Tuapeka Times AND QOLDFIELDS REPORTER AND ADVERTISER. SATURDAY, JANUARY 9, 1875. "MEASURES, NOT MEN,"

Tuapeka Times, Volume VII, Issue 424, 9 January 1875, Page 2

Tuapeka Times AND QOLDFIELDS REPORTER AND ADVERTISER. SATURDAY, JANUARY 9, 1875. "MEASURES, NOT MEN,"

Anoihbr instance of Government bungling lias taken place in connection with the Waste Lands Department— bungling, too, that is all but certain to end in considerable loss to the Government. An advertisement has appeared in the Provindal "Gazette" for some weeks past, notifying that land in the Waikoikoi HundredyTapanui District, would be sold by pubUc auction at the Land Office, Lawrence, on February 23rd, " 1874," at the upset price of 22a. Gd. an acre. As a matter of course, seeing the advertisement appeared in the last month's " Gizette," the year was supposed to be a typographical error ; at all events, February 23rd, 1875, had been fixed in people's minds as the day of the sale. But the Waste Lands Beard, at its meeting beld last wed--, de.Unl upon altering the date of the s Ja to <ha 7th instant, and the upset price to £2, and advertised the sale to take place on that date in thw Donedin papers and also in this journal. The alteration, as may be seen, only gave • a week's notice of the sale ; and was made too late in the day to have the date altered in the "Gazette," which went forth to its readers advertising the sale as to take place on the 23rd February. One week's notice for a sale of 6,000 acre? of land in an outlying country district, it will be admitted on_jaU-haads,..is altogether insufficient. But the best of it is, those who have the management of wlut goes into that precious publicttion — the Government "Gazette" — sepn to have drcn'ered the error after thj issue of the following week, that is after last Wednesday's issue had been sent abibad, as on Thursday we received two co^es of that issue ("January 6th), one containing the date of the sale unaltered, and another altered to January 7th with an ipk mark opposite the sale, meant, we suppose, to draw our attention to the alta-ation ; but as the sale by this time hadcome off, the special mark could not hay**- been of any avail, had it necessary. Now we would like to know if thei? is any method in this bungling. Fome persons insiuuate that there is, and that the date of the sale, and price of the land were alter3C to suit cc 'tain parties ; and there can be no doubt the great haste with whici the sale was brought about, "would indicite some cause not at all clearly percavable by cairn and dispassionate obseivers of public transactions. We certainly think the matter requires explanation. Why, we ask, hurry the sale six weeks before its advertised date, and when that date is altered, only give such brief notice — a bare week, not sufficient time In many cases for the " Gazette " to reaah its destination, and why only find out at the last moment that the land is of spacial value, and instead of 223 6d should be charged 40s. We repeat it, the matter requires explanation.