WASTE LANDS BOARD.

Tuapeka Times, Volume VII, Issue 378, 1 August 1874, Page 3

WASTE LANDS BOARD.

The regular weekly meeting of tlie Waste Lands Board was held on Wednesday. Present : Messrs J. T. Thompson (Chief Co mmissioner), Butterworth, Bastings, Clark, and Strode. Ihe ininutea of the previous meeting were conrirmcd. APPLICATION TO PURCHASE. Mr. Mouat, for Thomas Darton applied to pnrchase section 11, block 1., Tuapeka East. 'J he ground had been auriferous, but was thorougly -worked and abandoned. Mr. Darton was a farmer, and if the section passed into the hands, of anyone else, he would suffer much inconvenience thereby. The line of road was shown on the plans produced. Mr. Bastings said the Government had wished to carry the road in a straight line, and Mr. Darton went to some trouble to oblige them. The speaker and Mr. Turnbull consequently agreed to let Mr. Darton have the section applied for. Mr. Strode : We cannot possibly give him the road. Mr. Bastings : No, not till it is closed by the Provincial Council. Mr. Butterworth : It will be a question of a week before an answer can be given to the application. Mr. Thos. M. Darton applied to purchase about two-and-a-half acx % es in front of section 13, block L, Tuapeka East. Referred to the District Land Officer. TAPANDT BUSH BESEBVE. "Messrs Stewart and Doughty, for John Youngson, applied for a license to occupy »bout 100 acres of the Tapanui Bush Keserve, under Clause 169. The land was situate between the applications of Messrs. Perry and Paterson, and there was very little timber upon it. The Commissioner : The General Government are preparing some graft- scheme for the conservation of forests, and the Board . might wait till they heard more about the • matter. It would cost about £20 to get a report upon the present application. Mr. Clark : It is useless for the Board to obtain a report till ohey have decided the Bastings : It is a perfect farce for the Government to advertise land in the " Gazette," and then not to ofter facilities to those who applied under the Regulations. If the applicant did not fulfil the conditions, he would have to forfeit- the laud Mr. Doughty said he had recently received a letter from Tapanui, stating thac most of the scrub on the laud applied for was burnt. It appeared to hira that the land was of no value at all, as neither Mr- Perry nor Mr. Paterson had sent in an application ; it was only a piece of hind between there two sections. The Commissioner : If I thought it was a bona fide application to plant, I would endeavour to assist the applicant in every way. Mr. Clark: These applications should be treated with caution. The Commissioner (facetiously) Sir Walter Scott ruined himself in planting. Mr.Bastings : Yes, but Sir Walter. Scott ! did not have blue gums, to spring up in a few ( years. A family man who planted a tree for each child would have a fortune for his children by the time they were all twentyone. The Board resolved to wait till tho survey i came in. SAWMILL LBASS. ; Messrs. Connell and Moodie, for J. F. I Etching, applied for a sawmill lease of 640 acres in block IV., Glenkenich, and block IX., Rankleburn. The Board decided that a deposit of £320 should be made, the survey undertaken to be completed in six months, and the license granted on the xisual terms, provided there are no objections after the survey, BEET/SAL. The application of Mr. Alex. M'Nab to purchase 320 acres of Run 3, under the 36th clause, was refused. The Commissioner • The land is worth £3 or £4 an acre. Of course the Board had power to value the land, and- that to a certain extent protected the public interest. STTBVEY TEE 3 A letter from John Cumming was read, asking that the receipts which he had ob-tained-for payment of survey fees, should be taken as payment to account of rent on his deferred payment allotment, Waipahee. The survey feeß per regulation were ordered to be deducted t from rents due per clause 52c, Waste Lands Act, 1872. "WAJTAHTTNA EAST. 1^ Mr. James Thomson applied to purchase sections 16 and 17, block VI., Waitahuna East. Mr. Donald Reid, jun., for Mr. Paton, withdrew his former objection. The applicant stated that the land was" not auriferous. Eeferred to the District Land Officer for a report. EXCHANGE LEASES. A letter from Warden Carew, explaining the delay in the preparation of exchange leases, was noted. AGBICFLTUBAL LEASEHOLDS. The following applications to pnroha B6 agricultural leaseholds were approved : — DStevenson, section 14, block VII., Waitahuna East : J. E^ Buchanan, section 5. block 111., j Tuapeka East ; George Lindeman, sections 10, 27, 22, 23, 24, 30, 31, and 32, block 1., South Wakatip ; A. Louden, sections 80 and 81, block 11., Tuapeka East ; W. Evans, sections 184, 185, and 186, and 292, block 11., and 29 and 32, block V., Tuapeka East. EE-CONSIDEBATION. Mr. Timothy Cro.wley requested that his application to exchange his lease of section 29,. .block IV.. Tuapeka East should be reconaiAe:re<3L — The Board resolved to ask the Government to re-consider this application, the improveme.nts not having been effected. The GOippisLDS. . Applications to purchase land on goldfields •were received from the following gentlemen : — Messrs'.. Thoma3 Murray, Joseph Dewes, R. W. Nichols, Hugh Bruce, R. Craig, D. Stevenson, Gr. Stevenson, W. H. Miller, W. Miller, John JEdie, W. Osborne, J. Campbell, D. Ross, J. Norman, and J. Cameron.. Mr. Bastings said there were some matters of importance he wished to bring under the notice of the Board. Blocks IV., V*, and VII., Table Hill, and blocks V., and X., Waitahuna East, had been reserved by- the Provincial Council, and were thought so generally auriferous that it was deemed unwise to grant even agricultural leases. The land was reserved from the operation of the agricultural lease sxstcm, and ordered to be kept by the Crown for mining purposes. As far as the Board was concerned, he thought there would- not be two- opinions that they wonld not be justified in selling the land. He was positive that the land was> auriferous. He took the trouble, when in Tuapeka, to preserve these blocks from being taken under the agricultural leas* syßtem. It would be ruinous to sell the. land, anfc find oufc after-

wards that they had sold a.goldfield. The Commissioner: We greatly depend ~ upon the local officers for information in fcheie matters,.* Mr. Bastings : When I read the report of the proceedings of the Board last week, I t made enquiries on this subject; The Board raelved that the District be asked to^fer to Provincial Council April, 1872, in regard to blocks Hr?., V., and VII., Table Hill, and. blocks V. waitaliunflEflßt.w aitaliunflEflBt. '