Land Board.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 6077, 18 February 1891, Page 3

Land Board.

The usual monthly meeting of the H.B. Land Board was held this morning. Present Crown Lands Conimisbioner (in the chair) and Messrs E. Harding, T. Halletfc, and W. W. Carlile. COEEESrONDENOK. From Under Secretary Crown Lands, intimating Mr Hnliett had been appointed a member of the Lund Board.—Received. From Ruataniwha Road Board, re expenditure land revenue, £ 144 2s sd; Wairaata Road Board, £91 18s lid.—Approved. From Weber Road Board, accepting Board's suggestion as to employment of a practical man to take charge of works.— Received. From Under Secretary Crown Lands, as to the disposal of section 5, block VIII Weber, by lease.—To be leased for a term of fourteen yeare. From same re purchase of perpetual freeholds. In cases where the freehold of perpetual lease lands is purchased within thirty days of the date on which payment of rent in advance is due, each payment is not to be enforced.—Received. From same, covering petition from selectors at North Makaretu, asking that the prices of Crown lands at Wakarara be considerably reduced in price.—Board declined to recommend any further reduction. From Jas. Reidy, senr.. and others on alleged dummyisrn, alao minute by chairman re anonymous communications on same subject. The chairman's minute was as follows :—Since la-t meeting of the Board several anonymous communications have been received from persons professing to point out cases in which the land laws aro being infringed by the practice of dummyisin. It would be well to let it be known as widely as possible that the Board will decline to avail itself of evidence tendered in this manner. No doubt the law is evaded in many cases which the Board does not know of, :'od any evidence or information bearing on the subject will always receive attention if tendered in a proper manner. The Board has not hitherto shown itself backward in taking up and investigating cases of the kind under notice, and will continue to do so, but will decline £'■> avail itself of anonymoue information. —Minute approved of. From Messrs L. and T. Looney, re the transfer of section 23 block L, Woodville.— Held over. The following transfers were approved >.— Galloway to Kent, Walsh to Crosse, Ebbett to Ebbett, final; J. T. Matthews to M. O'Brien, section 3, block VII., Woodville; D. Frielaod to Jacobsen, section 18, bloo.k I ' Woodville; D. McNair to Bellerby, section 7, block VII., Waimate ; MoLeod and Wilson to E. Rochfort, section 18, block 11., Weber; A. Bolan to N. McKinnon ; C. Robson to David Ewart. * polic&tjons for land were granted as foltowsr-Jas. Edwards, section 0, block VI., Weber, i? 5 «?rM; Robert Stoan, sections 4 and 7, X£V - and XV -' Nuhaka, 857 acres. THE EABBIT 1?KBT. A letter was read from Mr W.Shrimpton, Malapiro, applying for a lease or grazing right of land (if any) owned by the Crown outside his surveyed boundary line lyinc along and on the north side of the main branch of the Ngararuro river, eomrnen&ing from the eastern end of the Matapiro run, owned by him, and extending along nyei to the western boundary of the run. lh< land applied for consists of small isolatec pieces of mostly shingle land, at times surrounded by -water. Hie reason for wishing to obtain such lease or grazing right wai principally to be a Die to lawfully enter upoi such fand (if any owned by the Crovvi there) and search for and destroy rabbits At times rabbits had been destroyed then by him. With the right granted to him ai asked for he could keep down any pest thai might Benin small at first, but these isolatec places might, if neglected, become breeding grounds, and in oonßtquenee a source oi danger to the surrounding settled lands. The Chanman considered this was a matter in which the Board should help Mi Shrimpton if it could. Men roamed aboul the country and he had every reason tc believe turned out rabbits. He recognised tho importance to put down this pest in a ehcep country liko this, and tho best plan would be in all such cases to give help by granting grazing licensos, to occupy such a'ljoining lands, by which means the rabbits would be kept down. Mr Harding thought this question of the river beds was likely to be a source oi trouble to the country in time. Mr Hallett said if the land was as dorieribed, it would certainly be to th« advautago of tho Land Department if the rabbits were destroyed. It removed a certain amount of responsibility frum the Department, while at the lame time a small rovenue woulr , accrue from it. The applicant's request was granted. BURNING 111 THE BU.-lt. Mr Hallett desired to know whether there ■were no regulations in the Lands Department regarding burning in tho bush. Tho Chairman said there wan no regulation emanating from tin; department as 3department. Years ago Mr Marehant, representing the Turanaki diatriot, introduced a bill with regard to burning, but ho did net think it ever became law. Mr Hallett said it seemed to him that it was an important matter upon which people bad various opinioas, and he considered it would be better if there waa some defined rule in connectiou with this quecriou. The Chairman said if the Board was of opinion that thore should be rules, they pould pass a resolution drawing thu utton-

tion of the Government to the fact that they thought it desirable theTe should be defined rules. Mr Hallett said settlers mostly desired to know what notice should be necessary, and at what time of the year they could burn. His own opinion was that settlers should be allowed to burn when they liked. Mr Carlile said this year there had not been any sort of chance for burning. Mr Hallett gave notice to move at next meeting that the Government be requested to consider the matter, and make some regulation on the point. TIIK QUESTION OF IMPROVEMENTS. Mr Hallet said there was another matter worth considering. The Board might also draw the attention of the Government, requesting that something be done in cases where land ie taken upon settlement conditions, that conserves of valuable timber should be considered as improvement?. It was not mush use locking the stable door after the horse was stolen, but he thought hey could do a little to prevent the rapid destruction of trees; by this means people would be allowed to conserve the bush instead of being , compelled to destroy it. He gays Puketitiri as an example. At this place when the settlers had destroyed the timber tho land was no good. Thus there ■was a large quantity of land held whioh was useless: Mr Harding said, in fairness to the late members of the Board, that the Land Board knew nothing of the settlement conditions at Puketitiri, as the settlement conditions of that place were entirely arranged in Wellington against the wishes of the Board. The Land Board was greatly blamed for the present state of things at Puketitiri; the Government were really to blame. Mr Carlile considered that something should be done in the direction indicated. Mr Hallett gave notice of motion to the above effect. Section 11, Block VI., Kumeroa, was set apart for the purpose of a library. The Board then adjourned.