THE LAND BOARD.

Evening Star, Issue 4969, 5 February 1879, Page 2

THE LAND BOARD.

The usual weekly meeting to-day was attended by the Chief Commissioner, Messrs Bastings, Clark, Green, Thomson, and Bradshaw, and the following was the principal business transacted : Art insufficient number af licensees having been present at meetings for the election of Wardens, the following gentlemen were appointed rangers for undermentioned hundreds under section 39 appendix 4 Land Act, 1.577 :—Waihola, Edward M. Duthie, James Wilson ; East Taieri, J. Burt, J. H. Jones, W. Orr; Otepopo, J. R. Eider. Plans submitted by the chairman of the Waikouaiti County Council, together with a request that.L6o of money voted to be spent on roads in deferred payments be laid out in road-line marked Flynn's road, connecting section 3, block 1, Highlay district, and Macraes township, were agreed to. The Board granted permission to Michael Keligher. to lease section 65, block 3, TuapekaWest, >!r Power having reported the conditions to have been fulfilled; and to F. M. Dawson to purchase section 18, block 9, Toi-toi district. .

The Secretary of the Crookston Progress Committee requested that a clause be inserted in Mr M'Farlane's license, compelling him to supply firewood to the public at 8s per cord. A reply was ordered to the effect that the license having been already granted, this condition cannot now be inserted.

Certificates of application for mining leases were approved as follow:—4oSe, Michael Fitzgerald, 6a lr 15p at Longwood; 4C9c, John France, section I, block 9, Longwood.

The following applications for exchange of ogr'.cultiiral for pastoral licenses were sanctioned :—237c, Patrick O'Donnell, section 17, block 8, Waikaia; 1,453 c, Jas. Herlihy, section 2, block 1, Upper Taier ♦ Applications to purchase under agricultural lease were approved as follows: 673 c, John Ross, sections 56 and 57, block 4, Tuapeka East ; 601 c, Robert Ross, section 59, do; 1,147 c, George Matheson, section 57, blocks 5 and 21 Tuapeka East; 1,190 c, Francis Nicoll, section 16, block 5, Tuapeka West; 1,034 c, Philip Duffy, section 39, blsck 6, do ; 1,303 c, John Crozier, section 32, block 4, Waitahuna East; 945 c, J. W. Goodbody, section 85, block 19, Shotover. Messrs T. A. Dawson and R. Sheddan applied for license over two acres of section 10, block i, Waikaka District—to extend four chains east of White's area.—Approved ; license to issue under section 86 for seven years at LI per acre per annum on same terms as to price of coal as in other areas in same section.

The Chairman of the Tuapeka County Council transmitted plans of road proposed to ba made in blocks 4, Greenvale, and 7, Crookston, and of bridge to be constructed, and requested the approval of the Board to the expenditure thereon of L 1,250 out of the sum voted by the Legislature last session. The Board approved of liae of road as shown by plan forwarded by Tuapeka County Council, upon which it is proposed by it te expend the sum of 1.600, being through deferred payments blocks 4, Greenvale, and 7, Crookston districts. In conformity with a resolution of a public meeting at Merton on the 3rd inst., Messrs Br unto ii, Pryde, and M'Gillivray attended as a deputation and presented the resolution of that meeting, which deeply regretted the Board's action in dealing with runs 70 and 77, and asked the Board to reconsider their decision, and to set aside the best part of the country, a3 surveyed, for settlement on the deferred payment system. —Mr Brunton stated that it was the opinion of the meeting that the blocks surveyed ought to be cut up into smaller areas, if settlement was to bo induced. These two runs were the keys to those that would be falling in in 1881 ; the country was good, and by settling it in the meantime and making roads there would be little doubt of a demand for the other runs indeed, scarcely a block of it would be left unsettled. —The Chikf Commissioner : What, carry a road over the main watershed ?—Mr Brunton replied in the affirmative. The ridges could bo got over, and a good road could be made into the back country. The deputation urged the Board to cut up section 6 on run 77 into three areas of 967, G9S, and 631 acre*;, severally, and set thtm apart under the agricultural leasing system ; and that other sections, amounting iu all to 2,29 i acrtt, should be thrown open under deferred payment pastoral leases.— The C'uie? CiESiMiSEioxEK remarked that 12,000 out of the total 20,000 acres had already been dealt with ; and the deputation now wished an additional 5,000 acres set apart, so that only 8,000 acres would be left to ho disposed of m thn manner tho Government wishfcl.-Mv Thomson : Tlw < invert)iiif.nt wish t'» soilafiniit two-thirds of it. Mr Lai' . i.i.v-. - .j|' ilr- i ,\.t\vrnuicul really vsjiitlo Lc-ttl.-i.lt>.; otruati-j they »> ill hoc Bell an kieli of the iauci. The meeting i»bo thought some of the land that had been set apart is unsuitable. —Mr Pryde remarked that two thirds of one of the sections were bush.—Mr Greun knew something about section 2, block 10, the one just referred to. At present it vas next to valueless for any purpose; but five years hence, when the country was opened up ami bscamo accessible it would-be the most valuable of the hit because of the bush, ami especially valuable to si c i timberless places as Macraes and Moonlight Flat.—lt was decided to recommend the Government to give oifuct to th.6 wish63.