The Westport Times. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 1872.

Westport Times, Volume VI, Issue 1027, 3 December 1872, Page 2

The Westport Times. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 1872.

Amoho the Acts passed during the late session of Parliament is one entitled " The Nelson Waste Lauds Act, ISG3, Amendment Act, 1872," and which, as affecting the interests of residents on the South West Goldfields, is worthy public attention, lij this Act the forty-first clause of the Nelson Waste Lauds Act, ISO 3, is repealed and in lieu thereof it is now enacted that—

"In order to enlist private enterprise and capital in the construction of roads, bridges, railroads, tramways, harbors, and docks, by means of grants of land as payment, part payment, or consideration for such work, Crown grants of waste lands may be mado to the person or company contracting to construct such works, subject to the following regulations: (1.) A contract must have been entered into for the construction of the work with the Superintendent, acting under the authority of an Act of the Provincial Council, and with the advice of his Executive, which contract shall, if such Act have so provided, contain such terms and conditions as shall be specified in such Act, otherwise such terms and conditions as the Superintendent, with such advice as aforesaid, shall think fit. (2.) The value at which the land is to be taken by the contractor shall bo fixed by the Board, but in no caso less than five shillings per acre, and as regards land situated in the Grey Valley not less than twenty shillings per acre before the contract is made.

(3.) The laud to be granted in full or part payment or consideration (as the caso may be) shall be such as is agreed upon between the Superintendent, acting with such advice as aforesaid, and the contractor, and shall be specified in the contract. The value at which such land is to be taken by the contractor shall also be specified in the contract.

(1.) The contractor shall give such security for the due fulfilment of the work as the Provincial Council shall determine, or the Act authorising the Superintendent to contract provides ; or if the said Act does not specify the security, then the contractor shall give such security as the Superintendent, with such advice as aforesaid, shall think fit.

(5.) The land to be granted shall not exceed in quantity three-fourths of the waste lands of average qualitv ■within two miles next adjoining to such works, or any part thereof; or in case of a work made wholly or in part through other than Crown lands, then the grant shall be of such other waste lands of equal extent and of average quality in some other locality to be benefited by such work. No

lauds known to bo auriferous or to contain valuable minerals shall be ineluded in any contract made under this Act.

(G.) Upon tho contract being: entered into, the land shall be reserved from sale by tho Board. (7.) Upon the due completion of the work being certified to the Board by tho Superintendent, by writing under his hand, the contractor shall be entitled to a Crown grant of the laud reserved."

Tt is stipulated that not more than ten tliousaud acres in any one year shall be contracted to be granted as payment or part payment of works under the preceding sections.

The fourth section of the Act under notice provides that any lands open for sale as town lands, and occupied for not less than two years previously under the usual business license, with a building erected on such land of a minimum value of fifty poundr, may be sold to the occupier by the Waste Lands Board at any rate not less than ten pounds for forty perches. Provided that no greater quantity thau forty perches be sold to any one person within tho same town or village. In order to provide for the speedy construction of works hereafter noted, the Superintendent of this Province is empowered to enter into contracts with individual contractors or companies upon terms and conditious, and for such payment in land as may be agreed upon between the contracting parties. The works that may be thus contracted for are —Trunk roads from the June tion of the rivers Arnold and Q-rey to the township of Ahaura ; from the junction of the rivers Buller and Blackwater to the Inaugahua Landing ; from the township of Ahaura to the saddle between the Waiau and Ahaura rivers ; from the junction of the rivers Owen and Buller to the Lyell ; trunk road or tramway from Wcstport to the junction of the Nine-Mile Creek with the river Buller; and trunk road from Graham river to the Karamea Bend. The provisions of the Act for the construction of road 3 may, under judiciously liberal administration, be productive of much good in opening up access to remote and isolated localitiei and bringing the wasto lands of the province into profitablo occupation ; but the restrictive clause referring to the sale of " village" allotments of no greater extent than a quarter of an acre, and no more than one allotment to any one purchaser, is most absurdly puerile, and is suggestive rather of the pottering proclivities of men in their dotage rather than the policy of enlightened legislators seeking by liberal concessions to promote the permanent settlement of tho country. Upon the one hand they propose to give away, for certain services to be rendered, thousands of acres of land to speculative individuals or companies who may thereafter trade therein to their own profit; while to permanent residents who by the careful and systematic development of trade, conduce so much to the material success of all branches of industry, they offer hut tho merest strip of Jand as freeholds at a price lextortiouate to a degree and subject also to capricious variation.