Waste Lands Board.

Otago Witness, Issue 1502, 28 August 1880, Page 19

Waste Lands Board.

The weekly meeting of the Land Board was held on Wednesday. The members present were — Messrs, J. P. Maitlaud (chairman), H. Basings, C. S. Beeves, H. Clark, and J. Greeu. The following business was transacted : — ■ ' kelso. Upon the minutes being read, the Chairman stated that he had not forwarded the recommendation to the Government as to getting aside five sections in Ktlso township as a recreation reserve, as it appeared lhat there was a difficulty about obtaining a school Bite. It was therefore probable that two of the sections would be asked for as a school site. oatlin's river. - Messrs Connell and Moodie, on behalf of Robert Andrew, applied for a license for three years to cut timber over 50 acres on block VI, Glenomaru. The application was granted. The applicants on behalf of Mr Andrew objected to the practice of the Board of asking the whole rent for the three years— at 7s per aore per year— in advance, alleging that it was a hardship. The Chairman pointed out that the Board had adopted the practice because in several in* stances tenants had cub the timber over the whole area in the first year, and then vacated the ground, by which means the Government lost two years' re at. The Board saw no reason to depart from its ordinary rule. WAIPORI. The- Waipori Road Board asked that a roadline should be reserved through eeotion 50, block 11, Maungatua, and that the license granted to Mr Lawson over portion of the section be not oontinued beyond the present term. The Road Board trere asked to furnish a eketon,

! OCEAN BEAOH BATHS. 1 The Chairman said he had given the application of Mr Watson for a baths fiite Borne consideration, There were two ways of meeting the wiahes of the applicants. One was to have an area declared as a baths reserve, and place the reserve under the control of the Duneuin Corporation, say, which body might grant a lease to parties applying. Another way was for fche Board to treat the sandhills as a legal reserve, and grant the company a. lease for seven years, Mr Beeves suggested that the reserve, if made, would have to be placed under the con. trol of the nearest Corporation. But he was inclined to think that the Company's wish would be batter met by a lease direct from the Board . Mr Bastings said if the reserve was given to one of the suburban Corporations that body would take seven yeara to deal with an application. There would have to be a meeting of ratepayers, and all that sort of thing. He though a lease direct from the Board would be the beat plan of dealing with the application. The Chairman said the difficulty in that case was that, upon 12 months' notice from the Governor, the Company would have to surrender their lease without compensation. The danger, however, was a more theoretical than practical one.

I Mr G. Watson said the Company would, he thought, be best satisfied with a lease from the Board. In the meantime, he only wished that the. Board should intimate their willingness to grant. . It was minuted—" That in the event of the company referred to beiDg formed, the Board will be willing to grant a license over the area referred to for the purpose named." THE SANDHILLS. An application by Pharaoh Thomas for a! license to remove sand from the sandhills at the Ocean Beach was granted. BLUE SPUE. • The Secretary of the Education Board forwarded plan and description of school site at Blue Spur on sections 18 and 12, block XVIII, and 116, block XIX, Tuapeka Bast, and asked that it should be gazetted as a school reserve. This site, it was explained, was the one in a portion of which Thomas Morris, a Blue Spur settler, professes to have an interest, and the question as to what course should be taken was discussed at some length. Mr Reeves contended that MorrU was entitled to consideration, and suggested that the District Land Officer Bhould be asked to report upon the matter. Messrs Gbeen and Clack stated what had been done in regard to offering Morris full compensation, and thought the Government should be recommended to make the reserve at once, The Chairman supported this view. Mr Bastings expressed the opinion that the District Land Officer should be asked to report. Tnere being a majority in favour of the Education Board's request being granted, a motion to that effect was oarried. WAKATIPU. Ranger Adair recommended that permission should be given to Mr Hughes to use old tramway to One-mile Beach. The Board resolved not to interfere with Hughes, but could grant no permission. WAIKOUAITI. The Waikouaifci County Couucil abked that a deviation of road-line should be recorded through section 47, block VII. Granted. The same body also asked that a reserve of 7 acres on section 1, block XI, Eock and Pillar, should be made. Thiß request was referred back to the Council to state for what purpose the reserve was required. DEFEBBED PAYMENTS. The following application to purchase was granted -.—Robert and Poter Jenkins, sections , 14, 15, and 16, block 11. ! AGKIODLTUBAL LEASES. ' The following applications to purchase under agricultural leases were approved :— Timothy Crowley, section 37, blook IV, Tuapeka East } i James Buchanan, section 13, block 111, Tuapeka West ; D. A. Cameron, section 5, block VI, Mid-Wakafcipu ; J. Sutherland, section 3, block IX, Waitahutia West. The following applications for leases were approved :— Andrew Tiernev, section 13, block VII, Blackstone j Lindsay Davidson, section 3, block VI, Leaning Rock ; John M'Brtae, i section 11, block 111, Upper Wakatipu, The following applications to exchange agricultural for deferred-payment leaßea were approved :— William Wright, Bection 25, block IV, Waipori; Jame3 Wright, section 29, block IV, Waipori. The following lease was cancelled :— Robert Hills, section 41, block I, Crookston. j ■ TUAPEKA EAST. Messrß Ferguson and Thompson applied, on behalf of Thomas Roughau, to purchase two acres of mining reserve on section 117, block XIX, Tuapeka East.— The Warden's recom- | mendation, that the application be not granted, was carried out. DEFEBBED PAYMENT BUBAL LAND. The following applications for deferred-pay-ment rnral land were approved :— F. C. Davies, section 16, block V, Dunback ; Thomas Har-' vey, section 2, block X, Leaning Rock. TEVIOT. Thomas Coop, Ben., applied to purchase sections 34, 35, and 36, block 111, Benger district, held, under deferred-payment lease. — Granted. I otama. Certain settlers in the Otama district petitioned that section 27, block 111, ptama, should be sold by auction, as the section was becoming a harbour for rabbits.— The Board resolved to offer it by auction, at an upset of 21s per acre. TREE-PLANTING AT STBATHTAIEBI, • Messrs Murray, Roberts, and Co. wrote as follows :-" In August, 1877, the Waste Lands Board granted ua a lease for forest tree planting purposes of 200 acres (now known as secbions 1, block XIII, and 13, block V, Sutton district) on Run No. 213b. By the tree-planting regulations only 500 trees to the acre are required to be planted bo as to entitle the holder of a tree-planting lease to claim the freehold, and this led us into the belief that planting could be carried on tmcceßsfully by the planting of only 500 trees to the acre. We have during the paat two years' experience found out that there is no use planting at all on the Strath-Taieri unless from 2000 to 2500 trees are put in to the acre, as, owing to the high drying winds which are common in the district, the trees mußt be planted cloae to give them shelter. This experience has led us to the conclusion that it will be utterly impossible for us to undertake the planting of the 200 aores, and we have accordingly decided, with the consent of your Board, to give up our lease." They accordingly asked that the lease be cancelled, and that the 200 acres be offered for sale, subjeot to valuation for improvements effected by applicants. The Chairman stated that Mr Roberts had intended to be present, but had been oalled out of town. If the Board, however, desired any further information, Mr Roberts would be glad, to attend next week in, order to supply it,

It was agreed to defer the application for a week.

LAKE WAKATIPO. The acting manager of the N. Z. L. and M. A. Company wrote requesting the Board to recommend to Government that instead of carrying out the former decision to accept surrender of leases over Runs 24 and 350, Wakatipu, as from March, 1881, < the # leases should be continued, but a reduction in rent made proportionate to the actual carrying oapacity of the runsj also, that the rent of Bun 324 be veduced for the remainder of the lease according to its carrying capacity; or, failing the former request being agreed to, that the rent to March, 1881, be reduced according to the number of sheep now on the runs. The manager, in his letter, stated that the influx of rabbits had so destroyed the carrying capacity of runs bordering on the Lake (the rabbits not being able to get farther) that only one-third of the sheep could be fed which the run was formerly estimated to carry. They were endeavouring by every means in their power to keep the rabbits under, but owing to the mountainous and rugged nature of the country it waß found to be difficult and expensive to get the poison laid down, whilst it was also impossible to collect many of the skins. The Chairman and other members of the Board corroborated the statements in the letter as to the extent of the rabbit pest on the runs referred to, and the letter was forwarded for the consideration of the Government,