WASTE LANDS BOARD.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 5072, 10 May 1878, Page 2

WASTE LANDS BOARD.

Thursday, May 9. The Board met at 11 a.m. Present — The Chief Commissioner (in the chair), Lieutenant-Colonel Lambert, Mr Tiffen, and Mr Kennedy The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed. The desirableness of having more suitable offices for the transaction of the board was brought under discussion, Mr Kennedy remarking that the present offices were very inconvenient for members of the Press when attending board meetings, and also for members of the board themselves. He moved, " That the Commissioner of Crown lands communicate with the Minister for Lands, representing the necessity of providing more suitable accommodation for the meeting of the board, the present place of meeting being most inconvenient and unsuitable for the purpose." The motion was seconded by Mr Tiffen and carried. A memorandum was read from the under-secretary for Crown lands, forwarding copy of the opinion of the assistant law officer with reference to the issue of volunteer scrip as follows : — The effect of sub-section 1 of section 3 of the Waste Lands Administration Act, 1876, is to bar— (l.) Claims for remission certificates to which applicants were entitled when the Act came into force ou 31st October, 1870". (2.) Claims for the exercise of scrip issued when that Act came into operation (31st October, 1376), unless made within 12 months, would be 31st October 1877. TheJVolunteer Lands Act, 1878, extends this time six months from 31st October, 1877, or as if the original time had been 18 months. This brings the time for the making or exercising to 30th April, 1878. The 10th section Crown Lands Act extends the time by 12 months, or rather one year. By this I understand one year from 30th April, 1878, or 18 months from 31st October, 1877. This extension seems to be limited to exercising: scrip (not to claim for scrip), and then only to cases where the scrip is actually held by a Volunteer. The three sub-sections of section 3 Waste Lands Amendment Act, 1877, are unaffected by any of the above provisions ( so that any claimant who becomes entitled to remission after the 31st October, 187 C, has six months from the time he completed his service to make his claim, and six months from the issue of his scrip within which to exercise, so that a Volunteer whose service did not expire until 30th October, 1878, can make his claim at any time before tho 30th April, 1879, and assuming his scrip to issue on that day, will be entitled to exercise it at any time before the 30th October, 1870. A second memorandum from the under secretary had reference to a letter which had been sent to the General Crown Lands office by Mr Tylee on the 16th of April last, in which he stated that there were some unproclaimed reserves at Havelock and Clive, some of which were formerly leased by the Superintendent, but since the leases had expired he was unaware that any revenue had been derived from them. The memorandum in reply was to the effect that if the reserves were not proclaimed they could be dealt with as ordinary Crown land. — The board thereupon decided that certain town and country sections in Havelock and Clive should be offered for lease at an upset price to be hereafter notified. — The board settled the conditions of the leases, rejecting a prbposal of the chairman that the rent should be payable in advance. An application was received from the officer in charge of the telegraph department, requesting that a certain portion of section 77 in the township of Havelock might be reserved for the use of the department. — On the motion of Lieut. - Colonel Lambert, seconded by Mr Tiffen, the board directed that Dr Lemon be communicated with, and be asked if section No. 78, on the opposite side of the road, would not be equally convenient for telegraphic purposes. A letter was read from Mr Tyson, agent for Messrs Proudfoot and M'Kay, requesting the board to reconsider their decision relative to tho price of timber in the Tua Tua block, and applying for a lease of 80 acres for twelve months for saw-mill purposes, at a fixed rent (which he pointed out was 7s 6d per acre in Otago), or to pay a percentage on the timber delivered for building bridges. — The board decided to obtain further information respecting the bush referred to in the application before giving a final decision in the matter, and directed that Mr Tyson be informed that if in the meantime he cuts timber, it must be on the understanding that the original terms may be enforced. The board then adjourned.