THE MINISTER AND THIS WELLINGTON LAND BOARD.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 9116, 15 May 1891, Page 2

THE MINISTER AND THIS WELLINGTON LAND BOARD.

(Peb United Peess Association.)

Wellington, May 14.

At the Land Board this afternoon a discussion took place relative to letters received by the board from the Minister for Lands regarding the recent dummyism cases, in which he referred to the "new-born zeal" of the board. The following resolution, moved by Mr D. H. M'Arthur, M.H.R., was carried:—" That this boerd receives with regret the letter of the Minister of Lands, in which the Wellington Land Board is charged with neglect of its duty in detecting evasions of the Land Act, and its action in asking for more rangers is termed 'new-born zeal.' The board resolves that the commissioner be requested to, draw up and forward to the Minister for Lands, and also to the press, a precis of the action taken by the board in the matter of detecting and punishing evasions of the Land Act." The members of the board are confident that the record of their proceedings, commencing in 1889, will show that the Minister's strictures are not borne out by the facts of the case, and that so far from the board's zeal being new-born it has been foremost among the Land Boards of the colony in striving to prevent and detect breaches of the Land Act, and has only been prevented from carrying out its wishe3 to their fullest extent by the insufficient staff of surveyors and limited powers given to the board by the present Land Act.

A further letter was read from the Minister, in which he said there evidently had been gieat negligence or indifference on the part of the board as to the manner in which the settlement conditions had been carried out. The board considers that Mr M'Arthur's resolution sufficiently answered both letters.

Before separating the members of the board expressed regret that the commissioner (Mr J. Merchant) had been transferred to the Canterbury district.