TAKE-OVER DATES FOR ACQUIRING E.C. LANDS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22654, 3 June 1948, Page 6

TAKE-OVER DATES FOR ACQUIRING E.C. LANDS

The current issue of the New Zealand Gazette contains two notices over tlie signature of the Minister of Lands, Mr. C- F. Skinner, relative to the compulsory acquisition by the Crown of East Coast lands for settlement by returned servicemen. The blocks affected by these notices arc owned by the trustees of the Estate of S. T. Wall and by the Kiore Sheepfarming Company, Ltd., respectively. Their combined area is only a little short of 8000 acres. In the case of the Wall Estate property, situated in the Pnlutahi survey district, the Crown will take over 4827 acres comprising five sections, ranging in individual area from IT>J to 1981 J acres. The Kiore block near Tolaga Bay comprises 3103 acres also in five sections the smallest of which is on 2J, acres in extent. Objections Waived The text of the Gazette notices Indicates that in both cases the present owners of the properties have, after original objections, waived their protests concerning the compulsory acquisition of their lands by the Crown. Negotiations tor the settlement of compensation will not delay the hand-over to the Crown in either case. The Minister first notified his intention to take over the Wall Estate properly on May 8, 1047. The trustees lodged an objection to the general proposal and also claimed the right to retain portion ot the block. This objection and claim were dealt with by the Gisborne land sales committee on January 16 last, when the objection was disallowed and the land was declared to be suitable for the settlement of a discharged serviceman or of two or more discharged servicemen. Subsequently an appeal was made against the land sales committee's order, but this appeal was withdrawn and the trustees agreed to an amended date for the vesting of the block in the Crown. The amended date is July 14, 1948. Did Not Appeal Preliminaries to the taking of the Kiore block have been less involves, for whereas when the Minister on July 31, 1947, notified his intention to take this land the owners lodged a formal objection, the objection was later withdrawn. Moreover, the owners did not appeal against the order of the land sales committee declaring the land to be suitable for discharged servicemen’s settlement. The date fixed for taking over this property is July 7, 1948, irrespective of the progress of negotiations for compensation to the owners. Gazette notices in connection with such transactions contain a clause specifying that “the said lands are not the lands of any serviceman who is for the time being serving outside New Zealand in any of His Majesty's Forces or in any British ship.’’ They thus dispose of one of the few valid grounds for objections to the taking of land for settlement purposes.