EDUCATIONAL RESERVES LEASES. TO THE EDITOR.

Evening Post, Volume XXXVI, Issue 132, 3 December 1888, Page 3

EDUCATIONAL RESERVES LEASES. TO THE EDITOR.

Sib— Having notioed a paragraph in the issue of your valuable journal of Wednesday, 26th instant, whioh oontaina a statement reflecting upon the Sohool Commissioners, with whioh you oredit the Woodville Examiner, I would like to say a few words in reply. Aooording to the statement alleged to have published' by the above journal, the !T\ aocused of attempting to the publio by issuing a form 'of lease whioh is calculated to mislead purchasers of leases of Education Besorves. (The words stated to have been published by the Woodville Examiner are, " in their present state they are devised to eatoh unwary settlers in a trap.") They are further charged with making no provision for improvements for the benefit of the leaseholder, and are reoommended to revise their forms of lease. The Sohool Commissioners' leases have at all times been drawn up by their solioitor, under and to meet the requirements of the Aot in force bearing direotly upon Education Boserves. Full privileges have been granted under the improvement olauses, but if there .happen to be any vagueness or uncertainty, r as to what these olauses cover, it has been * created by the Aot and not by the Commissioners who art merely the administrators, and as snob, bound by the terms of the Aot regulating them in their administration. This law has during the past few years been considerably varied, and in accordance with the variations in the law,so hare the forms of lease been altered. The last tales of leases of Education Beserves were held under the provisions of " The Public Bodies Leaseholds Aot, 1886," and the forms of lease were constructed fairly and intelligibly to meet the requirements of this Aot. In 1887, the above Act was repealed, and the Commissioners are now working under "The Publio Bodies Powers Aot, 1887." All the unlet reserves whioh have become vested in the Commissioners will vory shortly be offered by auotion for leasing under the provisions of this Aot. The form of lease has been prepared by the solioitor to the Commissioners to meet the provisions of, and powers given to the C&mmiasionera by the last-mentioned Aot. This form of lease, aooording to the unvarying practice of the Commissioners, will be open to inspection by the publio in due oourse, and the Commissioners, v hitherto, will be glad to afford any information which it is in their power to give respecting their reserves, but if there should still exist the vagueness and uncertainty in the improvement olauses pmplained of in the paragraph to whioh this is a reply, it should be distinctly understood that whilst the Commissioners are willing to afford aa much information as possible whioh may tend to dispel doubt on this point, they will decline to take up the position of legal advisers to the publio under an Act in respeot of which they (the Commissioners) are the administrators; and in go-tfeyqg. tha Commissioners will be aoting consutentlyVith the very proper attitude at all times «t en up by them. Trusting that in justioe "» the Commissioners you will give this letter a place in your oolumns, I im, Ac., j W. H. Wabbxn, Secretary Sohool Commissioners. 3, Queen's Chanßj^f? > , Wellington, fch Nov., 1888.