TIMARU HIGH SCHOOL BOARD.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2791, 21 March 1895, Page 4

TIMARU HIGH SCHOOL BOARD.

A meeting of the Timaru High School Board was held on Monday. Present: Yen. Archdeacon Harper (chairman), Rev. 6, Barclay, Messrs W. 13, Howell, J. Talbot, J. Hole. The meeting was held specially to deal with certain tenancies) ahd applications for reductions of rent by the four tenants of Reserve No. 1400, Orari. On a suggestion by, the board’s solicitor the board applied to the Governor to be brought under the Local Bodies’ Powers Act, to enable them to reduce rents, and no definite answer had been received.

Mr Barclay said he was still of opinion that this step was unnecessary.—(The chairman said he agreed with Mr Barclay.) —Still it was not worth while to stay the proceedings now that they bad been commenced. The Public Bodies Powers Act of 1886, dealing with two classes of reserves, gave power to the leasing bodies to “ compromise ” with the consent of the Governor, and a similar Act of 1887 gave power to ‘‘compromise” without the consent of the Governor, if the lands proposed to be dealt with are under 1000 acres of areable land or 5000 acres of pastoral land/ This board had not to deal with lands of such areas. The Act of 1887 therefore gave the the power to compromise if they wished. He called attention to a question of procedure. As he read the Acts, a “ special resolution ” (i.e., a resolution requiring confirmation; at a subsequent meeting after ten days notice to all members) was necessary to adopt a recommendation to the Governor for the application of these provisions of the Act. Mr Howell said that this coarse was necessary, and had been taken by the School Commissioners at Christchurch. Mr Talbot doubted this, and by reference to the Act showed that a special resolution is not needed, for the application to the Governor, but a special resolution is necessary in each case of redaction of rent.

The board some time ago received a report from the steward of reserves, Mr Andrew Allan, and thereupon appointed a committee—Messrs Talbot and Howell —to see the laud, and report also on the application for reduction of rents. The steward recommended certain of rent, and thecoirmittee endorsed these recommendations, and in some cases proposed larger concessions. Mr Barclay moved that the report and the recommendations of the committee be adopted. Mr Hole wished to know whether the tenants would be able to carry on in case the rents were reduced. It was not fair to other tenderers, who might have done better with the laud, but who did hot offer so much, and yet more, perhaps, than the reduced rents would bo;

Mr Talbot was sorry that such a thing had been been brought about. He disapproved of the tender system, and if he had had a voice in the matter would have urged that a fair rent be fixed and appli cations invited for the laud on those terms. (Hear, hear.) He hoped that in future dealings that would be the practice adopted. As to these particular cases Mr Talbot made:statements favourable to the ten an tsj and said that, apart from sentiment, there was the question whether the board would do any better if they refused the concessions asked, and the tenants threw up the land. As to whether the present tenants could carry on if the reductions were granted, that of course no one could say, but the tenants were willing to try. No doubt they had mad:? a mistake in their estimates of the capabilities of the land and they had fallen on evil times; but the system made them offer more than they should have done, because they wanted laud. Another point was the sub-division of the reserve. The board followed the cry of subdivision, but evidently the principle could be carried too far. The object of subdivision should be, either to provide homesteads for settlers, or to provide overland in small lots for town and village residents. In this case not one of the tenants had any idea of making a homestead on the laud; they simply worked it as so that neither object of subdivision had been attained. Mr Howell endorsed Mr Talbot’s remarks on the subject of tendering. He had been all over the land, and was astonished at men offering such large rents for such land. He did not agree with Mr Talbot as regards the subdivision. There were men who would make a living out of the divisions, and it was simply the case that two of them were too swampy to build on.—(Mr Talbot : But is it not simply held as overland ?) —The board were npt supposed to know that. The subdivision was made to permit of four families settling on the land. A resolution was passed on the motion of Mr Barclay, adopting the recommendations of the committee. (As it has to be confirmed at a subsequent meeting, and may then bo amended, the resolution was not handed to the Press for publication.)

The case of Mr Thornley, tenant of a reserve on Waitohi, was dealt with in committee. The tenant is two years in aitear, and the board had determin d to take some action. Mr Job Brown made an offer to guarantee the payment of rent for the remainder of the term of the lease (four years), on condition that the rent is reduced to £6O a year, and the arrears are remitted. After a good deal of discussion in I committee it was resolved to accept Mr Brown’s offer, on condition that the terms of the lease as to management of‘the land are all strictly complied with