THE EDUCATIONAL RESERVES.

Southland Times, Issue 1042, 21 October 1868, Page 2

THE EDUCATIONAL RESERVES.

la. — Education Reserves (Rural.) 123 sections containing 11,570 acres, have been set apart for this purpose, 41 of these containing 1462 a. lr. 39p. have been granted to the Province under the " Public Reserves Act, 1854 ;" 5016 a. Or. 13p., in 4 large blocks, have been coafirmed by the Provincial Council under the "Southland Waste Lands Act, 1865," leaving 69 sections containing 5091 a. lr. 30p., set apart for an Education endowment, not yet confirmed. I would suggest that 39 of these containing 2821 a. 3r. 32p. should be now recommended by the Council under the XVI. clause of the Land Act, as permanent reserves for Educational purposes, and that the remaining 30 sections, containing 2269 a. lr. 38p., which appear to have been seleoted without reference to position or quality of land, and which could not possibly for years to come, yield any revenue for Educational purposes, should be readvertised as Waste Lauds of the Crown ; this is necessary as I apprehend that the Govei nor of New Zealand will not be advised to grant an unlimited quantity of land for any one purpose, and it would uot be advisable to swell the total amount of any endowment by land, which could not possibly be expected to yield any income to it.

16. — Collegiate Reserves (Rural.) These reserves contain 462 a. Or. 35p., of which 149 a. lr. 38p. have been recommended as an endowment for this purpose by the Council, the remaining 18 sections will be submitted to them.

lo. — School Reserves {Rural.) There are six reserves containing 60 acres that have been set apart as sites -for country schools, two of them have been confirmed, the others will be forwarded for the recommendation of the Council. This will give, should the Council confirm ' those that I have submitted as permanent reserves, an endowment of 9822 acres for Educational purposes, which ought to yield an annual income, computing at the average rate of one shilling and sixpence per acre— of £736, without including tbe Educational reserves in the different towns. XT. — Cemetery Reserves. There are six cemetery reserves containing 46a. 3r. 3ip., Oiily two of them have been granted to the Superintendent under the " Public -Reserves Act, 1854," two of them have already been confirmed, and the others will be sent down for the recommendation of the Council.

111. — Ferry Reserves. Ten reserves containing 1881 a. Br. 33p., have been set aptrt for this purpose ; 349 a. 3r. 02p.

have been leased with: the ISew River Bridge ; two reserves containing 403 acres have been recommended by the Provincial Council, and the others will be .submittedjfor confirmation.

IV.— Stone, and Quarry Reserve*. The Stone and Quarry Reserves contain 899 a. lr. 06p. ; of this 733 a. 2r. OOp. has already been confirmed by the Council ; most oosf s the rest were selected by the district surveyors as quarries for road metal, and I will -duly submit them to the Council with the other reserves.

V. — Gravel Reserves. No leßs than 56 gravel reserves, containing 546 a. 3r. 39p., have been made in different parts j of the Province, of which none have been confirmed ; six of them which I know to contain gravel, shall be sent down for the recommendaI tion of the Council, the others had better be left until I have inspected them, and am able to report on the deSirability of retaining them for the purpose for which they have been reserved.

VI. — Coal Lignite Reserves. For this purpose three reserves have been i I made, containing 1296 a. Or. 23p. ; the most valuable one, at Mr Reinecker's station, in the Wairaki District, has been confirmed by the Council, the other two had better remain temporary reserves until a geological report has been obtained as to their value-.

VTI. — JPifoi and Lighthouse Reserves. 75a. 2r. 28p. have been reserved for Pilot and Signal ; as the Harbor Department to which these reserves properly belong, will probably come under the control of the General Government, these reserves had better be only recommended as such, and the grants for them left unapplied for.

VIII. — Harbor Reserves. There are two Harbor Reserves, which contain 44a. lr. 22p. ; they include the sites of the Bluff Harbor and New River Jetties ; grants ior them have been issued to the Superintendent.

1 IX. — Miscellaneous Reserves. These contain 1293 a. 2r. 22p. under these are classed : — The Public Park Reserve, containing 200 000 „ Lunatic Asylum do 10 0 00 „ Market Reserve do 227 0 31 „ Race Course do do 411 131 „ Acclimatisation do do 50 000 „ Flax do do 400 000 The two latter ha\e been consented to by the Provincial Council, the others shall also be sent for confirmation.

X. — Sheep Reserves, There are twenty Sheep Reserves, containing 15,054 acres, four of them containing 2,100 acres, have been recommended under the " Southland Waste Land Act, 1865." The others I will forward for confirmation.

XI. — Native Reserves. These Beserves contain 5241 acres, and were set apart for Native pu^oses, prior to the separation of this Province from Otago.

XII. — Railway Reserves. About 1190 acres have been set apart for the existing lines of railway, and tlie extension of the same. The Crown Land over which the Bluff and Winton lines pass, have been reserved by the Southland Ordinance, No. 31 and 47, passed by the Provincial Council. The reserve for the northern extension of the Winton line, has been surveyed, and shall be submitted for recommendation at the next session of the Council.

XIII. — Road Reserves. These reserves contain only 111 acres, they are for future alteration of existing line of roads, and need not, I apprehend, be confirmed at present.

XTVa. — Township Reserves. The Township Reserves are twenty-three in number, and contain 14093 a. Or. 38p. Land has been sold in thirteen of them, the others are simply reserved from sale.

XlVb. — Village Reserves. Eleven Village Reserves have been made, containing 3687 a. lr. 08p. ; none of the land contained in them has been alienated from the Crown.

XV. — Bush Reserves. There are eighty-five Bush Reserves, containing 40,659 acres, or nearly one half of the total reserves in the Province, these reservas are dealt with under the " Southland Waste Lands Amendment Act, 1867," and ought to add a very considerable sum to the land revenue, if the fees arising therefrom were systematically collected in every part of the Province.

XVIa. — Unappropriated Reserves. Under this class appear 66 reserves containing 4322 a. Or. 26p., which appear to have been reserved for no special purpose ; I shall ndt be able to report as to the advisability of retaining them as permanent reserves, during the present session.

X.Vlb. — Temporary Reserves. 4867 acres have been temporarily reserved for quarantine and other purposes, these will, 1 apprehend, revert, and be re-advertised as Waste Lands of the Crown, as soon as they are no longer required for the purpose for which they were set apart. TOWN RE3ERVES. The total area of land reserved for various purposes within the townships amount to 564 a. lr., 25p., Crown G-aants for 183 a. 2r. 36p. have been issued to the Superintendent.

I. — Education Reserves. 94 town sections containing 23a. 2r. OOp. hare been reserved for Educational purposes ; Crown Grants for 73 of. these, containing 18a. lr. OOp. have been ißsued to the Superintendent, and the management of the same has been vested bj the " Educational Reserves Ordinance, 1862," in the Education Committee of the Province ; 13 quar-ter-acr<j sections have been reserved in Wallacetown, and 8 in the township of Stanley; the latter, 1 would suggest, should be abandoned, as they are not worth the cost of the grants, and that those in Wallacetown should be given up md an equal amount of land selected instead of them, in one block in that' township, and be recommended as a School Reserve.

II. — Collegiate Reserves Include ten sections containing 2a. 2r. OOp. in the town of Invercargill j they have been granted to the Superintendent, and the management of them vested in the Education Committee by the "Collegiate Reserves Ordinance, 1863 j" a fow of the Education and Collegiate Reserves in the town of Invercargill would, if offered on moderately long leases, yield a small sum for Educa- 1 tional purposes, £75 or £100 might even at the present time be obtained by leasing them.

111. — Municipal Reserves. There are 257 sections containing 64a. lr. 00p., reserved in the different towns ior municipal endowments ; thoße situated in Invercargill, Riverton, and Campbelltown, containing 47a. 3r. OOp. have, been granted to the Supeintendent, and the management of them has been vested by the " Municipal Endowments Ordinance J 832" in the several Town .Boards.

IV. — Reserves for Spevi-J purposes. 102 sections containing i'JtJa Or. 23p. hare been reserved as sites for Government Buildings, Police Stations, Gaols, &c. ; grants have been ' issued to the Superintendent for the Hospital, Gtaol, and Provincial Government Buildings

reserves in InvercargiU^aiiaVl have? sent down for the recommendation Sf^tne Counc^all others that contain any buildings"beli6ngtn^;^ the Pro* vinciar Government in any of tie Townships; ■;''"--y--'-'""_'. " -■ — .■•S>3' j

V.-— General Government Reserves. .15 reserves have been^^attSTconteining 7a. 2r. 08p. in the various towns ands sites for buildings in connection with the .departments of the General Government. ' \

PL^Reserieijbrlßublic purposes. Different blootsvof laiidicontaining 217 a. lr. 33p. have beetf -reserved for Public Gardens, Recreation Grounds, ; &c., in: various towns ; Crown Grants forll)6jt* 2r. 12p.*intbe town of Invercargill, have been to the Superintendent. VII. — Provincial Government Reserves. j Seventy-one pieces of land, containing J 53a. Or. Olp. have been reserved from sale in different parts of the several townships for purposes that are not enumerated.

I enclose with, my report two tableß, giving the amount of land at present reserved under each subdivision I have made, both in the town and I rural reserves, showing in one column those j which may be considered as reserves or endow- | utents for Provincial Government purposes, and for which Grants will have to be obtained from the Crown, and in the other, those in which the right to the Crown will not be alienated, and, from, which land revenue is still derivable ; the latter contain 68,623 acres, and the former, 38,785 acres. I also forward a map (showing the position of) and a detailed list of all those reserves which it is desirable to permanently retain as such, for which no grants have been issued to the Superintendent, and which have never been confirmed by the Provincial Council, and I would suggest that they should now be recommended as public reserves, so that no doubt as to their legality should exist. I have shown each reserve under the proper class to which it belongs. In concluding my report I must apologise to your Honor for the condensed way in which I have been obliged to report on the several kinds of reserves, but the.great number and variety of them rendered it impossible to give a more detailed statement of each kind in one report. I have the honor to be, Sir, Your most obedient servant, John H. Bakhb, . , Chief Surveyor.