WASTE LANDS BOARD.

Tuapeka Times, Volume V, Issue 233, 18 July 1872, Page 6

WASTE LANDS BOARD.

The usual weekly meeting of the Waste Lands Board was held on Wednesday, the 10th instant. There were j present, the Chief Commissioner (Mr. J. T. Thomson), in the chair, and Messrs. Eeid and Hughes. Mr. Alexander Callcndar applied to have the whole or part of the bush reserve, section 2% block VIII., Dunedin and East Taieri, put up for sale. It was resolved that the land be sold as being of special value, having been so long-withheld from sale as a bush reserve, and at the upset price of 21s. .per acre. Mr. J. C. Brown objected to tho sale of section G9.v, block XIV., Glenkenich, in one lot. It appeared that if the section were sold in" one lot the purchaser would have the entire command of tho land behind. It was resolved that the section be subdivided; that that part, of about 15 acres, on which the house stood, be put up in one lot, and the other piece, of about 8 acres, be sold separately. The sale of the section, which was to have take i place on Friday, the 12th instant, was ordered to be countermanded, and the land to be re-ad-vertised for sale as sub-divided. Mr. G. E. Reid, for Mr. J. C. Patterson, applied for a saw-mill license for the area recently held by Messrs. Boult, M'Kay, and Co., on Lake Wakatip. It was mentioned that though Messrs. Boult, M'Kav, and Co. had erected a saw-mill on the land they had not taken out ,1 license for the current year, and that whoever got the saw-mill license virtually got the plant, which was now for sale, on ln> own terms. It was resolved that the .area should be advertised for a month as being open to be licensed. Mr. G. F. Reid, on asking if the application he now made would then receive pri-~ ority, was told that all the applications would be considered together, and was advised to put in a now application. Messrs. G. F. Reid, for Messrs. Brown and Turner, applied for a reduction of the fee for tho license granted to occupy section 42, block V., Shotover, from £5 to £2 10s. per annum. The members expressed themselves as being averse to making a reduction, as it would be a dangerous precedent, that would bring in any number of similar applications ; but on it appearing that although the Board had .agreed* to grant a license, Messrs. Brown and Turner had v not taken it up, considering the rent 6 too high, the Board resolved to reduce the amount to £2 10s. per snnum. '? An application bad been lodged %y Mr. Alves, contractor, instructed by Mr. Jenour, to apply for a coal lease in favor of Mr. Robert E. Dagg, Mr. Thomas Primate, and Mr. Joseph Bennet, of five acres adjoining Richard's Point, on the north side of the Kawarau River. No one appearing in support of the application, ib was not cnter'taihed. Applications to purchase lands as under, held by tho applicants severally under agricultural leases, were sanctioned: — Mr. Walter Miller, section 1, block LV., Tokomairiro district; Mr. Samuel Currie, section 12, block V., Waitahuna East ; Mr. W. H. Miller, sections 14 «nd IG, block IV., Table Hill; Mr. D. Carson, section 2,\ Mock VI., and 7S and 79, block 11., Table Hill ; Messrs Sutherland and Poison, sections 14 and 17, block V., Waitahuna East. The District Land Officer, Invercargill, requested to be informed whether the deposit paid by Messrs John and Patrick Burke-, on applications for sections 32 and 33, block VII, Waikaka, might be returned. The applicants, it appeared, said that in making their ap plication they mistook the creek in pointing out on the- map the piece of land they wanted, and it was found after survey cf the piece that the land they intended to apply for was situate on run 131, and, being in a run, could ', not be sold. A refund of the deposit was agreed to. Mr. T. C. Hill wrote, stating that the occupiers of a run in Canterbury had encroached on his run 429!, in Otago, and requested advice as to the course he should pursue in ejecting them. This being a question of determining the boundaries of the Provinces by a survey, it was referred to the Government, as. it was thought the runholder could hardly. b£ called upon to. make. th^auy.ye.y."

* A memorandum from Mr. Phillip P. Boult, withdrawing his application for section 6, Upper Wakatip, and on run 419, wag received. The plan of subdivision of section 10, block VIII., Dunedin and East Taieri, for consideration in connection with the application of Mr. John M'Coll to purchase 15 acres thereof, was noted. The price of coal from the pit on the coal lease of Mr. G. A. Smith, Teviot, district, was fixed at 20s. per ton at the pit's mouth, maximum price. It was stated that this was the maximum limit allowed to the lessees of the other coal pits in the district. Mr. H. W. Smythies, for Messrs Benge and Kobertson, wrote as follows: — " Seeing in the Otago Daily Times of the 27th ult. a report of a resolution (apparently passed by the Waste Lands Board) anent the coal lease granted to Mr. Wrightson at the Kawarau Gorge, and my client, Mr. Beiige, fearing that other persons may have seen- it also, and may try to deprive hyn of the property be has paid [ for, and having just instructed me to apply de novo for a lease of the same ground, to be granted to him and Mr. J. Robertson, I hereby make application on their behalf for the coal pit site originally agreed to be leased to Messrs Wrightson and M'Gee. Benge and Robertson having formally pegged out the ground again, I presume that as the ground has already been surveyed by Mr Arthur, there will not be any occasion for another survey. Possibly it may be thought premature to make this application before 1 have received an answer to my first letter in the matter, but I did not deem it advisable to give other parties an opportunity of being beforehand with my clients." It was resolved to inform Mr. Smythies that, as the present occupants were ejected, the land would be advertised as being open for application. The Cromwell Town Council, reporting on the application of Mr. John Scott to purchase section 40, block 1., Cromwell, advised that it be put up for sale by auction. It was resolved that the section be sold by auction at the usual sales. Mr. Andrew Thompson applied for 25 acres of land at Hawksbury Bush, and adjoining to that held by Messrs Crocome and Sisemore. The application was approved of, and it was resolved that the district surveyor be instructed to survey the land. Mr. Robert Fraser, on behalf of the miners at Blacks, applied that "your honourable Board would be pleased, to proceed with the immediate sale of the land surveyed on the north side of the river Manuherikia for a township for Blacks, and named the township of Manuhorikii, and which was approved of by your honourable Board in room of the survey made by Mr. Arthur, so that allotments may be purchased, and permanent improvements made ; also that you would be pleased to cancel the former survey made by Mr. Arthur, and which was withdrawn from sale, as such survey wifcholds from occupation by the miners of the place about 20 acres of auriferous land. Two different parties are working within the limits of the survey with a result of from one to two ounces to the , load. The ground had been withdrawn from the Gold fields at the time of the survey, and has not been returned within the .same, so that miners cannot receive the benefit of occupying it under mining right, unless the survey is cancelled." It was resolved that the sections of the new township should be offered at the next sale. No decision was given on the other matter. Mi*. John Reid appliel to purchase section 13, block V., Otakin district. The application was referred to the range)-, for his report thereon. Messrs. Connell and Moodie, for Mr. John Shaw, submitted plans by the district surveyor of islands in the Clutha river. The plans were approved of, subject to survey check, the land to be sold by auction as land of special value, having been so long withcld from, sale, and at the upset price of 21s per acre ; cost of survey to be added to the upset price, and to be paid to applicant in the event of another person being tho purchaser. Messrs Connell and Moodie, for Mr. David M'Kellar, applied to have sections 1, 2, and, 3 block X., Waihola, put up for sale at 10s per acre, applicant to survey road, and cost of survey to be added to the upset price. The application was sanctioned. Messrs Connell and Moodie submitted plans of sub-division of block X., Waipori,' and XV., Maungatua. It was resolved that sections 3, 8, 10 be set aside as bush reserves, and the plans were approved subject to survey check. Mr. W. S. Douglas applied, onjbehalf of Mr. John Willets, for the lease of 20 acres of land adjoining section 170, block VIII., Awamofco, for coal mining purposes. The application was declined. The Hon. Robert Campbell appeared, and handed in the following letter :— - High .Street.Dunerlin , 10th July, 1872, The Chief Commissioner of the Otago, Waste Lands Board — Sir— T hereby agregto the suspension of 10,000 acres on my runs Nos. 17 and 28,, and opening the same for sale, under sections 83 and 123 of the Otago Waste Land?' Act, 18,66. — I am &c, Robert Oampbeil. T-b.e, lettejc $n,d }t *#«$

agreed to open the land for application ; the Chief Commissioner not voting. Plans, as follows, of unsurveyed land were submitted for approval, and approved, and applications to have the respective applicants declared the purchasers were approved : — G. and W. Playfair, section JL4, block 111., Wyndham ; A. Nobl«Jtection 35, block 1., Wyndham ; E.^mootbey, section 19, block VI., Wyndham ; J. Brand, section 20, block VI., Wyndham. The Hon. Robert Campbell's application to purchrse, at £1 per acre, 10,000 acres of la.nd, being portions of runs TsTo. 17 and 2S, "Waitaki district ~m held by him, was considered at a epeciaP^ meeting of the Waste Lands Board on July 11th. The Chief Commissioner, Mr. J. T. Thomson, occupied the chair, and there were also present — Messrs Reid and Hughes. The application having been read, the | Chairman asked if there were any other applications for the land, and was informed there were not. Mr. Reid ; " AVell, then, I propose that the application bo received and registered, that the survey be made by the applicant, and that the sale be subject to the reservation of such land as may be found auriferous between this day and the sale, or may be necessary for public purposes." Mr. Hughes thought that the words "public purposes", might not be sufficiently definite. M. Reid said he understood by the words " public purposes," land required-for roads, or land not of itself auriferous, but which might be required to work auriferous land. Mr. Reid's resolution was agreed to and minuted, as also was the Chairman's suggestion-, " survey to be done in four months, and surveyor to be approved by the Board." Mr. Campbell said he did not want the bed of the river (the Otekaike) to be enclosed in the area ; it would be rather hard to give £1 an acre for shingle and water — the Board might as well ask him to buy the street. It" appeared that the river did not occupy the whole of its bed in ordinary weather, and the applicant was not desirous of purchasing the shincrle it covered in flood time ; but there was a steep bank between the shimjio and the grass, and this bank was fixed as the boundary