BARS TO SETTLEMENT

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 14511, 27 October 1910, Page 6

BARS TO SETTLEMENT

HAURAKI MINING DISTRICT. REPORT OF LANDS COMMITTEE. [BY TELEGRAPH.— CORRESPONDENT,] ' Wellington, Wednesday. The Lands Committee to-day presented its report on the petition of 400 settlers of Coromandel praying for an amendment of the Land Act, 1903, in respect to leasing lands in the Hauraki mining district, and recommending that the petition should be referred to the Government for favourable consideration. This recommendation was adopted, and it -was resolved that the evidence should be printed. Interesting evidence on the petition was obtained by the committee from the UnderSecretary for Lands (Mr. Kensington). .In this he pointed out that at the present time there are 231,984 acres in the Hauraki mining district open for selection under the regulations referred to, : and anyone might apply to select an allotment from 25. to 1000 acres. These applications were subject to the approval of the warden of the. mining district as well as of the Land Board. Mr. E. H. Taylor, member for Thames, had mentioned cases where preferential treatment appeared) to have been given to certain applicants. Mr. Kensington said this might be accounted for by the warden haying postponed dealing with the land because lie was not satisfied it would not be required* for mining purposes, and then having approved of a second application for the same area after" 'he was satisfied that mining interests were not endangered. It might, further, be accounted for by a change of wardens or by revised advice from the Land Board arising out of the exigencies of settlement. Discussing the question of how the present dual control of the warden and the Lands Department can be ended, Mr. Kensington expressed the opinion that the warden in a mining district must be paramount, and the Land Board must occupy a subordinate position. Lands in mining districts could only be treated as ordinary Crown lands by abolishing the proclama- i tion over the whole of the mining district* and substituting in lieu thereof another proclamation setting aside reduced areas as goldfields within proximity to established mining centres where mining was actually taking place. It was quite impossible for anyone to state that no future developments would take place, though they might appear unlikely. Mr. Kensington could not recommend th© wholesale lifting of the license in the Hauraki mining district. It might be possible for tie Mines Department, after ' careful, investigation by the warden and other Departmental officers, to decide that certain areas were suitable for ordinary settlement and could be withdrawn from the provisions of the Mining Act. ' If this were done the land could be opened under the ordinary piovisions of the Land Act/ but until definite reports were obtained he did not feel justified in making a recommendation. Mention bad been made of the shortness of the pastoral leases. It appeared to Mr. Kensington that whilst Crown lands are within a mining district no better tenure could be found for miners and others who wished to engage in pastoral pursuits than that set forth in'thT pastoral regulations applying to the Hauraki district. To sum up and replying to Mr. Taylor's remark to the effect that the inhabitants of his district wish th© whole of the Crown lands roaded, surveyed, and subdivided for settlement as ordinary Grown lands; Mr. Kensington says that this can only be done by 'revoking-the-existing reservation over the mining district and gazetting a similar proclamation setting, apart reduced areas. The balance 'of the original area would then be available as ordinary Crown lands. . When the report Of the committee was presented Mr. E. H. Taylor (Thames) said I that a large portion of the lands should be j made available for agricultural and pastoral ' purposes. For a distance of 70 miles the ! land was locked up under the Mining Act. ! Hundreds of young men had left the district to seek land in other parts, and if the lands of the peninsula had baen ■- available they would not have needed to go away. ' He went on to refer to the fruitgrowing qualities of the land. At present noxious weeds were all too prevalent in the locality, and steps" could be taken to conserve the mining. He strongly urged that settlers should be given - a 66 years' lease of these lands. Mr. Lawry (Pamell) said he had no idea that there were such vast undeveloped /resources in the Coromandel Peninsula. He thought the evidence was of such a valuable nature, that it should be printed. Hon. T. Y. Duncan (Gamaru) agreed in the suggestion that it would be no hindrance but a benefit to miners if this land was settled. There should ybe no restriction on mining, but with that reserve settlement should go on. His experience was that the warden was generally very chary of allowing settlement.