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Southland Times, Issue 1821, 21 November 1873, Page 2

Numerous enquiries have of late been made as to whether the Southland Waste Lands Amendment Act, passed iv the late session of the Assembly, is iv operation, and the reply in the negative is followed by a further inquiry as to the reason. The Act itself furnishes the explanation in its provision for the classification of the lands of the district into agricultural and pastoral, by three commissioners to be appointed by the Superintendent, of -whom the Chief Surveyor of the district shall be ex officio one, and the publication of such classification in the Provincial Government Gazette, before the Act can take effect. The appointment of the said Commissioners not having yet been made,

- some further delay must necessarily take place, and meanwhile the price of land 1- will remain tit £3 per acre. The delay is without doubt both vexatious aud injurious, and the more so because there '» are no present indications of action on the part of the Executive to set the machinery in motion by which the land 1 may be thrown open for sale. We believe that the classification required by - the Act need not occupy a longer period 1 (at the outside) than two months, and [ in view of the fact that certain public j works, namely, the Eiverton and Otautau , railway, and the Orepuki tramway, are ' dependent for their construction on the ' sale of laud, we hold that immediate action should be taken to induce the appointment of the Commissioners. ■ The laud within existing hundreds is also for a like reason barred from sale, ■ although the price is fixed at 20s per j acre, it being clearly provided by the Amendment Act, that such price shall not come into operation until after the 1 gr.zetting of the notice referred to, of the classification by the Commissioners. We " doubt whether such was the intention of lj the Legislature, but dealing wiih the Act as it stands, the "Waste Lands Board has decided that no dealings can take 5 place at present with lauds within the hundreds under the Amended Act, and thus from one cause or another the land transactions of the district are nil. Tt is difficult to persuade ourselves that any reasonable grounds exist for the neglect . to make the appointment, without which $ we might as well have remained without - auy amendment of the Act. Sufficient i time has elapsed since the passing of the i Act to have secured the services of two : Commissioners willing to undertake the i duty of classification, and competent to its performance. Here as in many other i instances we realise the disadvantage . under which we labor in not having a . local representative in the Executive 7 Council, and suppose we must bide our ; time with a good grace and cheerful t submission.