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THE LAND BOARD.

—■ - ■ ■» The ordinary weekly meeting, held to- ! day, was attended by Messrs Groen (chairltjftiO, R»ovee, Bradßhaw, Bathgate, and Clark. Tho Caswell Sm&d Company applied for ] a license under clause 86 of the Land Act, i 1877, for. tho purpose of quarrying marble j at Caswell Sound, the land boiug the same I eu that ov«jr which a prospecting uc«rjß3 had j b«en grtntod to Turnlev, Smith, and Co., | who had held the knd f\>r seven years, but j led lffc it uncorked. Mr MaoDermott j appeared to support the application. He j waid tho Company had already a *ub« Borlbed oapitai of L25,0C0, and the eni terprieo had been very favorably received by the public. It had beea established | beyond doubt th»t thare wa* a very large i and promising deposit of marble in this ', particular sound ; and the marble bad been ' exhibited at tho Sydney Exhibition, where iit had carried of! a pri«J. Tho Company . wero c mfident of being able to establish a j profitable industry, and he might *ay th*t tho den:and for marbls in Europe was pracI tically unlimited. It promioed to ba a magnificent enterprise, and bo had no doubt j that the B iard, to facilitate operations, would give them a legal tenure so far a3 they cviild under tho law. The Bond would be further willing •n aatis* tho enteri t rioe when hj» oould assure ihsm of its } perfectly bondjidi oharaoier. Part 4of the Act expre»siy fcuihorised the Bjard to grant i Hc-nseu for the working of quarries, and under tro So":h section certain natural pre- , ducts w&ro mentioned with which the Board j L.i I tower to d»al. He s-pprshendei that ' two licenses would be required, in consonuence of the land being divided into two Dloot?, one on eittier side <>i tho sjuna. Apolicafion had been mala to Ihe Minister of Lmds, who replied that the law did , nut permit of ihe Gevernmont granting a right, and referred the ap-di-caat3 tc the Land Board, who had ' power to deal with the matter. The Uader- !' Secretary, in acknowledging the receipt of the request, concluded as follows :—" Toe Governmout a:e prepared, however, to give their favorable cocsideratiou to arty proposals that may come wiihia the provisions »f tho existing law whioh may be reo:mmended by the Land Bjard of O-cs-go, the b)dy with whioh the promoters of the Company should now communicate. On the Cvmpaay baiag eucCMerudy eietab the question of granting a bonua, as propoped in the will be oon«idorod." In refcrenoo to the granting t>f licenses for eoarchrLg for minerals, he oontonded that the Bjard had altogether miiUkoa their powers, Sj oonfident were tho promotei-* of tho legality of thoir ap*hat they were prepar«d to- i morrow to take tho licenso which they now asked f?r without projudioe to ths sights of thoae persona who hold the prospooking license. Part 4of the Aot gave the Board power to exo;oiae two special functions. One was !n regard to oertdn *bjeotp, euoh ae timber, fUx, ooal, pott»ry olny, working of quArrlea, etc., and \he Bjard had eimply power to grant a license authorißiDg the holders to occupy such and tuch Crown land for any ptrlod not exceeding seven yo.irß. If a ltconso were issued fur searching and the prospectors found a quarry, they would have to ocmo b*ck to the Bjard to g«t a iic-jnso f- r working it. It was uovar coeitempl&ted that the searchers should have the right fsr tho working of a quarry for twenty -one years immediately they had found one. He then referred to the M!n?e Act, and argusd that marble could not bo called a mineral within the meaning of the Gold6elds Aot. Aa to the searching Hoea&e proviondy issued, he said that it had no legal validity j and even if it had the Company did not want to interfere with the holders, who oould still go on rearohing, whilst the Company could oommonoe quarrying operations.—Mr Bathgate said that, assuming the argument was correct, the ''■ Biard would like to hear Mr MacDermottcn another point. In granting a license to search for metali or minerals a large area was r.ec?3t!tsrily granted; but bore they wore asked to grant aa area for a marble qnarrv extending two and a-'nalf rqua~o miles. Werf' the Company serioas la wishing the Land Board to grant thtm two ai.d a-T.a!f squaro miles of mr.rbh ? —Mr M»cDermott eaid that, considering the large amount of capital embarked in the venture, ho did noi see why the B)f.rd should heiitnte in g'vij g a large fcVd for thoir operations; besides, the area wasuotall marble, the actual deposit being not mo/e than some hundreds of f?et in extent; howcv-. r that was a matter for the Board to consider bforwards. All ab prtseut wta that the Bjaid should favorably co&aidor the aopiicaiioii, detiiia being afterwards. —Mr Rnuvrn apprehindcd that the prta-nt l.o'ders of the license were merely !;:oteeted from prosecution for trespass .—Mr MseDermctt: KxHolly.—Afcer somo further remarks the i>r.-d to dtft-r further oousidf ration for 'k fortnight, the applicants in the meantime to fu:rish an ;.pcrcxim?.to skeich of the I land tbty rr-qu'rod. Freionick Esgan requested th&t his deferred ' payment licenßa for section 28, block 7, It iok ar.d Pillar bo eaueolk'd, tho lat d bcijy unvvcrkab'e. Ho v/iahed to have tho improvements uuvjd in bin favor, and the land fjr sain in tcrmrj of section ' 72 of the L nd Ac'.—The Board had no ' power to grant the application.

The recommendation of tho Distiict Land Officer—that scciion 71, blook 10, Taapeka East, be oifored at auction at L 5 por acre—wsm ogrued to, Stanoua Dauiol requeted the Board to

reconsider the matter of dealing with Ran 10G, its oontained in the petition from Tuapeka in May la*t.—Messrs Bathgate asd Reeves were &ppeint<d to inspect the lun and report on the petition. A petition Bigned by twenty-two settlers in Wa.if.alaa re grantir.g C. M'Luuchl&n's application to purchase seventeen acres to complete his pioparty was referred to the ranger to say if he still adheres to his former recommendation.

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Permanent link to this item

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/ESD18810209.2.13

Bibliographic details

Evening Star, Issue 5592, 9 February 1881, Page 2

Word Count
1,015

THE LAND BOARD. Evening Star, Issue 5592, 9 February 1881, Page 2

THE LAND BOARD. Evening Star, Issue 5592, 9 February 1881, Page 2