WASTE LANDS BOARD.

Tuapeka Times, Volume VII, Issue 434, 13 February 1875, Page 3

WASTE LANDS BOARD.

(From tlie " Times")

The regular meeting of the Waste Lands Board was held on Wednesday. There were present — Mr Strode, in the chair, and Messrs Reid, Bastings, and Butterworth. RENT OF COAX PIT. Messrs Gillies and Street opposed the reduction applied for in the rent of Mr Holt's coal pit. The matter was adjourned nn til the report arrived from the District Laud Officer. lAWJRENCE — COAL LEASE. Messrs Herbert and Co. requested that the cnal lease granted to Messrs Harrison and Hay, but now in their possession, might be cancelled. The abandonment of the lease was approved. MR OALCUTT'S APPLICATION. Mr Calcutt wrote :—: — " Goodwood, 2nd February, 1875. ."J. T.Thomson, Esq., Chief Commissioner Waste Land Board, Dunedin. " Sir — on the 7th October last 1" made, as you are aware, an application to the Waste Lands Board to reconsider its decision as to the upset price of a certain section of land situate in the Moeraki district, the decision of which application was postponed until the 28th October.; and as appears from the minutes of the Board on that day, it was resolved 'That the Ranger ieport on the value of the land.' I have been waiting patiently since that date for some final answer from the Board to my application, but not having received any 1 am compelled to ask you to be good enough to cause me to be informed of the nature of the Ranger's report, and what it is the intention of the Board to do in the matter.

" It has been stated to me that (in defiance of the Board's own resolutions) the land in question was offered for sale by auction at Hampden on the 22nd December last, but that no bid was made for it. If this be true it goes, firstly, far to prove the soundness of ray reasoning as to the value of the land ; and, secondly, the injustice lhave met with at the hands of the Board, inasmuch as, after informing me that my case was postponed, and subsequently that the Ranger should report on the value, this very piece of land was put up for sale without the Board thinking it necessary to inform me in any way of its having deliberately gone contrary to its unanimous resolutions.

" In thus slightly — in the meantime — commenting upon the apparent style the Board thinks it proper to conduct the public business of the Province, I am quite snre that some of the members thereof would scorn to mislead, annoy, and cause me considerable loss as I have been caused in this matter, having, as the fact is, to leave, pending the Board's decision, nearly 400 acres unfenced, and consequently to me, quite useless for stock ; and in thus writing, I venture to appeal to the sympathy uf Mr. Butterworth, who, from his long and exten&ive experiei cc in matters connected with land in this country, and judging, moreover, from the very highly practical and intelligent remarks made by that gentleman at the B.>ard Meeting on the 7th October, he, above all others, will so well understand me. In beariug this, my testimony, as to some of the members of the Board, I wish it distinctly understood that I specially except yourself, as I very much fear that possibly almost unknown to yourself (at any rate I hope so), you have allowed a personal dislike to myself to temporarily overshadow that liberality of action, gigantic breadth of intellect, splendid intelligence, aptness, and progressive ability shown by yon for so many years, not only as Chief Commissioner of the Waste Lands Board (for in that capacity you have shown yourself a perfect emperor), but as Chief Surveyor, and more especially as-Provincial Engineer, in which position (more perhaps than in any other), as evidenced in the magnificence and newness of design, and durability of the structure of the bridges built under your supervision, and in the consummate skill shown in the selection of the position in which many of them are, or were placed, you fairly exceeded all expectation, and I think it may be fairly assumed that your name and memory will be preserved (as it deserves to be) green for ever in the remembrance of along-suffering community. — I have, &c, " Thomas Calcutt. "P.S. — Since writing the above, I have ascertained from the Government auctioneer that the land in question was offered for sale, but not a bid made."

Mr Bastings said Mr Calcutt should not have referred to the Chairman of the Board in the way he had. If Mr Calcutt thought he had suffered any wrong then he should say so to the Board. Mr Butterworth had read a portion of the letter, and the remarks applying to him, (Mr Butterworth) he should treat with the contempt they deserved. Mr. Reid thought that time should not be taken up by Mr. Calcutt coming to the Board with matters not appertaining to the business to be done. The letter went very much beyond the business to which it referred. Mr. Bastings said the letter should be returned to Mr. Calcutt. As to what it said 'concerning Mr Thomson Mr. Reid : You can't control men — - ' Mr Bastings : You can control them as far as not to receive such letters. We have nothing to do with Mr. Thomson except in so far as -he is Chairman of the Board. As long as he is Chairman of this Board we should not allow him to be insulted. I shall move that that letter be returned to Mr. Calcutt, with the explanation that if he has any application to make to the Board he can make it, and in a proper manner. Mr Buttej-'worth : There is no due respect to the* Board in the letter. Mr. Bastings : It is a most disrespectful letter. There is no Municipal Council or other public body would receive it. I think, in the absence of the Chairman, to receive such a document as this would be personally to insult him. If there is any private grievance between Mr. Calcutt and Mr. Thomson, let them light it out. I move that it be not received, and say that if Mr. Calcutt has any application to make let him make it in a proper manner. The following minute was recorded :—: — " Letter to be returned to Mr. Calcutt, and that gentleman tojbe asked to confine his remarks to the business he desires to bring before the Board." LAWRENCE. — CHABGE OP DUMMYISM. An amount of correspondence and a report from the District Land Officer, Lawrence, was presented, referring to a protest by -Mr. John Gamble against large blocks of land being" taken up by one person at Beaumont district. The Warden reported that, so far as he could, gather, Mr Gamble suspected that two ap-

plicants for agricultural leases in a block of land lately open for application (block 1., Crookston), although applying in their own names, intended, if leases were granted to them, to hold for the benefit of a Mr. Lancaster The Warden had suggested to Mr. Gamble that tho proper course would be to lodg«» objections to the applications in the. Warden's Office to be heard in the usual way, but Mr. Gamble avoided doing so, possibly because he was aware that, if his ob- , jections fell through, he could be held liable for costs. Mr. Lancaster also wrote, stating that this complaint had been made to prejudice an application of his for 200 acres. The District Land Officer stated that the matter would receive proper attention from him in his Warden's jurisdiction. APPLICATIONS TO PUHCHASE LAND Were dealt with as follows :—: — Mr. James Hopkins, section 62, block 111., Tuapeka East district —Agreed to return deposit, as requested, and resolved that survey be made. Mr. Allan Mitchell, section 53, block XIX., Tuapeka East. —Resolved that no land within that block be sold until it has been surveyed. Mr. John M. telean applied to purchase sections 6, 28, 29, 30, 34, and 45, block 111., Tuapeka West, held by him under agricultural lease. — Application .approved. appeal. It was resolved that the necessary steps for the preparation of a case of appeal in the matter of Mr. James Logan and the Waste Lands Board, against decision of the Board with regard to lands applied for by him at Waikoikoi, be left to the Provincial Solicitor to arrange, subject to the approval of the Board, the case to be stated.