"OMNE SOLUM FORTI PATRIA." THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 1874.

Waikato Times, Volume VII, Issue 357, 27 August 1874, Page 2

"OMNE SOLUM FORTI PATRIA." THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 1874.

We have received a draft of the Auckland Waste L.mds Bill, introduced into the Assembly by Mr •Nhoohan. The bill is based upon the report of the "Waste Lands Committee that sat during the late .Lcssion of the Provincial Council, We purpose as -curtly as> possible to explain the provisions of the bill, and where we think necessary, comment upon ita enactments. The bill is divided into seven parts. 1. Interpretation. 2. General Provisions — Affecting Waste Lands. 3. Sales of Town, Village, and ■Subiu'jan Lands, i. Rural Lands — Classilication — (Jjthli Sales and Leases — Homestead and Subi))l.a>i ianda. 5. Special Settlement Lands. 6. Tim! wand Mineral Lands. 7. Miscellaneous prolifcions. Pttii, 2. Simply machinery for. working tl.e act. It enacts that all country liaidn open tor seltdicni Khali bo notified in the Gazette annually, avA wcctiinpinying such notification, a description of tha Ui»d, and its distance from towns, roads, ifec, in to lio specified. This will prove a most useful ii j.l to tii; intending settler. Land districts may be i 1 pointed, and officers for sale and disposal of land appointed fur such districts. This is another good piowaion; at the piesent time, for instance, great loss of time and expense is entailed by being obliged to proceed to Auckland from the Waiknto. Land to be uivii'ed into five classes, viz. : — Town Lands. SuburLiU Lands. Rural Lands. Special Settlement Lands. Tin)) or and Mineral Lands. The division of the hinds to entail upon the Superintendent. Beaervea may be made for use of Provincial Government ; for highway*., roads, tfce. ; for places of public worship. Part 3. Town, villiage, and suburban lands to be sold by public auction. Onefourth of the purchase money to be paid at time of puicha&e, and the balance within one calendar month ; in default, first deposit forfeited. Any person may apply within twelve months, and purchase forfeited land, arid within the same period purchase any lot that lrntf pieviously been put up to auction and not sul<!. \Vc do not agree with either of the above proviwoi.". We hold the opinion tluit land sales should be held once a month, and en cry lot upplkd to be rut up, publicly notified.

Ihe .system ofaSowing capitalists to -walk into the land omee j;ik! take up unsold lots at previous auctiona, has, and is doing incalculable! damage in the Waikato. JS T o land aot can be satisfackuy that docs not place ever^ jjossible inconvenience in the way of jobbers. We shall comment at length on this question before w;e have finished our notice of the bill. Port -i. The Superintendent may proclaim blocks to bo rural lands. All rural lands to be divided according to quality into fir-st, second, and thiid class. Third class lands may be sold or leased by auction. The minimum price per acie for lease or sale shall be fixed for each area from time to time by the Superintendent. All minerals and mineral rights within such area to be reserved. Eeserves may be made of all or any portion of the timber land, but leave may be given to lessee or purchaser to use such proportions as may be required for improvements or domestic use. No lease to be for a longer term than thirty-five yea re. One-half of total area of first and second class land to be sold at auction for cash, the minimum price per acre being fixed at 15s and 10s respectively. The Superintendent may set apart blocks of first or second class land to be open under homestead or deferred payment systems, with the following conditions :—Without payment, subject to the provisions for cultivation and residence this system is termed the " Homestead System" ; upon payment of the price of land selected at the end of a term of years, subject to provisions as to cultivation, &c, this system is termed the " Deferred Payment System." The following conditions to apply to selections under the homestead system : — The area to be selected by each person of eighteen \cars or upwards, shall lie, of first class land, fifty acres, jind of peconrl, seventy-five acres. The bfloftur to commence residence within three month 1 ; ait. r selection, and continue to do so continuuu ]\ iur five years. Within twelve months the scloclor to erect a permanent dwelling-house. In each year ono-tenth of the area selected shall be brought under cultivation if open land and onetwentieth if bush land. Non-performance to render selection void and all rights and improvements to be forfeited. At the end of five years grants shall issue. Selections under the defenod payment system to be subject to the following conditions :— The area to be double that allowed under the homestead system. The land to be brought under cultivation to bear the same propoition as above. The price to be paid is the same as that fixed for rural lands of the same quality, payable at the end of five years. A yearly rental to be paid in advance of five per cent, upen the amount of the purchase money. The purchase money to be paid within one month after the expiiiition of the five years. Non-performance of any of the conditions to render the selection void. Timber not to be cut except for use on land till termination of term. Grants issued after live years and fulfilment of conditions. Eight with consent of Commissioner may be transferred, If any question arise as to fulfilment of conditions, it is to be finally settled by a Resident Magistrate or two Justices of the Peace. Part 5. Blocks may be set apart for special settlement. The Superintendent may contract for formation of special settlements. No settlement to contain less than ten families. The provisions of part 4, relating to selections shall apply to special settlements. Part G. Timber aiid mineral lands may be set apart, notification of same to be given in Gasctte. Timber lands to be dealt with as follows : — Sufficient permanent forest reserves shall be nifide which shall not be sold or leased without the authority of an Act of the Provincial Council. Local timber reserves may be made for supplying timber and firewood for use of ratepayers within any highway district. Areas of gi owing timber may be offered for sale or lease either by public auction or public tender. No such area to exceed fifty acres in extent, and when any such area shall be leased, it shall be for a premium, or foregift, at a nominal rental, and not by way of rack-rent. The term of any such lease not to exceed ten years. Superintendent may require Highway Boards to look after timber reserves. The remainder of this part refers to mineral lands, and is therefore not of present interest to settlers in the Waikato. Part 7. Land scrip maybe given in exchange for land taken for public purposes ; the owners may, however, claim money compensation. Leases of right to cut flax on waste lands may be granted. Resident occupiers in highway districts may depasture cattle on waste lands ; non-redident'a cattle liable to be impounded as if for trespass. Above we have given the principal provisions of the Bill, and we may svy that we approve generally of its provisions. Space will not allow us to comment at length in this issue.

T'u> European mail viA, Suez arrived at tho Bluff yesterday. The Luna and Ladybird will laave V/ellington on Saturday with tbo Northern members of th<* A««<>inblj'. It is expected that an outward mail \iA San Francisco will be despatched from Auckland on tho >Uh September. The following is a statement of the levcnuo and receipts of the province of Auckland, duly audited, for tho qaavtae Kcdini* June SOU) :— Rpvmjho; From tbo general colonial re\en>.<; MDfilh Oa fid ; provincial reveiuiu, £12,575 333 3 3d } rent, IX--8; miscellaneous, £6<i9 17s 7<l ; reimbursement! £4»8 I.", lid; goldflelds, £2 863 Os M, tolls, JC1,1SS1O»! galoot ((uilitcared lands, £1,G21 13s lid • Jotm MnJim<r fund£2o; dijtojiis, cil\ trust and hospital tiui>l, £1 , ] 392 s 9d • advances )mid nnd accounted (or, XJ{, 173 C-, HI bii-moe' £23>L 7s Cd! totnl, £33,320 7* Id. I3.t.i>ur&i-». Jntc .- " Liabilities of 1873, £273 18s Id; peimnnnit chnr^es £200Executive, £607 Os ; legislation, ££109 11s; wiisto lands' £238 6s 8d ; public works, £1,027 4s lid ; police, £1,668 4s 6d ; relief, £729 15a 5d ; hospital, £6'J(i 7s 3d ; Coronmndcl hospital, tirnnt in aid, £40 ; Thames hospital, £250 ; lunatic asylum, £993 16s Id; gaol, 1,335 ds 8d ;' harbours, £Gll 19d 2d ; goldlkkis' depurtments, £S3B 9s 9d ; nns-eellaneous, £4,881 4s Gd; public worls, £4,501 18s 2d ; special wadb, £1.179 13 lOd ; deposit hospital trust, £21 5s 2d ; advances to be accounted for, £5,700 3s lid ; ])ank oi New Zealand city (rust account, £598 ; repayment of overdraft, £3,156 8s 8A ; balances provincial account J3,mk of New Zealand £1,686 0«s 5d ; Provincial Treasurer account book Bank of New Zealand , £352 18s 9d ; cadh in hand, £1 040 Is lid • total, £33,510 7a Id. Probably few readers of our yesterday's Usiie took any particular notice of tho follou ing pauj-mph, which anpeared under tho heading of "llokianga," ii-om "Our Own Correspondent :— " I hear that the cattle dealeib h.uest.uck for a higher prue about Auckland. What a pih uo e-m't rand n lew hundred of beeves over Wo shoot 'our cattle ior their hides, and get about 10 or 15 shillings for them What else can ne do? Wo have no roads and no steamer and it is too much risk to send them m a sailing vet,«e) oo as we lm>o herds of them running about. \,e m.il-o uh.it we c.m out of them, and learo the best part to fatten iho soil " 1 Complaints arc rife in tho Waikato that owm<» to the ex- ! pense oi iania«c, giain, t^c , has eea.-cd to he cultivated to niiy exteni, and that in the Kaiparadi s tr.e( fruit rots on the tries for want of a u.aikct, but it t« the fi Pe | tnne no Imto lieard of cattle being shot down for tluir hides and " Hie best |.dilkfL to fiitten tho sod." Surely our butchers are not Bivaro ot this "happy hunting groin (1," elto why the visa m boef ? — Herald, Augtist 26,

If the insistence inaao by the Opposition to the -Minis- ! terwl measures has iut>t with no sympathy within tho walls of the House, member I do not intend allowing themsolvea to be duunlud. It is their intention to appeal to tho constituencies throughout the provinces o»" both Islands. Ability, means, and energy, it. is stated, will not be wanting to bring about a change ot uffuira which, if allowed to go on miTch lunger unchecked, it is behoved, mil bruit? the colony to a iinaneial coHapse. At a caucus held at the Provincial Government Buildings on Monday, the whole of tho members who voted against the Government resolutions were present, beM'les Messrs O'Eorke, White, and others included in the " lock-out." Tbe caucus were unanimous on two points, — Iho personnel of tho Government, which mii3fc be changed, and the dissolution of Parliament demanded after the proposals of the Government have been embodied in a bill, but b-'fo.-e \h> bill is submitled to tho Homo. The Opposition haw e\pr<B<ed a unanimous determination that, sinking all other considerations, they «ill moke a bold nnd uncompromising stand uguiiiat tho Premier and his ready colleagues, and against the Violation of all constitutional usages which has been permitted during the session. The band is small but compact, and no effort will be allowed to remain untried to arouse the country to a sense of its present danger.— iv. Z. Serald. ■ ■ The New Zealand Times, writing on the close of the "abolition" debate, says: — Meetings have been held in the North, the South, and the West, at which the Government has been urged to go buyond itt present prudent pkn, and propose at once the abolition of Provincial Institutions in both Islands. It would not, however, be wise or proper that nny plan of that kind should be operated upon. There is no need at present, and there never may be, for interference with the affair* of the larger provinces of tho South Island ; though many of those who voted with the Government last night distinctly announced that they would greatly hare preferred if the resolutions had been applicable to the whole Island. Tho Government, however, have not gone so for as to embrace such a scheme in their proposals. They have ap- ' plied themselves to tho removal of an immediately torment* ing annoyance and embarrassment to the progress of tbe colony. It is wise to let trie experiment be tried in the North Island alone. A bill will, 1.0 doubt, be brought into Parliament next session to consolidate the Northern Island, and if it be pnssed, as in all probability it will be, there will be time enough to test tbe soundness of the views of the supporters of the Ministerial resolutions. If the experiment is successful, there it a strong probability that the South Island will prefer to be moro closely all led to the General Government tlran it is now, and to piace some faith in the old Scriptural proverb which favors unity between two houses as giving material strength. Vr J. 8. M.n-f-ii'laiiu reqiU'sfa us t> contradict a report current lo tho effect that he will not contest the election for Waitemata. Mr Macfarlaue informs us that when the writ is advertised he will state his views on the matter. If Mr Macfarlance will turn to the advertising columns of the journal of yesterday's date, he will find that a newelection for the district of Waitemata is officially notified ; the nomination to take place on the Ist proximo, and the poll, if one be found necessary on the Bth — Herald. The following is the notice of tho present Maiquis of Normanby, the newlyjappointed Governor of this colony, from Men of the TTime:—"s :— " The Most Noble George Augustus Constantine Phipps, only son of the first marquis, born July 23, 1819, entered the Scots Fusilier Guards in 38, and was Controller and subsequently Treasurer of the Queen's Household from 1853 till 1858, when he was appointed Governor of Nova Scotia. As Lord Mulgrave, he was member for Scarborough in the Liberal interest ftom 1847 till 1851, and from 1552 till 1857. He was sworn a Privy Councillor in 183 J, and succeeded to his fathers title July 28, 1863, when he resigned his torciga appointment and returned to England. He was appoiuteil Captain of the corps of Gontleinen-at-Arms, December 17, 1869, and held that office till April 8, 1871, when he was nominated Governor of Queenaland. "—Cross. The opiniens and news contained in our (Herald's) Wellington correspondent's letter, to hand ypsLerduy, havo nearly all been anticipated by wire. The following items are, however, of some slight interest. Writing under clato the 28th, he says : — For the first timo during tho debate last evening were our risible faculties excited. The member for Hokitika kept the House m good humor and a roar for nearly an hour, tfis manner is peculiar, jerky ; his mode of speech btnminering. He gets excited withal, and says some of the mo^t amusing and dry thing* heard inside Parliamentary wulls. Among other things of a kindred character that fell from his lips, one or two may perhaps interest your readers. " No one knows better," laidtho hou gentleman, " thnn mjsoll the amount of hard work ;he Premier performs. No outs has a better knowledge than myself of tho hon gentleman at tho head of the Government. "He is a whale at work. * * * We havo hpard of a hard-jvorking man called Julius Ctcsar ; why should we not have a Julius tho Second ?" I need not add how this brought the House dc\n. His speech will read well, but the manner of deliverance cannot ho imagined.