TARANAKI LAND BOARD.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume X, Issue 1937, 23 May 1888, Page 2

TARANAKI LAND BOARD.

The Land Board met on Monday, the 22nd. Present — The Commissioner (in the chair), Messrs. Livingston, Standish, and Kelly. MINUTES. The minutes of the previous meeting were confirmed. TRANSFERS. The following transfers were acceded to, subject to the usual 30 days' notice : — Lease. — Section 6, block 12, Cape, C. H. Bobson to J. Heming. Transfers of deferred payment sections were granted as follows: — Section 63, block 13, Ngaire, C. Betford to J. Coleman ; seotion 1, block 14, Waitara, T. (x. Leech to W. M. Leech ; section 7, block 7, Ngaire, W. Holdway to John Sutherland; section 77, block 10, Kaupokonui, John Gibson to Bobert Gibson. GRAZING BUNS. Mr. Standish moved, and Mr. Kelly seconded, That the small grazing runs in the Opaku district be offered at 3d per acre per annum. Carried. FORFEITED SECTION. A memo, from the Ranger informed the beard that section 78, block 11, Kaupokonui, selected by M. Quinlivan, was on the 4th May, at the R.M. Court, Manaia, declared forfeited to the Crown for default of payment of instalments. APPLICATIONS TO PURCHASE. Under deferred payment.:— Joseph George, section 58, block 3, Huiroa. 138 acres ; C. H. Harkness, section 8, block 8, Hawera, 310 .acres; E. M. McGossey, section 13, block 8, 300 acres; Martin Sattler, section 9, block 14, 152 acres ; W. P. Taylor, section 15, block 3, Ngaire, 244 acres; A. Thompson, section 3, block 7, Kaupokonui, 144 acres; W. Lacy, i section 41, block 4, 236 acres. Perpetual lease : — P. Bishop, section 5, block 3, Hawera, 640 acres ; Wm. Barr, section 6, block 3, Hawera, 285 acres ; J. Macauldy, section 2, block 8, Hawera, 200 acres ; C. Harkness, section 6, block 8, Hawera, 302 acres ; E. M. McGossey, section 14, block 8, Hawera, 320 acres ; B. Crockett, section 4, block 7, Kaupokonui, 100 acres ; B. Thomas, section 5, block 7, Kaupokonui, 100 acres ; J. Urquhart, section 45, block 10, Kaupokonui, 50 acres ; J. Urquhart, seciion 45, block 10, Kaupokonui, 52 acres. I3IPAS3ABLE ROADS. A letter was read irom the settlers on the Ngariki road, complaining that the Ngariki road had been made impassable by settlers on the South road, and that they were compelled to use a track in its place. The board regretted that they were not in funds to render the required assistance. RANGER'S INSPECTION. The Banger reported having made the final inspection on section 36, block 1, Ngaire, belonging to E. Dwehall. The board approved of the inspection.

In the Legislative Council on Tuesday the Attorney-General made an explanation with regard to his remarks on the Loan Bill, which, he said, had been misrepresented. He never said that the colony would be insolvent if the bill was not passed ; neither had his remarks any reference whatever to the Bank of New Zealand, as alleged in some quarters.

St. James' Gazette on New Zealand Frozen Mutton.

The St. Janjes' Gazette, Vhich. writes in favor^f New Zealand mutton, is grieved*- that much of the imported mutton is sold by butchers as English or prime Scotch, consumers paying.ag.inucbJcoE,fch©so-fo»eign productions as for tbe "sorts they are supposed to represent. About the fact of some of_the colonial meat being equal to the best British there can be no question. The Gazette further says :— " If a housewife" who understands the marks of good meat were shown two legs of well-hung 'Southdown' mufton, she would in all probability choose the one which had actually been brought from the antipodes* But," asks our contemporary, "it may be said, if New . Zealand mutton, for instance, is as good as English, what harm is done by the present practice except to. the butcher's character?" '.Firstly, it is unjust to the colonies, since they do not get the credit of producing firstclass meat, and sending it in perfect' condition to our doors, and since they do not reap such benefit in increased trade and profit as teey are thus entitled to. The best consignments of New Zealand mutton are so promptly taken up by certain butchers, hotels* < and restaurants (to be sold as English) that what remains to be humbly presented in market and shop is "not fairly representative of New Zealand meat, or is not from New Zealand at all, but from Victoria or the River Plate, or the Falkland Islands. "Eiver Plate mutton," says ,the Gazette, "is small and muscular," i.e., poor and tough ; " Falkland mutton is fairly good and is improving ; Melbourne is good, hut lean !" and this is' the only mention of Australian mutton. The Australasian thinks that the Western district breeders who sent Home the best of their 801b and 901b crbssfired wethers have just cause to be angry, and would be the first to advocate any plan that would prevent the 'roguery at present existing, and which deprives them of the credit of producing good mutton, and debits them with sending home what is really inferior English. These discussions had their origin in a question to the Government regarding the inadequacy of the law to protect retail buyers of meat against fraudulent butchers who pass off antipodean mutton for prime home-grown, and charge from' lOd to 16d per lb, instead of 6d or 7d, which would allow a fair profit on the rjrime cost. The .Australasian, commenting on the above, says : — " The suggested adoption of a system of marking the imported meat on shipboard would obviously not prevent fraud. The butchers would soon find as good a method of evading the provisions- of the Act, as the butter dealers have done in tbe case of the Margarine Act. In this instance all imitation butter is required to be labelled " Margarine." In order to escape the penalty of selling as butter any colorable admixture, tbe shops have dropped the names butter and bufcterine. They sell pure butter, and the imitation alike as margarine, only of different qualities."