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Otago Witness, Issue 1596, 24 June 1882, Page 19

The ordinary meetingof the Land Board was ■ held on Wednesday. Present : Messrs J. P. Maitland (chairman), H. Clark, J. B. Bradshaw, J. Duncan, and R. Stout. Tho minutes of the last meeting having been read and confirmed, the following business was • transacted :— COMMISSIONERS' REPOBT ON RONS. The report of tho Commissioners, Messrs Clark and Green, with recommendations as to dealing with Runs 255, 171, 171 a, and 171b, came before the Board for consideration. Mr Stout thought that part of the land should be laid out on the absolute leasing system. Mr Clark pointed out that that would be open to the objection that runholders might buy up a lot of the leases. Mr Stout thought the Amendment Act was probably now before the House, and that they should wait to see whether the Legislature would not make provision to tho effect that one person should not hold more than one of the leases. When in Wellington he had seen the Minister of Lands, and had found that he was strongly in favour of absolute leasing with fixity of tenure. Mr Clark : Of agricultural land 1 Mr Stout : Yes. Mr Clark said they need not go far to be couvinced that the system would not take when applied to small farms. Mr Stout : Why ? Mr Clark : The system had proved unsuccessful when an attempt was made to apply it to far better land. Mr Maitland said that the experience of the School Commissioners with regard to the reserves at Waikaia was that they would not be taken up as leases. Mr Stout : But that land is much inferior to that we are now dealing with. Mr Clark : No. One acre of the Commissioners' land is worth three of this. Mr Stout thought the explanation was that the land referred to was a great distance from settlement. Mr Clark said that although the distance to the land now under consideration was not great, the land was almost inaccessible. Mr Stout had heard sworn testimony from the holder of one of the runs to the effect that his land was not much rougher than the Cottesbrook runs. Mr Maitland: It is not high country, but it is more broken than any country I know. Mr Duncan said the Board had received deputations representing the three districts most interested— Pahnerston ; Waikouaiti, and Merton. He knew something of the country, for in fact he held some land quite closo to it, and he could bear out the Commissioners' statement that while the land was not bad grazing country, it was almost impossible for small settlers to settle on it. Whilst agreeing generally with the report, he had decided to suggest a slight amendment. The application of the Merton settlers for a 5000-acre block for agricultural leasing should, he thought, be granted j a block of 3000 acres should be cut up into small sections, according to the recommendation of the Commissioners; and 18,000 acres should be set apart as pastoral de-ferred-payment land, and 10,000 acres as cashpayment land. If the land was laid off in that way, he considered that provision would be made for the interests of all parties. The Palmerston people, he thought, were somewhat unreasonable in asking that it should all be laid out as pastoral deferred-payment land. Mr Stout would quite agree with Mr Duncan's suggestions if the law were not amended. He had noted down almost the Bame suggestions, and considered they indicated a fair way of dealing with the land. Still, if amended, the law might give them such greater powers as would enable them especially to modify their method of dealing with the front sections. Much progress would not be made with the surveys during the winter, and a delay of a month or six weeks only would be necessary. He thought they should wait to see what the Legislature determined with regard to the leasing clauses. It was then unanimously resolved that consideration of dealing with Runs 255, 171, 171 a, and 171b be deferred until it is seen what amending Land Act be passed by the Parliament now sitting. TUAPEKA EAST. Ranger Hughan reported that the licensee of pastoral deferred-payment section 2, block 11, Tuapeka East, had not resided on the section, and had left the Colony.— Resolved, that the licensee be called upon to show cause within one month why his license should not be cancelled. WYNDHAM. The Board granted an' application by Mr Thomas Lees to purchase section 39, block II f, Wyndham. WAIPORI. The Tuapeka Council asked that sections 2, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18, and 19, block V, Waipori district, be reserved for depasturing purposes. — This land was known as the " Commonage," but the Chairman remarked that he had been unable to find any notice of its having been gazetted for that purpose.— ft was resolved to withdraw the sections from sale for the present* WAIKAKA. Peter M'Kenzie applied for permission to lay down a tramway on Crown lands afc Waikaka for the purpose of connecting his lignite mine with the railway. — Resolved, to mmuto that the Board would not interfere with his laying the tramway providing it did not interfere with the workings or connections of any other pit. DRYBREAD. A requisition, emanating fro n a public meeting at Drybread, was rec sived, which urged that the present outlet for tailings at Drybread, k' >wn as Muddy Creek, shoiild be reserved from sale.— Ref erre I to tho chief surveyor. TABLE HILL. ' The following application 111 1 purchase under agricultural lease was recomm-uidod for the approval of the Governor : — Wm. Sutherland, section 73, block IV, Table Hill. MAEREWHENUA. David M'Master requested that the license of deferred-payment section' 13, block IX, Maerewhemia district, hi transferred from himself to Wm, Sutherland, sen.— Resolved, that public notice of the proposed transfer be given in terms of the Act. KAWAUAU. Mr W. Tvtrton, on behalf of George Ludemann, applied for a ileonse to occupy section 10, block 111, Kawarau district, for coalmining.—The Board declined to grant the application. Messrs Connell and Moodie, on behalf of 15. A. Dooley, requested the Board to decide on his application to work coal on section 10, block 111, Kawarau —Resolved, that a licenso be issued to applicant for seven years at tho annual rental ot £5, with £1 fee for license.

GIJIMERBURN.

Mr H. Chisholm applied for transfer _ of deferred-payment section 9, block IV, Gimmerburn, from himself to Euphemia Brown, of Shag Valley.— Publio notico of proposed transfer to be given in terms of the Act.