WASTE LANDS BOARD.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 5015, 20 April 1877, Page 3

WASTE LANDS BOARD.

A meeting of the above Board was held yesterday in the Provincial Buildings. Present—Messrs. Iloldsworth (chairman), Bunny, W. Johnson, and Mason. The minutes of the last meeting were read and confirmed. REMOVAL OF SURVEYORS. The Chairman stated that in accordance with the request of the Waste Lands Board he had written to the Government pointing out that the surveys in progress would be greatly hindered by the removal of the surveyors as proposed,Jthat it would seriously affect settlement, and suggested that they should be allowed to remain a short time longer to complete their work. To his letter he had received the following reply : “ General Grown Land Office, April 12. “SIE, —With reference to your letters of March 7th and April 4th, 1877, I have the honor to inform you that the necessary steps have been taken to obviate the inconvenience which the Waste Lands Board contemplated as Hlcely to arise from a reduction of the large survey staff in this district. It has been found necessary to suspend temporarily tho progress of the revision survey, the services of the officers employed upon it being urgently required elsewhere ; but the Government has received tho assurance ot the Surveyor-General that, under tho instructions and authority already given to him, the Chief Surveyor and his assistants in the Wellington district should have no difficulty in overtaking and meeting within reasonable time all tho calls of land purchasers. “ I have, &c., “G. McLean.” tyi'r. Holdsworth remarked that six out of tlri nine surveyors proposed to be removed would remain, and Mr. Jackson had been instructed to execute all such survey work as was practicable by contract. SPECIAL settlement. Mr. Holdsworth reported that he had Written to Mr. Dalrymple, chairman of tho Masterton Small Barm Association, and had received a reply asking for the information desired. He also gave the Board information as to what tho Association required, pointing out on the map the position of tho land in the Forty-Mile Bush. They sought to obtain 7000 acres, and asked to bo allowed to negotiate for tho remainder as soon as the native title should be extinguished.

Mr. Mason was of opinion that as this land was in reality the bust of the whole block, it would lie unfair to give one class an advantage as to terms over the general public, lie would therefore move,—“That while it is the earnest intention of the Board to alford every facility tor tile occupation of the waste lauds of the Crown within the Provincial District of Wellington hy bona fide settlers, cn the system of deferred payment- 1 , it declines to entertain the proposal of the Mastertou memorialists, believin'' that the end desired will he best secured by allowing the public at large to be placed on an equal footing in the matter of laud purchases.” He believed the actual bona fide settlement of the land would be secured better by allowing the public to make their own selections. Mr. Johnston seconded the motion. He quite agreed with the remarks made hy Mr. Mason, failing to see why the public should be i deprived of any' part of their right simply because certain persons applied for special

privileges. The resolution was carried unanimously, it being decided also that a copy should bo sent to the chairman of the Mastertou Small Harm Association. Mr. Bunny, who was absent at the time the resolution was carried, on returning expressed his opinion that settlement would be promoted by the concession referred to. Mr. J ohnston expressed his hope that the whole block soon would be thrown open. The Chairman said that if the Board approved, he would be happy to draw up a scheme to lay before them at their next meeting, when instructions could be given to the Chief Surveyor to have it surveyed at once, for they could not sell it before survey. . This was agreed to. LAND SALES. The Chairman informed the Board of certain land sales effected since last meeting, an account of which has already appeared in print. ALTERATION OF BOUNDARY—A COMPLAINT.

A letter was read from Mr. Preudervilie, a settler of Makara, complaining that he had bought a section of laud in accordance with the boundaries marked on a plan in the Survey Office, and now it was being surveyed so as to take away some of his land worth £lO per acre, giving him instead other land only worth os. per acre. The Chairman' mentioned the circumstances relating to the matter, stating that the laud was originally selected under the N. Z. Company, and the gentleman who purchased afterwards sold it to ttiree parties, one taking fifty acres, and the remaining two twenty-five acres each. On looking up the old deeds and tracings in connection with the land it was discovered that the frontages were correct, the applicant's statement as to the fact not being borne out. The Board decided to refer the matter to Mr. Commissioner Lewis,

Mr. Puenderville, wiio afterwards put in an appearance, was allowed to make the following statement, which the Board promised should be submitted to Mr. Lewis :—ln pursuance of the protest lodged by me against altering the present boundary of my part of section No. 7, Makara, I beg leave to draw your attention to the following facts gleaned from the official records :—lt appears that the section was originally purchased by Hawkey, who sold it in three separate allotments to Hunt, Catley, and Harris. To Hunt was originally sold a parcel coutaining twenty-five acres or thereabouts, having a frontage of -195 links, with a back line measuring 510 links. By the present survey this piece has a frontage of 508 links, the back line measuring 615 links. This piece Hunt sold Amer on the 21st February, 1865, which was afterwards sold by Amer to Catley, with the original linkage given. The second allotment, originally sold by Hawkey to Catley, containing twenty-five acres or thereabouts, had a frontage of 495 links, with a back line measuring 540 links. By the present survey this piece has a frontage of 508 links, with a back line measuring 643 links. I find another deed, bearing date 4th August, 1865, between Catley and the Wellington Land and Investment Society, giving the original linkage. The third allotment, originally sold by Hawkey to Harris, and which I at present own, had a frontage of 1149 links, with a back line measuring 1149 links. This I find attested by a probate of will bearing date the 6th Juno, 1870 ; also by a subsequent probate as well as by Moody’s deed to me. I have now to call your attention to the plea put forward by the claimant to ray frontage, that Harris was only entitled to half the section, while Catley, as the representative of Hunt and C'atley’s portions, is also entitled to half, whereas the original deeds never specified anything of the kind, each allotment being therein specially defined as containing certain linkage, which I contend is all either of ns can legally claim. Had Hawkey sold more laud than he was entitled to, there would be some grounds for curtailing my portion, but the facts prove the contrary, the section being much larger than originally shown ; and while the full benefit of such enlargement is given to Catley, on what ground those who have done so best know, I have not received any advantage from such increase. Therefore I contend that I am legally entitled to my present frontage ; nay, more, if the sections as shown on the present survey plan shows an increase of 26 links in frontage and 178 links in the back line. lam of opinion that I ought to share proportionately in such increase. Another fact to which 1 would draw your attention to is, that after getting a surveyor to lay oil the line according to the present survey, when putting down the front peg I found an old peg within a few feet of the present one, which shows cleaidy that the original line was laid off near the present one, and proves beyond doubt that Catley was never entitled to more frontage than he now has. I now leave the matter confidently to your judgment and decision, and will only say that the facts and figures which I lay before you are carefully and accurately gleaned from the public records of the various deeds, and not any mere verbal assertions of mine.

This concluded the business, and the Board adjourned.'