WASTE LAND BOARD.

Tuapeka Times, Volume VI, Issue 299, 23 October 1873, Page 6

WASTE LAND BOARD .

The usual weekly meeting of the Board was held on the 16th. Present :— The Chief Commissioner and Messrs Bastings, Butterworth, Clark, Beid, and Strode. Mr Fraser, for Mr J. Nelson, applied for authority to prospect for coal on the Kapiti reserve. The Board had no objections. Messrs Gillies and Street, for Mr Gilroy, applied that section 14, block 30, Kaitangata, should be offered for sale, -stating that applicant would form a towing-path. Referred to Ranger to report on. ' Messrs Gillies and Street, for the Tokomairiro. Coal Company, applied for a rehearing of their case, on the ground of the rent fixed being excessive. Mr Gillies stated that additional evidence had been found, likely to influence the Board. Mr Hutchinson, of Shag Point, bad in 1869 a twenty-one years' lease granted him, and this was a similar case. The applicants, moreover, had expended a large sum of money in making a road to the land, and in other improvements, whi'e Mr Hutchinson had received a grant of LI, 600 to make a road from one part of his property to another. Also, a portion of the applicants' reserve had been leased at 10s per acre to a coal-miner formerly in applicants' employment. After considerable discussion, during which the members of the Board generally expressed their sense of the unfairness snowed towards the present applicants, it was decided that a lease of 395 acres be granted for twenty-one years at L3O per annum; the maximum price of the coal at the pit's mouth to be 10s per ton ; and applicants to guarantee to raise 2,000 tons per annum. Mr Wheeler applied for the Board's decision on the applibations of Joseph Tamblyn for section3s, block 2, Teviot ; JohnTamblyn, for section 36, do. ; James Tamblyn for se£. two 37, do, j and tbe'Wesleyan Cijurch for

section iJ9, do, The Ranger reported no objection, except to the last app'ication, that section being auriferous. — The Chief Commissioner was inclined to refuse all the applications, on the ground that the whole of the land was auriferous. — Messrs Clark and Strode were in favor of granting them, there being no objection, which were advertised to be lodged with the Board today. It was decided to refer the whole question to Warden Simpson to report as to the auriferous nature of the ground. Mr Alexander Leek applied for section 337, Port Chalmers, at upset price. To wait periodical sale, and the attention of the Government to be called to the application. Mr John Hurley wrote requesting a reduction in the price (Ll2) of the section on Mr M 'Lean's- run, on which his cottage stands. .Refused. Messrs T. Hull and Co. applied for a lease of 6fty acres of land for antimony mining in block 2, Bannockburn. Granted under cl iuse 161 of the Act, at Ll per annum. Messrs Peter and David Grant applied to purchase sections 2 aud 3, block 10, Maungatua; 5 and 6, block 9, do. ; and 4, block 10, do.— part of Traquair Huudred. Refus.d. Mr William Williams applied for a waterrac2 near Clyde. Granted, subj .-ct to the conditions presc ibed by the Di trict Laud Officer. Messrs Connell and Moodie, for Mr William Creswick, applied for a lease of about 100 acres of bush reserve, Tuapeka Gorge. Referred to the Warden to report on. Messrs Connell and Moodie, for the New Zs viand Meat Preserviog Company, applied to purchase the reserve at the mouth of the creek in block 3, Oamaru. To be put up at auction at L 3 3a per acre, upset price. Mr J. H. Harris appeared, instructed by Mr Sband, to state that no authentic copy of the Validation Act was at the disposal of the Board at the time of his application for hnd in the Traquair Hundred, lhat Mr Shand, ■seeing that his action had been found fault with in some of the public papers on account of his position, was willing to withdraw his application, on condition that no other application be received from others in the meantime. It would be dangerous for him to do 60 unless that were agreed upon, when he was willing to compete at auction with and be in the same position as any other appli cant. — The Chief Commissioner thought Mr Stand's action justifiable as long as he did not bring his voice to bear on the subject in his official capacity. — Mr Harris's statement was noted. This concluded the business, and Mr Baitings called the attention of the Chief ' Commissioner to the question of advertising intended land sales. It appeared that the Executive did not receive information as to these sales, the advertisements not being forwa ded to the Under Secretary, Mr Willis, before insertion in the papers. — The Chief > Commissioner understood that the Under Secretary did receive the advertisements, but finding, on inquiry, that they were forwarded to Mr Logan, secretary to the Superiutendent, instead, arranged that in future they should be sent to Mr Willis, as Mr Bastings desired, and the Executive could then determine in what papers to insert ' them.