seotion 9, Square 124, asseeged at £2 per acre. Land assessed for Sale. — Section 79, Square 7, at 10a per acre. W. L. Fowler, application ta purchase 80 acres, Lake Guyon homestead, po»tpoDed for survey. Letter from Nelson Town Clerk, caking permission to make a short street in BrookBtroet Valley, as per sketch plan attaohed to a letter of tho 27th April, 1881. Reeolyod, That permission be grantod. GOLD-MINING LEASES. The undomientioned gold-mining leases consented to and approved, to be issued by the Q-overnor's delegate, under the Mines Act, 1877, viz : — Henry Oosgrove — Section 26, Blook VII, Orikaka, Lyell. Patrick Tangnej— Section 27, Blook VII, Orikaka, Lyell. M. Curmody und others — Scotioia 15, Block 11, Waitakero. Kelly and Norby— Section 2, Block X, Mount Arthur. J. Hunter and others—Section 5, Blook X, Mount Arthur. J. Dormott and others — Seotion 7, Block X, Mount Arthur. Oriental Gold-mining Company — S«otion 3, Block 11, Waitabu. Mathew Byrne— Section 1, Blook XI, Keefton. G. 0. Bowman— Section 1, Blook 11, Wair tahu. Patrick Brannan— Seotion 2, Block 11, Waitabu. VILLAGE SETTLEMENTS. Resolved, That it is desirable th# undermentioned townships be brought under the Tillage clauses of the Land Act Amendment Aot, 1879, and the soctiom offered for sale for cash, viz— Hampden, Seaford, Thorpe, Clifton, also the suburban landa of Hampden and Roto-iti; and that they be asieiied as under : — Hampden, £5 per acre] Seaford, £s per acre ; Clifton, £3 per aoro ; Roto-iti, £3 per aore ; Hampden suburban, £3 per acre ; Thorpe, £5 per allotment.