The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 22, 1913. HAURAKI MINING LANDS.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVII, Issue 44, 22 October 1913, Page 4

The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 22, 1913. HAURAKI MINING LANDS.

JTlio liauraki mining lands, which were under discussion ;it the meeting in the Town Hall on Monday evening, arc referred to in tlie most recent report of the Commissioner of Crown Lands for tlie Auckland district, and 1 also in last year's report. The report of last year says:—"ln the Coromandel Peninsula the most serious drawback is the difficulty of getting! .the land settled, under present conditions. Thousands of acres of unoc-j cupied lauds arc becoming seriously! ovT'i'i'Un witli noxious weeds, especial-' i |y blackberry. .Much of the land, though poor and rough, could be sue- 1 cessfully occupied for sheep and cattle-' grazing, ami if a sufficiently attrac- • itive form of tenure could be offered, : would in all probability be taken up ' readily." This year the same official reports: "On the Coromandol IVuinsiila land i - .-till being selected free. ' |y under the liauraki pastoral leases ' and milling district land occupation license tenures. These lands are al- ' most entirely pastoral iu character,!' although of good quality as such, ftiv:lj ihe present tenures are-, notwithstand-j ing much llrii has been said and writ-; ten to the contrary, well adapted for settlement." A still later report . tells lis that: "It may bo noted, in! connection with the question ol settlement of the luining lands on the Coromandel Peninsula, that .an area of 10,017 acre, has been selected during (lie vear by -Y> holders, under tic two available tenures, liauraki pas-,]

toral lease and mining district land

occupation leas

principally the tor

inerj wniie the total ami now held

under these tenures is 78,940 acres occupied by 111 tenants." ihc abort' reports are certainly conflicting, and the measure of settlement reported is

comparatively trivial when the gieat

total area is taken into consideration. The Hauraki mining lands stretch from Te Arena to Cape Colville, and include practically the whole of the mining districts of Thames and Coromandel. Their total area is estimated at a quarter of a million of acres of land oi inferior quality. The amendment to the Land Bill, which Mr Rhodes proposed, and which was ruled out oi order, providing that the mining fees should be payable to the landowners. ,vas the special cause of the attach made by .Messrs Atraore and Isitt. but the new clause inserted by tin

Premier, seems to have quite safeguarded the public interest, in• that it provides that in the event of the assumption of the land by the Government, as would in all probability occur if a goldiield or coalmine were discovered on the property, the assessment of the compensation to be paid by the Crown shall not include value of any metals, minerals, coal, or oil upon or under such lands, unless the lease or license under whieii the land was held at the time of tin

acquisition of the fee simple conferred upon the holder thereof, expressly or by implication, the right t< extract for his own beilfit such metals minerals, coal, or oil. It is firmly contended by those who know the (lis trict thoroughly that in order to effect the settlement of this penin

sula a more attractive form of tenun must he provided, and the proposa that the leaseholders shall have th: right of acquiring the freehold hai been the outcome. Surely with tin

State's interest in regard to minerals. and local bodies' rights to possible mining revenue well guarded, then can be no objection to granting tin option of the freehold in the interest* of better settlement.