The Flaxbourne Estate.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVI, Issue 283, 3 December 1904, Page 3

The Flaxbourne Estate.

CLAIM IN THE COMPENSATION ' COURT. (Per Press Association.) BLENHEIM, Dec. 1. The Compensation 'Court sat today to resume hearing of tho case Clifford v. the Minister for Lands in which a claim of £410,000 is made in connection with the taking of the Flaxbourne Estate under the compulsory provisions of the Lands for Settlement legislation. air Justice Cooper presides, and the assessors are Mr J. G. Wilson on behalf of the owners, and Mr T. Kennedy Macdonuld on behalf of the Government. Counsel for claimants are Messrs Skerrett and Johnston (Wellington) and McCallum (Blenheim). Counsel for respondents nre Mi- Sim (Uunedin), Mr D. M. Findlay (Wellington), and Mr J. Connolly (Blenheim). Tho preliminary stages of the case were heard in December last year. On this occasion the Minister put in am amended scheme of classification showing the total area to be 57,170 acres, of which S(i37 are classed as Jirst-class, and 20,571 acres as second-class land. The claimants are Sir George OlifToi-d, of Canterbury, Walter L. Clifford, of Flaxbourne, F. C. Clifford, London, and C. W. Clifford, .Shropshire, England. They claim reservations amounting to 95(i0 acres. The Court is now engaged in determining the classification of the land for the purpose of deciding the question of the reservations to which owners arc entitled, and tho amount of compensation for this purpose. The Crown has opened by calling evidence to establish its suggested classification, and the whole of the day has been occupied in taking the evidence of Mr T. W. Broderick, Government Surveyor, who carried out the work. There are a large number of witnesses, and the case is likely to last two or three weeks.