WASTE LANDS BOARD.

Tuapeka Times, Volume V, Issue 235, 1 August 1872, Page 9

WASTE LANDS BOARD.

The usual weekly meeting of the Waste Lands Board was held on the 24th ult. There were present the Chief Comtnissionr, Mr. J". T. Thomson (in the chair), and Messrs Allan and Hughes. Mr. James Winter, who made a verbal application at the office to purchase a triangular piece of land opposite block 1., Herbert, sot having sent in a written application or appeared in person, no action was taken in the matter. The application of Mr. Peter Walker to lease sections 1 and 2, blockl., Shotover district, was referred to the Government. A petition, signed by 2 j miners, tradesmen, &c, at Blacks, set forth that a letter sent to the Waste Lands Board by Mr. Robert Fraser, purporting to be written on behalf of the miners at Blacks, asking for the sale of the township on the north side of the, Manuherikia, and the cancellation of the survey of the township of Ophir, and which they had seen- in the report of the Board meeting published in the Otago Witless, had been sent without their authority or knowledge. The petition impugned the accuracy of his statement by a very forcible term, and proceeded : — " 1. The majority of the miners ond other residents at Blacks do not wish the survey of the township of Ophir cancelled, nor are they at all anxious for the sale of the township on the north side of the"~Manuherikia. 2. There is only one party getting gold in the land surveyed, and they are not getting anything equal to what Mr. Fraser reports, the ground being no more than payable. 3. We are of opinion there is not sufficient gold in any part of the township to pay miners the cost of removing any of the buildings. 4. It was clearly proved at. a public meeting, held at Blacks, at the time of the survey, when evidence was taken by Mr. Arthur as to the auriferous nature of the land, that the "township of Ophir, as surveyed, was the most suitable and convenient for Blacks. Trusting your Honourable Board wiUnot recommend thecaoceUa-

tion of the survey, but that you will order the sale of the name to take place as soon as possible, we remain," <&c.; Mr. Eraser also sent another letter to theßoard, enclosing an extract from the Blacks correspondent of an up-country paper, which extract, he said, " proved the existence of good gold within the surveyed ground," but the correspondent in question says he "must flatly contradict" Mr. Eraser's statement. It was resolved to record the fact that the correspondence had been read.

The following memorial was read : — " The petition of the undersigned- settlers and residents in the Hawksbury district, humbly sheweth, that J. Douglas's application to purchase the remainder of the Hawksburv Hundred

at 10s per acre, if accepted by the Waste Lands Board, will act against the best interests of the settlers in the district, the great majority of whom avail themselves of the benefits which are derived from it, to a more or less extent, by turning out a limited number of dry cattle on the Hundred, especially during the winter months. To sell this piece of ground will be to deprive the settlers of the last privilege they possess outside their own fences, a privilege which many of them always manifested willingness to pay for, and which 'the G-overnment ought to concede to them. The depressed state of the agricultural interest at the present time is anything but encouraging, and settlers, generally, have very little need of been placed in a worse position than they are at present. In addition to the above reasons, the land abounds with quartz reefs which have never been tested. At the present time a reef is been actually worked within a few miles of this ground, and if it should prove to be payable, we may reasonably expect an important goldfield in this locality. Tour petitioners, therefore, beg to ask that the land be not sold in the meantime ; and your petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray." The petition bore 33 signatures, and was addressed to the Superintendent and Waste Lands Board. It was referred to the Government. The plan of the proposed subdivision of section 69a., block XIV., Qlenkenich, (the sale of which, subdivided, had been objected to by Mr J. C. Brown), was approved of. The request of the District Surveyor for the North Dunedin district, for a month's extension of time for the survey of Messrs Orbell and Miller's application', in the Hawksbury district, was agreed to. The report of Ranger Irving, on the application of Mr John Reid, to purchase section 13, block V., Otakia, having been read, it was agreed that the land be sold by auction as being of special value, having been so long withheld from sale, and at the upset price of 2ls per acre. The Provincial Solicitor's opinion on the application of Messrs Nicholas and Martin, to have the lease granted to Messrs Nicholas and Co., transferred to them, was read. The Board recorded its opinion that the cancellation of the original application must take place if Messrs Nicholas and Martin could not obtain a legal transfer . from the original parties. The application of Mr William Simmons, to purchase sections 8 and 17, block 11., and section 11, block X./luapeka East, was granted, subject to a road Hue being reserved, as pointed out by the District Surveyor. Messrs Cable and Drummond wrote, representing that the survey of ser tions 3, block X., Waipori, and 8, 10, 14, and 15, block XV., Maungatua, had not been made in accordance with the applications. The letter was referred to the surveyor for his report. Mr James Lawrence applied for a coal lease of five acres on the Shepherd's Creek, Bannockburn. The runholder's consent had, it appeared, been obtained. The applicant was requested to malce the usual deposit, and to have the site surveyed, upon which the lease might be granted on the usual terms.