Piako Stamp Lands.

Te Aroha News, Volume XXVII, Issue 4505, 18 December 1909, Page 3

Piako Stamp Lands.

THE OPTIONAL TENUKE. SECTIONS FOB MINEBS. Wellington, Wednesday. In answer to Mr Newman to-day, the Minister for Lands said : “ The areas of land in the Hauraki plains now being sub-divided for settlement, and which it is hoped to place on the market about the first week in May, will be handed over to the Auckland Land Board for disposal under the Land Act, in accordance with the provisions of section 7 subsection 1 of the Hauraki Plains Act, 1908. The Board will then have power to deal with such areas as ordinary Crown lands as they are outside the boundaries of the national endowment area, and they will, no doubt, be opened under the Optional system of the Land Act. The Lands Committee, in report ing to-day on the petition of a number of miners who have asked ftjp haw a portion of the Hauraki plains lands set aside for settlement by them, recommended the matter to the Government for consideration.

Messrs Poland and E. H. Taylor expressed a hope that the' Government would endeavour to give effect to the request of the peti-. tioners.

. The Minister for Mines said that an attempt would be made to give effect to the wish of the petitioners. Personally he was in favour of what they asked, but if they set aside special blocks for the benefit of miners, they might be sure there would be objections from other sections of the community. Mr Poland said the miners had already waited upon the Prime Minister and the Minister for Mines on the subject. Mr Greenslade, in supporting the prayer of the. petitioners, expressed a hope that similar provision would be made in the Waikato for the Muntly miners. He said he had already brought this before Ministers*