Nelson Evening Mail. THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 1890.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XXIV, Issue 180, 1 August 1890, Page 2

Nelson Evening Mail. THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 1890.

A oobbkspondenx in a letter which appears elsewhere, sets forth a very serious grievance in oonneotion with the difficulties in the way of obtaining land in the Tadmor Valley, whioh is just now regarded very favourably as a field for settlement. He shows v?ry clearly the obßtaoles that have stooii inthe way of his beooming a purohaser, and it is fair to presume that hia experience haß been that of many others. The reason given by the Company is one that really should not exist for it ought to have been long ago removed by themselves. It simply amounts to this, that they have not made up their minds whether the railway shall be taken up the Hope or the Tadmor Valley. Surely this ia not bo very diffioult a question to decide, and ■ seeing how seriously it uffeots the progress of settlement in the distriot referred to, it is one whioh we would urge the Company to settle without any further delay. Our correspondent states that he is perfeotly willing to pay the increased value that would be placed upon the lend by the adoption of the Tadmor route, but his complaint — and it is a very reasonable one-is that the Company will do nothing in the matter. We hope that the looal members of the Board of Advice will impresß upon the general manager the desirability of dealing with the question ot the route from Norm' Gully into the Buller Valley as soon as he possibly oan, as by so doing he will be unlookiug a large extent of country upon whioh there are many enterprising young men desirous of making homes.

The Government, we are told, have decided upon pleading the Statute of Limitations to the suit which Sir J ulius Vogel has commenced agaiust them, being convinced that it would be perfectly fair to set this up, as they do not consider that he has any ground for action against them. The o aim made ! is as follows ;— (1) a percentage at the rate | of £ per cent on all stock converted or in« soribed between April, 1879, aud June, 1881; or (2) at the rate of J per cent on the amount of the £5,000,000 loan ; or (3) a percentage at the rate of i per cent on all stock converted or inscribed between February and June, 1881 ; fourthly, he claims in addition to any of these alternative claims £7000 as damages. It will be remembered that Sir Julius' claim camo before the Public Petitions Committee in 1885, when evidence was given at considerable length This has been recently summarised by the Wellington cor responeent of a contemporary, who gives the following brief outline, which at the present moment will prove of interest to our readers, many of whom have no doubt forgotten the details of the demand made upon the colony : — Sir Julius Vogel having acted as a loan iigent during the floating of the five million loan of 1879 made a claim on the Govern menfc for payment for doing so, Sir Penrose Julyan, who was also an agent, having received £6250 for his services. That claim was not recognised by the Government, who held that such services should be included in Sir Julius' work as Agent General. In January, 1880, Sir Francis Dillon Bell was i appointed AgentcGeneral, and in February, 1880, Sir J. Hill (then Premier) wrote to i Sir J. Vogel stating that he would be appointed an agent for the inscription of stock, which would represent a considerable increase, and materially assist Sir Julius 1 position in London. In 1881, however, the appointment was revoked, and Sir F. Dillon Bell and Sir Penrose Julyan were appointed Agents. Before the Committee, Sir J. Vogel claimed that he was entitled to commission at the rate of one eighth per cent, either on the negotiation or the floating of the loan, all but half a million having been floated before he ceased to be agent, As Sir i enrose Julyan had been paid £6250 for services in connection with this loan, and £700 and £800 a year as agent afterwards, Sir J. Vogel claimed £6250 and two years salary at the rate upon which Sir Penrose Julyan was paid. He pointed to Sir J. Hall's letter as proof of the value of the the agency to him, and also urged upon the Committee that the loan could not hare been floated had it not been for the Colonial Stocks Act, the principle of which measure, as Lord Carnarvon admitted in the House of Lords, he (Sir J. Vogel) had put into legislative shape. In summing up his claims

Sir Julius suggested to the Committee that if he was allowed commission on the conversion or negotiation of the loan, and compensation for the loss of the stock agsney, £8000 would be a moderate amount to pay him.