CHAMBFR OF COMMERCE.

Southland Times, Issue 1348, 16 December 1870, Page 2

CHAMBFR OF COMMERCE.

THE LANDS REGISTRATION" ACT. \A~well-attended-meetiag-of_tlie Chamber of Commerce took place on the afternoon of Friday last. The members present were— the chairman (Mr H. J. Gibbs), and Messrs M fc Phersoji, T. M. Maedonald, Watson, Harvey, Wade, Jas. Blacklock, Wm. Russell, D. L. Matheson, and the secretary (Mr F. Nutter). The first business discussed was the application of the Lands Transfer Act to this district. Mr Maedonald explained the principles of the: Act at considerable) length. Its primary object was to work it from as few centres as possible. This fact was plainly shown from the tenor of the preliminary debate on the Act, when it was suggested that in its application to New Zealand it should- be- wrought from five centres. That point had been so far relaxed that a clause.. was c inserted authorising the Governor to proclaim such districts as he might think fit, but* that power was limited to the first day of March ensuing. He (Mr Maedonald) understood that it was intended that this power, so far as Otago was concerned, should be exercised early in January, 80 that the Southland < district had no time to lose if it intended to 1 urge; its claimsin the matter. , Referring to the local bearings of the question, he said that palpably the object of the Government was to transact the conveyancing business of the public ori terms that would I make it as remunerative to itself as possible. Under that View of the matter ha apprehended that a } local district would' not be established spontaneously by the Government. On the other hand, without sucha" district, the Act would be of no real benefit whatever to this district. Landowners would .be compelled to employ a solicitor in Duuedin to transact their business and such at mode of employment would necessitate a number of communications, which w,ould ; make the costs as high, or even higher, than those chargeable under the existing Act*

Another view urged by the speaker was the danger to which essential documents, such as memorandums of - transfers, would be "exposed ti in their tranßit to and from Bunedin. It was only reasonable to suppose that some of these documents, despite the vigilance exercised by the Post-office authorities, would go astray, and the loss in such circumstances might be irreparable. Mr Bussell suggested another view of the difficulty. Mortsages were not completed till registration had actually taken place, and if these documents required to be forwarded to Danedin, a fraudulent mortgagor might defeat it by getting a subsequent lien placed upon the register during the time the other was in transifcu. He pointed out that it was manifestly not to the advantage of the district representatives of the legal profession to urge the establishment of a local register under the new Act, inasmuch as that the difficulty of working it from a Punedin centre would be so great, and at the same time so expensive, that parties would be deterred from bringing their properties under the provisions of the new Act. The subject was further discussed in a similar strain, after which Mr James Harvey moved, and Mr Thomas Watson seconded, the following Msolution^_ which -was- passed -anani=~ mously. — A » it would greatly facilitate the transaction of business under the Lands Transfer Act in having the Southland Registration District, as extended by the Otago Council, erected a district under said Act, that the General Government be requested at once to proclaim said extended district under the powers contained in the said Lands Transfer Act, 1870, and that a copy of this resolution be telegraphed to the Government. [ "With the view of strengthening their hands in the matter, it was moved by Mr M'Ph-Tson, seconded by Mr "Wade, and carried : — That a committee of Messrs Harvey, Calder, and Macdonald be requested to prepare a petition to be signed by the public, requesting his Excellency the Governor to constitute said district in conformity with the foregoing resolution. A conversation followed respecting the delay that must necessarily elapse before the petition could be got signed and forwarded to its destination, and the opinion was generally acquiesced in that that delay would be fatal to their purpose. The fact that the hon. the Colonial Treasurer was at present in Dunedin suggested the idea that his aid might be judiciously invoked as a preliminary to the movement. The conversation was . brought to a close by Mr "Watson moving, and Mr Blacklock seconding — That the chairman be requested to transmit a telegram to the Hon. Julias Yogel to the following effect: — That petitions are being prepared, . and will be extensively signed, in favor of the erection of the extended Southland district under ! Transfer of land Act, and a strong unanimous ' feeling exists in favor of that course, and in the ' opinion of the Chamber the Act will be an evil ' rather than a benefit to this district unless an office is opened here. . , The motion was likewise agreed to, < after which the proposed abolition of the i signal station at the Bluff was brought 1 under consideration. The opinion that i such a step would be highly impolitic, -\ was unanimously adopted. One member i suggested that in effect it formed an 1 adjunct to the telegraphic system, and t that as such the General Government I might fairly be asked to relieve the pro- < Trace from the expense j)£j±*--«raiiitre"nT~ 1 ance. It was further' urged that the 1 station had been established at a con- i siderable expense, and that if disbanded i it could not be used for any other pur- ! pose. Moreover, the timely notice it < afforded of the approach of steamers, 1 enabled the train to reach the Bluff s almost as soon as they arrived, so that no < unnecessary delay took place in des- i patching the business of the porfc. The i discussion resulted in a motion by Mr i Russell, seconded by Mr Wade — '. That this Chamber regrets to learn that it is I the intention of the Provincial Government to < discontinue the signal service at Bluff harbor, < and for many tangible reasons urgently requests it* maintenance as heretofore. i Before concluding, the subject of the ] district border mails was mentioned, in reply to which the chairman stated that the ] provision sought for had been made by ; the Government. \