Waste Lands Hoard.

Bruce Herald, Volume IX, Issue 893, 30 March 1877, Page 7

Waste Lands Hoard.

('Daily Times.') : The usual weekly meeting of the Board was held on Wednesday. Present — The {Chief Commissioner (in the chair), and Messrs Strode, Clark, and Keid. The minutes' of the previous meeting were read and confirmed. APPLICATIONS FOB LEASES. The Report by Hanger Hughan on applications by the following persons for leases, under clause, 54, sub-section 5, of the :Waste Lands Act, 1872, was read — James Black, sections 40, 54, and 55, block VII., Waipahi; Daniel Black, sections 34, 44, and 63, block VII., Waipahi ; John CummiDg, section 1, block X., Waipahi ; Duncan Campbell, eections 30, 36, and 58, block VII., Waipahi ; John ftl'lntyre, Bection 1, block 11, G-lenkenich ; HughM'Lennan, Bection 4, block 11., Glenkenich ; Jameß MTntyre, section 2 of 5, block 11., Glenkenich ; Isabella P. M'lntyre, section 6, block 11., Glenkenich ; James Barry, sections 40, i 58, and 2 of 30, block 111., Glenkenich. j Approved. WAKATIP DISTRICT Messrs Hallenptein and Wither requested the Board to cancel their licenses for Buna 1 and 17, Wakatip district, from the first of April next, as the rents payable on these runs were excessive. The Chief Commissioner — This is a very serious question, and I am inclined to think that we have no power to deal with it. I think we require authority from the Government. Mr Clark — It is a hard case to compel these people to keep their lease. Mr Strode — They have burned their fingers every one of them. We can lease a run, but we cannot cancel a lease without the Governor's authority. Request granted, subject to approval of Government. GLENKENICH, The report by Warden Wood on re quest by Captain M'Kenzie, that land south of sections 44 and 50, block VI., Glenkenich District, be reserved for a villiage, was read. It was decided that section 17, block X., should be withdrawn from Bale temporarily as a Tillage reserve. THE ffAIKOTJAITI ETJNS. The following memo from the Chief Surveyor with reference to the reduction of areas of runs No. 20, 20a, 32, 76, and 77, Waikouaiti, was read : — In reply to your memo, of the 14th March, to reconsider the boundaries of these runs, wi*.h a view to their being, if possible, reduced in area, I have to state that by referrinst to my previous report you will see that this question is already answered. At the same time I may inform you that I have reconsidered the matter, and I find that, to wi>rk these blocks of country profitably, as runs, they not only cannot be reduced further, but they are actually rather small already- The avaible areas for grazing I may give as amended to be : — Run 20, 15 400acrea Bun 76, 4 870 acres „ 20a, 14 050 „ „ 77, 15,700 „ „ 38, 17,080 „ The average carrying capacity of this country is one sheep to a little over two acres. W. Arthur, Chief Surveyor. P S. — In the case of all the runs the boundaries of which ir>ay hereafter be fixed by the Waste Lands Board, it is necessary that some memo, to that effect be sent to this office, so that such boundaries may be recorded for future reference. Mr Green handed in the following petition : — Wfi, the undersigned settlers of the Waikouaiti district, humbly show that more land is urgently wanted for settlement, the holdings of this district being too small for the requirements of the settlers. The settlers of this district previously petitioned the Government to open up more land for settlement, but did pot urge the matter, seeing that the leases of the runs were nearly falling in. Now that the leases have nearly expired, and are about to be dealt with, your petitioners respectfully request that the adjacent runs be cut up into small holdings, to combine sheep and dairy farming, adjacent to Dunedin and Waikcuaiti, in sections of from 200 to £>0Q acres, sad iv the back country to be cut up into sheep farms of from 3000 acres upwards, and leased for a term of years. Consideration deferred for a week. HYDE HOME STATION. Mr Haggitt, for Mr Low, applied to purchase §Q acres, situated on the Hyde } Home Station. It appeared that the lessee of the run in 1864 applied for the 80 acres referred to under the existing regulations, but did not complete the purchase. Since then the run had changed owners' several times, and the 80 acres were also transferred., under the belief that they were purchased- The true facts of the case were lately discovered, and the present applicant now applied for th,g land, in order that he might be s^ble to give a complete title to the last transferee. Jt was also stated that the station buildings were erected on the land now applied for. Application granted, under the special circumstances of the case. run 369, The following letter, dated March 28th, was read : — In reference to the survey of an additional 500 acres on Run $69, besides the quantity mentioned the Hon. i>. Reid 1 a memo, of land which up to that date had been taken by the Provincial Government from that run, and which matter we brought before the. Waste Land 8 Board, on a former occasion, wn?q we were informed that the BK)Q acres in question had been dealt with by proclamation in the •Otago Provincial Gazette 1 of 12th May, 1875— We have now the honor to state that As we are ad^sed. th,e pyp,e|ama.t}pfl so. dea> ing with the land is illegal, and that we are entitled to the depasturage of the 500 acres during the term of our lease, as though no such proclamation had been made, and that such proclamation conveys nought to the Municipality of Roxburgh. In theae circum-

stances,* we would respectfully request the Board to get a legal opinion on the matter. — We are, &af Cabgill and Andvbson. The Board decided to comply with the request contained in the letter.