WASTE LANDS BOARD.

Otago Witness, Issue 1162, 7 March 1874, Page 9

WASTE LANDS BOARD.

The usual weekly meeting was held at the offices on the 2Gth ult. Present :— The Chief Commissioner in the chair, and Messrs ; Strode, Butter worth, Clark, and Bastings. MINUTES. The minutes of the last meeting were read and confirmed. GREENVALE. ; Mr Begg, on behalf of Mr Win. Mayon, i applied ior a license to occupy, under clause 161, the part of the village reserve west of the road, on block 11,, Green vale, or the whole oi the reserve. Mr Bastings said that this was the only open land there for teamsters to camp upon. The application was declined. MAREWHENUA. Mr Haggitt applied, on behalf of Mr Robert Campbell, Jim., for a reconsideration of the decision of the (Jhief Commissioner in refusing his application to purchase suction 24, block VI., MarewJienua disrtict. The Chief Commissioner said that appeal was pro forma, in order to keep the matter open. Mr Haggitfc said that the land had been reserved as an endowment for the Oamaru Hospital, but he contended that the reserve was illegally made by the Superintendent, as the endowment of au hospital was nob "a public purpose," and therefore did not come under tho section of tho Act under which the reservation was made. The whole of tho correspondence on the matter was hud ou the table of the Provincial Council at its last meeting, but no action was taken, pud he contended that the land was now open for bale. Kis clients did nob wish to deprive the Hospital of its endowment, but if it was open for them to apply for tins land it wa^ open to anyone else, and the Hospital would really he bencllted by the sale of the land, if the purchase money waa to bo devoted to its benefit. The Cm hk Comaii-ntom'.r said that &o fatas the applicant w.)t> concerned this was urMU'veyod laiul, and tlic Buar<J, uiidcr section '12, had power to refuse an application for iinsurvoycd land. The Board also hid power to refui-j any application to return tho fees, iE they thought ifc w.ts, against the public interests. The Judge said that tho reserves wero legal, but the Judge might be wrong. Mr Clark did not; think that there should be a hurried dc'ition in tho inatt.r. if the land could be retained as endowment to the Hospital, it should. Mr iSTJtoj;ij suggested that the matter should bo tesled before the Judge. Mr Haggitt hoped the question would be left open for argument betorc the Judge. The CuiKt-' COiMJiiPsiOxNr.it said he would advise the Board to t.ike the responsibility on themselves to refuse the application, as tho lands were unsurveyed. The course suggested by the Chief Commissioner was adopted, and the application refused. KAUJROO DISTRICT. Mr Ilaggitt, on behalf of Messrs Oakden and Brown, applied for a reconsideration of tho Chief Commissioner refusing their application to purchase section 7a, block X., Kanroo district. Th;& was an exactly .similar ca.se to the hi&b, and both were considered together. The d'. ci&ion of the Boaid "wai the same as in Mi' Campbell's cafec — tho application being refusal. 'Jf-U'KKA i:.\sT. Mr IJ.iggitt, on b.-hiilf of Mr ThomasMindo, applied, under clause 73, to puivhabe suction 43, block XIX,, in the district of Tuapeka ICast. The area waa 100 acres, b' acres of which the applicant hid improved. Mr ICaggitt said that there was not the slightest icasou to believe that the land was aur.feion-, and tho report of the Warden waa favourable tv the application. The Board decided that 10 acres should ho ' put up for sale, including tho G acres which had been improved, and which should be valued. curxjiA sAxuyrrr. Messr* J. mid A. Gray applied for a levy; of so. tmna 1, 2, and 3, Coisfc District, Clutha Saii'l&pit. It appeared that tho laud was already leased, ami tho Hoard could not deal with it. Mr J. Mills, ihc lc^faco, afterwards appeared, and abked tint the lease migtit be trausfcrrod to Messrs (ir.ty, and tho last year's rdim — £40 —remitted. Ho had taken up the laud on a coal lcaso 10 mouths ai^o, and finding that n, j)!.iu of working ho hid formed was nut practicable, ho had not done anything. Ho yufc tho lease by tender. Tuo Biiird docubd to al ow tho transfer to be undo, and to rcmic the rout due. wait.uci isr.ANO. Mr Webb, of \\ r obb and Pulton, on behalf nf Mr 1). T. Cairns, protested against the refusal of the Board to issue a license for nine islands on the Waitaki. Ho also asked that payment might be accepted of the first half year's rent. The refusal waa based on objections by the Hon. l{. Campbell. Mr Webb Raid he wished to call the attention of the Board to the necessity of sonio rules of procedure in these ciisei. One work the B iard heard him aud took ono view of tho matter, and tho woeli after he ml somo one else, and took .-mother view, without his knowing anything about it. Persons putting in objections might be compelled to serve notice.

Mr nuTTERWoirm said the consont of tho runholder had novoc been obtained whtn tho Ho ml gr.inted tlie louao, and tho laud fonnod part of M r Campbell's run. Thu Cuiuk CoMMissiOiVKit said that it appeared that the Hoard had been under a mm{ipprQhonsion, and ]\m\ he been present \yh.eu

the lease was granted, he would have prc> tested.

Mr Webb asked that copies of Mr Campbell's objections might be forwarded to Mr Cairns. The Chief Commissioner stated that the Board could do nothing with these islands until there was a survey of the Waitaki. The Board declined to deal with the matter, and confirmed the resolution of the last meeting. KAIKORAI. Mr Doughty, on behalf of Mr R. Cross, ! made a formal application to the Board for a i coal lease at Kaikorai. A prospecting lGase had been granted for three months. The Boat d decided to grant the lease on the usual teims, £1 per acre, the price of coal at the pit mouth not to exceed ten shillings per ton. COAST DISTRICT. An ajiplication was heard from Mr J. T. Mackerras to purchase section 1, block 1,, Coast District. Mr CijARK said that Captain Hutbon considered there was coal here. The Board decided that the land should be put up to auction at £2 per acre. BOARD 01' ENQUIRY. A communication was read from Mr Carcw in which he recommended Mr Alex. Stuart, M.D.. to be appointed a member of the Board of Enquiry at Lawrence. This was agreed to. KArm. A plan of the lease which was applied for by Messrs Nelson, Douglas, Fta,ser, and M'Phoe, at the township of Kapiti, was submitted for approval. The lease was granted on the 4th of December, IS7«. The Board approved of the plan. MOUNT -WA'J'KIX.S J3USH. Tlangor Valpy asked for instructions as to whether or not he should issue licenses for Mount Watkim, Duish, which was reserved by the Provincial Council and not yet gazetted. The Board decided that no licenses should 1)0 granted, and that the Hanger should be instructed to that ciFoct. JL'EMUJUOICH. A communication was read from the District Laud Officer at Clyde, asking if the Waste Lands Board would obtain the approval of the Superintendent and the Pjovincial Council to the petition of Tbeodote Russell, to be allowed to purchase block VJ \L, Pembroke, occupied by him. It was decided that the District Officer should be requested to advise the Board upon m hat grounds it should act TOIS TOIS JI UNBRED. Mr W. S- Trotter applied for a depasturing license for the Tois Tois Hundred. The application was granted without prejudice. PRE-EMPTIVK RTCiirW. Plans of the following applications for preemptivo rights were approved :— Section 2, block 11., Tamis ; section 1.°., block 1., Wakcn'eld ; section 1, block A" 11., Bengi-r ; sections, block Ml., St. Nathans; section ], block Xn., Maniatoto ; section 2, block IV., Tiger llill. JBI'SJI RI'MSRVIiS. The next matter that came before the Board was the loporla of the Rangu's on questions put to diem relative to th« conservation of the flush l!o;,;-r\CM of the Province. The reports had boon ask. '1 for iv onhr to furnish data for .i jejily to the invitation of the Ooncr.il <iovennnei>t, for Hitriroslions <i.<j to how best to prevent the wa.sfohil <l<\->tiac-tion of the forests. The icports wote handed over to tlio member*? for their pertivil. The (!hu;f Commissioner said that the Committee would send in their report; next week. JI VWKMJURY. A report was lecived from Ranger Valpy on the application of A. Million t.i purchase part of the Hush Reserve, b'oclc V , JUwksbiuy district, and it was resolved tj refusethe application. j;un Soon. Mcsm'o ITagcfitt Dros. and Brent, on behalf of Caplain l r rascr, applied for hispic-eiupti\c for J;un :i"isi:, in virtue of his pastoial lict'Uf-o not yeb expired. Tt was resolved that the, application should be considered wheu the laud had been biir« vcycl. The Board then adjourned.

"Never volunteer to pawn a -watch for a; stran»or." This was v piece of julvieo yivi-n to a you'iic nun, named Kennedy, by i\!r Hbrodo, yestmhiy morning ; and we have no doubt that the young unit lei't the UomL v.itbr a full determination to aut unon in it. Jt [appeared tlut ho w.is sitting" in lua hotel, when a man enteicd, and askVl him to have a drink. They " liquored up," and tha man — who was from the country — said hu had come to toAvn to get medical treatment. Kennedy suggested that, as the hotel was near the hospital, the stranger — who said his name wa3 Stewart — should stop there. Stewart then pulled out a watch and chaiu, and a>ked the landlord to advance him £4 on it. The landlord replied that pawn-broking was out of his line, but that .Stewart might find an accommodating relation in the threebali buainoss down iTio street. The man with the watch explained that ho had ft dolicaoy in these matters, and Kennedy volunteered to pawn the watch for him. He took id ti Mr Solomon, who know it was stolen,, and detained him. Stewart, who had followed him to the shop-door, escapee), anil Kennedy was brought bofore Mr Strode, charged with robbory. Thoro was no evidence at all against him, tuul he w«» dte. charged,