LAND RESERVATIONS.

Tuapeka Times, Volume V, Issue 226, 30 May 1872, Page 5

LAND RESERVATIONS.

Some excitement has been caused iv political circles by the announcement that the General Government have refused, to recomend to the Governor the reservation of lands for hospitals, b novolent asylums, and schools, made by the Provincial Council last session. It will be remembered that last session the General Government introduced a Bill — though the necessity for doing so was questioned at tbe time— to give effect to the wishes of the Provincial Council ; and that after passing through the lower House it was rejects I by the Legislative Council. Since then applications have been made to his Honor tbe Superintendent to the General Government to sanction the issue of Crown grants ; the last communication on the subject being made by his Honor on March 13. We understand that the Superintendent has been officially informed that the Government do not consider themselves justified, in the face of the action of the Legislative Council, in sanctioning the reserves ; excepting, of course, those which can be legally dealt with, and which are very trivial in extent. It appears that the Government will at once sanction and cause Crown grants to be issued in favor of the reservations made in schedules 1 and 2 of the Otago Reserves Bill, 1871. The reservations in the third and sixth schedules for a court-house at Roxburgh, are objected to because the Government consider that sites for court-houses Bhould.be vested in theJCrown. The remaining portion of the reservations — 1,106,580 acres as endowments for high, grammar, and common schools ; 353,300 acres for Benevolent Institutions : 50,200 acres for the Clutha River Trust ; and 487,750 acres for Hospitals— are objected to on the general ground of' their magnitude ; whilst a doubt is cast upon the legality of the reservation in favor of the Clutha River Trust, on the score of the want of authority on the part of the Council to make it. We are given to understand that the whole matter has been referred to a select committee of the Provincial Council, which will bring up a report on Monday ; and that a meeting of the Otago members to consider it has been convened for the same day. There is also some talk of calling a public meeting to consider the action of the General Government.