TAIERI RIVER LANDS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22099, 1 November 1933, Page 4

TAIERI RIVER LANDS

APPEALS FROM CLASSIFICATION • *. “ ” EXTENSION OF TIME LIMIT. (From Odr Parliamentary Repoiteb.) WELLINGTON, October 31. Under the terms of the Taieri River Improvement Amendment Act, 1932-33, any person in the area covered by the Act might appeal against the classification of his land only on the ground that the works on which the classification had been based had not been substantially carried out. Although certain lands in the Taieri district came under this provision since the work which was proposed on them had not been carried out —notably in the Lee Creek area—owing to the right of . appeal extending for only one month after the passing of the Act, many appeals were lodged too late and were therefore invalid. The injustice of this time limit has been brought to the notice of the Government by Mr A. E. Ansell (Chalmers), and he was informed to-day that legislation is proposed and will be incorporated in the Local Legislation Bill to validate all appeals against classification which have been lodged up to the present date. It is proposed that these appeals should be heard by a magistrate.

“This would appear to meet the reasonable objections of many land owners in the district,” Mr Ansell said to-night, “ since they will now be able to state their cases for reclassification to an independent tribunal irrespective of the fact that the appeals might have been lodged at a date not conforming with the provisions of the Act.” Probably Mr Ansell himself will take charge of the legislation which will be promulgated by the Taieri River Trust.