Waste Lands Board.

Otago Witness, Issue 1480, 27 March 1880, Page 13

Waste Lands Board.

The usual weekly meeting of the above Board was held on Wednesday. Present : The Chief Commissioner (J. P. Maitland, Esq,), in the chair ; and Messrs 11. Clark, H. Bastings, J. Green, J. B. Bradshaw, and C. S. Reeves.

The minutes having been read and confirmed, the following business was proceeded with :—

WAIKOUAITI.

Samuel Lintern requested that section 25, block V, Waikouaiti district, be made a deferred-payment allotment and opened for application.— Declined.

RUN NO. 2.

Mr Samuel Henry again applied to be allowed to surrender his run, No. 2, Tuapeka depasturing district. — Referred to the District Land Officer for report.

sawyers' bay road.

The Board then considered the request made by Mr G. S. Sale as to reopening for public traffic the road closed by the late Provincial Government passing through sections 18, 19, 20, and 30, Sawyers' Bay district ; also the application by Mr Harris, on behalf of Mr P. Clemison, to purchase same.

Mr Mouat appeared on behalf of the in the district; Mr Stout for Mr M'Neil, the owner of section 20 ; and Mr J. Hyde Harris for the representatives of the late Mr P. Clemison.

Mr Stout said he held that the Board had no power to act in the matter. The powers vested in the Board did not permit them to declare a small piece of waste land a roadline; they could only recommend the Governor not to accede to the application of the late Mr Clemison, which appeared to have been a bargain between him and the late Provincial Government of Otago, that on permitting the Government to make another and better road to Port Chalmers through his property than that then existing, he should be allowed the Crown grant of the road and land closed by the Provincial Government as an exchange Another point was that this road now lay within the boundaries of the borough of West Harbour, and consequently the settlers had no standing there, as the municipality was not represented. Mr Mouat admitted the objection raised by Mr Stout, but he would explain to the Board that the closed road named was not the one sought to be opened by the applicants. Mr J. H. Harris read a voluminous correspondence as to the terms and conditions on which the old road was abandoned and the new one substituted. He said lie had been unable to obtain the attendance of Mr James Adam, of Tokomairiro, who surveyed the road and made the arrangements with the settlers, and who would be able to verify the correspondence which he had read on the subject.

The Chief Commissioner said it would be well if he explained matters to the Board. Mr Harris had written to him explaining what he required, he presumed prior to an application to the Governor for a Crown grant. He doubted whether the Board had power under the Act to take any action in the matter, as they had nothing whatever to do with roadlines. If the Governor referred to them for advice, their duty was to recommend him what to do under the circumstance?, lie did not think they could take any action otherwise

Mr Bastings considered it very undignified for the Board not to take the matter into full consideration, and considered the powers given them by the Act ample for the purpose. He thought they were thero to consider such matters as the present one, and that they were fully capable of dealing with it. Mr Stout here read from the Daily Times of March 21st, 1863, the report of the meeting of the District Road Board, and the resolution passed for tho closing of the road referred to in the correspondence. Mr C. H. Reeves thought that no action should be taken by the Board in the matter. The better course would be for the Borough Council of West Harbour to open this road, and then let the representatives of the late Mr P. Clemison claim compensation. There was a great deal of difficulty in the case, and he was greatly disinclined to proceed with it in tho present desultory manner. Witnesses should be present, and the evidence thoroughly sifted, if they intended to deal with the subject at all. He would move—" That the Board declines to make any recommendation, in the matter unless requested by Government to do so."

Mr Bastings considered the Board fully competent to deal with the question, and it was an insult to their intelligence if it was thought they could not settle the matter satisfactorily. It would take some time to do it, yet he was of opinion the Board was fully competent to deal with it, notwithetandipg the mm of

correspondence and plans to be considered. He would move a<i amendment—" That the case be adjourned for 14 day ; in order to take the cadence of Messrs Adam and Duko."'

Mr J. Gui;i:.\' would support Mr Bastings' amendment if Mr Harris would guarantee that the Witnesses would bs in attendance for examination at the time specified. It; was u-selcss to piocecd on the eoriespondeneo alone.

Ur Harris would endeavour to have thorn there, but would not i>uaranice it. The Ciiiki' C'omjii.HolON'Kß then put the amendment, which wag lost, and then put the motion, which was carried

APPLICATIONS I'OR. LEA'>KS.

Ranger Campbell reported on the following applications for leases of the respective deferred-payment areas, stating that the conditions had been fulfilled :— Mark Mitchell, section 1, block IX, Glcnkenich; Samuel White, section 3, block IX, Glenkenich ; Alex. Anderson, section 26, block IX, Glenkenich ; and Patrick Scott, section 80, block IX, Glcnkenich.

BUSH JilCr/.iSU

Mr S. \V. Wilson made an application for a license for five acres of bush land near the Invincible (iuartx claim, Roes River.— lt was decided to issue a license for one year at 10? per acre on the Warden Surniyhiiu; 1 a sketch of the area.

APPLICATION TO PURCHASE,

Mes&rs Gillies, Street, and Hislop, on behalf of Mr James M'Namara, applied to purchases, instead of leasing, deferred-payment section 12, block IV, Swmbui'ti district.— Application granted on payment of fee, if the lease had been drafted.

OOIiD-MINIXO LEASES,

The following certificate 1 ; of application for goldmining leases were approved : — North Tipperary Goldmining Company, sections 25 and 27, block XII, Skippers ; William Crockett, section 14, block XfX, Jacob's River ; Louis A. Longuet, sections 1(3 and 18, block IX, Longwood.

AGRICULTURAL LEASES.

The following applications for agricultural leases were approved :— D. G. Poison, section 10, block VII, Tuapeka East ; Thomas Evans, section 16, block VII, Tuapeka East ; James C. Young, section 3, block X, Maniototo.

APPLICATION TO PURCHASE.

Messrs A., J. H.,andW. J. Rolland applied to purchase under agricultural section 1, block X, Blaekstone.— Approved.

The District Land Officer reported on the followingapplication for leases of defened-payment allotments, and recommended that the application be granted :— Matthew Crospan, sections 10 and 12, block IV, Teviot district ; and sections 1 and 23, block IV, Teviot district.

RURAL LAND,

Licenses were directed to issue for the following applications for deferred-payment rural land .-—Joseph Coburn, section 16, block 11, Kurow district ; and Bryan Flannery, section 7, block XI, Poolburn district.

LOWER HAWEA,

Mr Charles Colclough, as agent for Thomas Johnston, asked for a refund of deposit paid on a deferredpa3 r inent section in tho Lower Hawea district. — Application declined.

UPPER TAIERT.

Messrs Reid and Duncans, on behalf of Samuel Harman, applied that he might be allowed to take up tho land severing his property, containing 1 about 200 acres, and now numbered section 3, Upper Taieri.— Consideration adjourned for a week.

Messrs Reid and Duncans wrote stating that de-ferred-payment section 7, block 11, Kurow district, had been aandohod by the applicant, and asked that the land be reopened for application.— Referred to the Ranger for report. >

JIID-WAKATIP.

The Board took into consideration the report of the District Land Officer on the application of Mr E. 'J. Spence, on behalf of the executors of the late Charles Nichols, to purchase 10 acres of township reserve, block 111, Mid-Wakatip district,— lt was agreed that applicant be required to furni9h a correct plan, as suggested by the Warden, to include eight acres only, and to duly advertise same.

runs 134 and 134 A.

It was resolved that the rental at which Run 134 should be offered bo £130, and that of Run 134 a £220.