LAND CLAIMS COMMISSION.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 4, Issue 1014, 4 March 1882, Page 2

LAND CLAIMS COMMISSION.

The announcement that a military and Volunteer Land Claims Commission is now prepared to deal with claims for land grants, for military services, rendered, will, no doubt, lead to very' many applications being sout ir, especially by old military settlers located in various parts of the colony, In order to obviate, if possible, auy disappointment .which may arise on account of olaims which the Oommision will be unable to recognise, it will be well to state shortly the conditions under which claims on account of military service will be considered valid: The Waste Lands Act, 1858, of the General Assembly, offered to naval and military settlers, who retired from [the service for the purpose of settling in the Provinces of Wellington or New Plymouth free grants of.land on the 6ame terms and conditions as had been granted in Auckland by the Auckland Waste 'Lands Act, 1858. Shortly put, the terms were 400 acres of land to an officer, 80 to a non-commissioned officer, and GO to a private. Each claimant was to prove that he bad obtained his discharge for the purpose of settling, and that he boie a eootl obaraot.br. It was also made incumbent that every claimant should apply for the laud order within twelve months after his discharge, or within three montliß of tho coming into force of the Act. (This period was afterwards exextended by the Aofc of 1860 for three months after the coming into operation of that Act,) It was ako provided that he must reside for four years out of the first five iu the province before heconld obtain his Crown grant, These Acts were repealed so far as Wellington was oonoerned,. in 1883, and in New Plymouth iu 1865, though land orders were issuable, under certain conditions, on resolution of the Provincial Council of Taranaki.up to 1867- It will be thus understood that the functions of the commission.w.ill be limited to dealing with : claims which'havo been in abeyance, and not with claims which may be newly preferred, though it is possible that, during the coming session, it may be decided that claims of general application shall iu their turn be entertained. Applications from Volunteers for land grantsvwill b» separately-dealt with by the commission under existing regulations.—N.Z. Times,