AGRICULTURAL LEASES.

Dunstan Times, Issue 897, 27 June 1879, Page 3

AGRICULTURAL LEASES.

The following important amended regulations respecting agricultural leases granted under “ The Mines Act, 1877,'’ are published in the Gazette of the 12th instant. Regulation No. 3, as amended, makes it imperative that every application must be made by the applicant in person, and may not, as heretofore, be made by an agent authorised m writing. Regulation 10 requires that cost of any survey or report required by the Warden must be paid in advance by the applicant or objector, or partly by both, as may be decided by the Warden. Regulation 12 fixes the payment, ou certificate being granted, of 3s per acre for the first six mouths instead of 2s Gd, in the case of lauds not surveyed at cost of applicant ; and Is (id per acre where survey tees have been paid by the applicant. Regulation 13 is amended to allow of the Governor refusing to grant a lease within CO days of issue of certificate, the time under the \et of 1877 being 30 days. Regulation 15 raises the annual rental from 2s Gd to 3s per acre. An important addition has been made to the conditions of occupation as set forth in Regulation IS. In addition to previous obligations the following has been added ; “ That the lessee shall, within tvo years after the commencement of the term, erect a dwelling-house of the value of not less than fifty pounds sterling, and that within the same period he shall begin to reside on the land, and continue so to do until the laud becomes freehold.” Buildings and residence may, however, be dispeosd with in the case of an applicant who resides during the currency of the lease within three miles of the land applied fur ; and the same conditions may also be dispensed with where the “ major part of the land is declared by the District Surveyor to be of greater altitude above the sea level than two thousand feet.”