THE ALLEGED CASES OF DUMMYISM.

Otago Witness, Issue 1640, 28 April 1883, Page 19

THE ALLEGED CASES OF DUMMYISM.

Several matters in connection with the recent sale of deferred-payment pastoral land came before the Land Board at its ordinary meeting on Wednesday. The first matter was the hearing of purchasers who applied in person for their licenses.

Matthew Eliott applied for a license for section 2, block 111, Strath-Taieri, which he bid for at the late sale. He was present at the sale, and the section was knocked down to him. He was opposed in the bidding, but did not know by whom. He paid £1 16s 3d per acre. He had no conversation with anyone relative to the section before the sale. He had examined the land. He had been in the Colony 20 years, andresided at Roslyn. He had bsen doing nothing of lateJsut had been farming atone time at Waihola, He bad no other property in the

country except the freehold he was living on. No one had any interest, direct or indirect, in the section he bid for. He bought the land to settle on it. He paid his deposit with a cheque signed by Messrs Cargill and Joachim, who were his agents. He had fencing on the section now, and he was going away to buy Btock for the place. The Chief Commissioner told the applicant that he need not appear again before the Board, who would give their decision next week.

Joseph M'Gaw applied for a license for section 6, block XI, Strath- Taieri, which he purchased at the late sale. In answer to questions, he said he resided at Strath-Taieri. He was a rabbiter by occupation, He attended the sale. Mr Cargill bid for him. He authorised Mr Cargill to bid for him. He went to Mr Cargiirs office the day before the sale, and he authorised Mr Cargill on the morning of the sale to bid for him. There was no opposition in the bidding for this section, and he paid the upset price of £1 per acre. The Chief Commissioner : Had you any conversation with anyone regarding this secti6n before, the sale ?— Yes. I believe I spoke to several parties about it. I know the section well, and there are in it 1426 a or22p. Did you make a declaration ? — Yes. Do you know the effect of that declaration ? — Yes, of course.

Have you oorae to any agreement with anyone, verbally or otherwise, with regard to the purchase of this section ? — No. I have made no agreement with anybody to run sheep or cattle upon the ground. I am prepared to stock and reside on it myself. How did you pay for this section?— lt wap paid for by cheque of the British and New Zealand Mortgage and Agency Company. Did you make any arrangement for the payment? How did all this come about?— The money was paid for me through Mr Cargill, to pay into the office. I could have drawn it myself.

The money was paid to Mr Cargill for you. By whom?— lt does not matter. A man is not bound to tell you his private arrangements.

The Chief Commissioner : You are not required to tell ua anything if you do not choose.

Mr M'Gaw : The money was my money that was paid to Mr Cargill. The money had been paid to Mr Cargill for me for the purpose of buying the section. How long have you been in the country ?— Nearly seven years. Do you own any other land ? — I do not. Mr Clark : Have you been long rabbiting ? — Very nearly five years. For whom ?— I have been for two years with Mr Borfcon, and I was with Gellibrand and Co Before that I was with Mr Bennett, of Earns cleugh.

Do you find that rabbiting pays well? -It pays better than anything else I can go to. What do you purpose doing with this land ? — I purpose residing on it ; and 'I am prepared to fence it and stock it with sheep. Is there any stock on it now ?— No. Have you begun yet to fence it?— l have ,not.

The Chief Commissioner : Do you wish to say anything more ?— Unless there is anything else you wish to know, I do not wish to make any statement.

The Chief Commissioner: You need not attend again. The Board will consider your application. Daniel M'Ewan Fiflher applied for a license for section 9, block XII, Strath-Taieri (2003 acres), purchased by him at the late sale. In answer to questions, he stated that he was a labourer, living at East Taieri. He attended at the sale but did not bid. Mr Cargill bid for him. He requested Mr Cargill to be his agent —to bid for him— about two day before the sale. He simply instructed Mr Cargill to bid for that section as far as he (Fisher) was able to bid for it. Thirty shillings was as high as he intended to go. He got the section at the upset price— 2os. In what manner did you pay for the section? —The agent paid for me, on my account. I instructed the agent to pay for me. Mr Clark : Did you give him the money to pay forit?-Yeß. The Chikf Commissioner : Did you give him the money yourself ?— Yes. When did you do that ?— On the same day that I authorised him. I have been over the land, and have known it for over four years. I bought the land with the intention of stocking it and abiding on it for my own purposes. I had no conversation with anyone before the purchase. No one except myself has any interest m this land. I entered into no agreement with anyone to purchase this section. I have no land anywhere else. I have been out here 21 years. My father keeps the Springbank Hotel, East Taieri.

Mr Grken : Where have you been working ? — At the Strath-Taieri occasionally, and sometimes at East Taieri.

Were you working on the Cottesbrook Station?— No; on a gold-mining claim at the Sutton. You were not working at the station at the last shearing?— Yes, I was there during shearing, time only. _ Mr Clark : Do you mean to go on this section to live ? — Yes.

Has anything been said by you to the previous lessee, in connection with this section ?—? — No ; nothing whatever has been said. Was anything said by the manager of the station ? — No. Mr Bradshaw : Have you made any preparation to go on the land?— Not yet; I intend to do so immediately. Mr Grekn : How do you mean to occupy this land ?— I am going to keep sheep on it. Have you made any arrangement about stocking it?— No. I intend to buy sheep and put them on the land.

If you obtain this license, is it your intention to at once fence the section ?— Yes. Mr Donoan,: Is there any stock on this land just now ?— There are sheep all over it belonging to other people. Have you given notice to the persons owning the sheep to remove them ?— Not vet. itt?° you P ro P ose doing so ?— lmmediately. When I fence I will give notice. We cannot keep them off until we get the fence up. People cannot keep their stock off until we fence the land.

Mr Dunoak : You are not up in the Fencing Ordinance, I see. The Chikf Commissioner : You need not appear again. The Board will consider your application along with the others. Fisher : lam a married man, with a family of two.

The Chief Commissioner : In accordance with the resolution of the Board, I forwarded all tho papers in connection with these applications for partial deferred-payment land, especially in connection with those cases that the Board deemed to be of a suspicious charaoter, for the consideration and advice of the Government. Yesterday I got this telegram from the Under-secretary for Lands : —

Mr Rolleston has this day replied by post to you communication of the 12th insfc. with reforonce to tho Bale of tho pastoral deferred-payment lauds which took place in February laefc. Mr Rolleaton ig entirely

In accord with what he understands to be tho deter mination of the Board — that they should exercise all tho powers conferred npon them to prevent any evasion of the Act ; and if in the judgment of the Board the circumstancos before tViem aro such as warrant the conclusion that tho declaration made by the purchaser in any c se is false, they should refuse to issue the license, caving- tbo purchaser to ark for a rehearing of the ewe under section 30 of the " Land Act, 1377," or to exoreltio his right of a >peal to the Supremo Court if he onsideis himself aggrieved, under section 31 of that Act.

H. J. H. Eliott. This morning I received a letter from Mr Gellibrand, who is now in Hobart, addressed to him as Chairman of the Board. It was as follows :—

Hibart, April 18th, 1883. Sir,— l h»ye the honour to address you in order that I may give certain information required by the Land Board concerning the purchase of sections 1 and 3 of block If, and section 3 of block XIII, StrathTaieri. Being Absent from Duncdln, and thus dependent upon the Press roporfc of the discussion on April 4th, I feel at some disadvantage in my reply, but I should be grieved if through my silence any injury is caused to W. and P. Young and W. Free -hence I write immediately. Being interested in the welfare of tho Messrs Yonnsr, as I have for many years watched their family ind'lstry and uprightness, I advised th«m to settle in Otago I desired to have them as neighbours, and if possible to obtain their services on the Cotteibrnok .Station, and I recommendod them to lake up land on fcno deferred-payment sytiteti). 1 offered to obtain a loui wheewith to pay shu first instalment, if uecasnary. I aUvmcd them as to tho sections of land to select, and arranged f~r an a^ent to bid at the auction, and I cin*i<iered that 1 was thm as-Utins.' to introduce industrious and frugal farmers, such aa the Government of New Zealand wishes to obtain. W. and P. Young and W. Proo have bought tho land from the Government in good faith, and I believe they wilt reside on their respective lots within the iwelve months allowed by law. They are under no agreement with me or with any of my partners to sell or lease their land. I dosltv to direct the Board's attention to a letter written by W. and P. V vug, and published in the Hobart Mercury of Apiil 11th, wherein certain rumours aro specifically contradicted. —1 am, &c.,

W. Ghllibeand. Mr Green : That is an important statement about his partners ; the rest is all moonshine. The Chief Commissioner : I have read these documents because they are a good introduction to the two applications of Popham and J. S. Nichol for their licenses for section 13, block X, Strath-Taieri, and section 2, block I, Sutton district, which the Board meant to decide to-day. I do not know whether the Board intend to consider these applications to-day, or to defer them any longer. Mr Clark : I think the Board were unanimous in believing that these applications were bona fide. Such being the case, I do not see :vnv reason why we should not issue the licenses.

The Chief Commissioner: Mr Stout oxpressed himself satisfied as to their bona. fides. Mr Green : I do not think, from anything that transpired, that we can come to any other conclusion but that the applications were bona fide. If a declaration is false, or we think it is false, we ought to give the man all the trouble we possibly can to obtain his license ; but when it is not so, wo should give the man as little trouble as possible. Mr Dunoan : I am in favour of issuing the licenses. The Board resolved that licenses should issue in these two cases.