NELSON.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume III, Issue 213, 14 August 1847, Page 3

NELSON.

Resolutions of the Committee of Land Purchasers and Agents for the Read* justment of the nelson land claims. 1. That it is indispensable that the Company sliou d apply to Parliament immediately for an act to enable them to make the adjustment in the scheme of tbe Nelson settlement now propoied.

2. That such an act should contain a clause to empower any purchaser who should decline to avail himself of such adjustment, or who having availed himself of such adjustment should still be dissatisfied, to refer his case in the first place to arbitration, in the settlement or in England at his option, without reference to such adjustment, and in the latter case, to have it determined to what amount of additional compensation, if any, he may be entitled. 3. That where s^ch arbitration shall take place in the settlement, the expense thereof would be properly chargeable on the Establishment Fund. 4. That the propositions now submitted are founded on the physical impossibility of carrying out the original scheme of the settlement, and the consequent necessity of some equitable compromise. 5. That a redistribution of the town and suburban sections is just and necessary ; and thatjome land not hitherto included in suburban clioices should be made available for that purpose. 5. That upon a consideration of the various modes proposed for the redistribution of the town and suburban land, the plan which most combines fairness, simplicity, and capability of immediate application, and best meets the wishes under which the purchases were made, is a simple reselection according to the otiginal order of choice, with the exception of those orders representing the unsold sections. 7. That a town should be laid out a* a shipping port to the Wairau district, the site to be determined hereafter upon a careful examination of the localities ; that the town should consist, if possible, of not less than 1,000 sections of quarter acres ; and that the selection thpreof should be made in the original order of choice fixed by the ballot for the Nelson town sections, including the choices representing the unsold sections as well as the sold. 8. That a limited quantity of land in contiguity to the new town, to be determined by the nature of the 1» cality, should be laid out and offered for distribution as suburban sections, in order to make up for the ascertained deficiency of available sections in the Blind Bay district. 9. That it is desirable to compensate such resident original purchasers, being cultivators, who have debarred themselves of the advantages of the proposed redistwbution by the outlay made on the sections in their occupation — hy enabling them to lake their rural sections, or portions of land equivalent thereto in amount to be determined by arbitration, in contiguity to their suburban sections ; and I that the redistribution of suburban land be postponed until after such cases shall be adjusted. 10. That the above resolution, however, should not extend to the holders of those suburban sections who have already effected exchanges for " unsold" sections subsequent to the day of September, 1844. 11. That it is desirable to allcw of two or more inferior suburban sections, or portions thereof according to degree of inferiority, to be decided by arbitration, being united and made available together for choice as equivalent to a cultivable fifty-acre section. 12. That the purchaser should have the option of taking suburban sections l ejected in the reselection, for rural sections. 13. That the Company be at liberty to accede to applications for increased quantities of inferior land in exchange lor rural land ordeis. 14. That in the {.election of the rural sections the unsold orders of choice should be suppressed, so that the actual purchasers may choose fiist; and that the distribution of the rural sections should be postponed until the proposed arrangements respecting the suburban sections shall have been carried out. 15. Tnat the surplus sections in the town of Nelson, including portions of land within the outside boundary lines not yet surveyed, should be sold by auction in quantities and at upset prices to be fixed from time to time ; that such lands should be let if possible in the u eanwhile ; and that the proceeds should be appropria'ed according to the proportions of the original scheme. 16. That the land taken for the unsold choices in the proposed town at Wairau, should only be sold by public auction, the proceeds to be appropriated as above mentioned. 17. That supposing the estimates which have been made of the availahle land in the various districts should be inaccurate, and any quantity of land should remain towards the completion of the original number of 1,000 allotments, it will be desirable to dispose thereof by public auction on the spot, the proceeds to be appropriated as mentioned in the two preceeding resolutions. 18. That the committee defer expressing any opinion on the subject of the past administration of the Trust Funds, until the receipt of the promised information from the New Zealand Company, but consider that the future management of them should be vested in a board of trustees residing in the settlement ,

to consist of seven members, of whom two should be appointed by the Company, two by the private absentee proprietors, and three by the resident proprietors. 19. That after agreeing upon the general principles on which the scheme of the settlement would be fairly remodelled, and after carefully considering the complicated question of compensation, the committee remain sensible that the details of the proposed arrangements will probably be insufficient to meet all the cases contemplated : but, after the most anxious deliberation, they can perceive no mode of meeting the merits of such cases except the recourse to arbitration of special claims prov'ded for by the second resolution. 20. That the co-operation and assistance of the non-resident proprietors be most earnestly requested to promote and carry into execution the foregoing resolutions. 21. That taking into consideration the diminished amount of the Trust Funds, as compared wiih the sums originally contemplated, it is not desirable strictly to limit the powers of the proposed board of trustees to the specific application of those funds to the exact purposes named in the Terms of Purchase, provided their general application to analagous purposes be maintained.* • This resolution was added by the meeting.