Special Powers and Contracts Bill.

Otago Witness, Issue 1812, 13 August 1886, Page 27

Special Powers and Contracts Bill.

(Fbom Oub Own Coeeespondent.)

Wellington, August 4.

The Special Powers and Contracts Bill was brought down to-night. It providesthat the Governor may perform the several acts specified in the second column of the first schedule, and that of the land there dealt with the legal estate may be antevested. It is enacted that in case of land inalienable for a longer period than 21 years, except with the consent of the Governor, such lease must be sold at public ' auction after a single notice of publicity, without any final premium or forfeit being paid. Holders of pastoral deferred-payment licenses may exchange their licenses for leases of small grazing runs under Conditions — (1) Lease to be antedated to the date of surrendered license; (2) rent to be Zh per cent, on the price paid under the license ; (3) payments up to the time of surrender to be retained as back rent and rent in advance under the lease. The public trustee is authorised to pay accrued moneys from reserves to the Auckland Hospital Board. The Borough Council of Ross is authorised to collect rents from leases of land therein. -The Cristchurch Drainage Board is empowered to borrow on overdrafts. The Selwyn County Council is authorised to raise a loan of JE3OOO. An error in the Caversham Drainage Act is corrected. The County of Waihemo is authorised to raise a loan of £1500. The election of the Nelson Borough Council is validated. The Devonport borough rate is validated. The Hospital and Lunatic Asylum reserves are apportioned at Nelson and Wellington. Such are the general provisions of the bill.

The following are among the Ofcago items in the schedule: — The Governor (1) may grant certain reserves in the Hawksbury district for half-caste families ; (2) may grant half an acre in Port Chalmers as a Native reserve ; (3) may exchange with the New Zealand and Australian Land Company land required for road ; (4) may grant as a site for a drillshed and for volunteer purposes generally, to not less than three nor more than five trustees for thie benefit of all volunteer corps already embodied or who may hereafter be embodied in the Peninsula land district of Otago, all that piece or parcpl of land containing 229 perches, being allotment No. 35 on the plan of the township of Cranston, deposited in the Land Registry Office at Dunedin, No. 205, together with a right of way in common with others over all the private streets shown in the said plan, which said piece of land is part of suburban section No. 3, block 11, on the map.- The first trustees to be Lieut.colonel William Stavely, N.Z. Militia, commanding Otago Volunteer District ; Major Henry Gordon, New Zealand Militia, Adjutant Otago Volunteer District ; John White, Captain commanding the Peninsula Naval Artillery Volunteers; John Mainwaring, Brown, Lieutenant Peninsula Naval Artillery Volunteers; and Frank Oakden, Lieutenant Peninsula Naval Artillery Volunteers, who shall have power to mortgage the land and buildings thereon for any period not exceeding 21 years. The Governor, by notice in the Gazette, shall have power to remove any trustee from his office ; and if any trustee shall die, become bankrupt, or insolvent, resign, or become incapable to act, or be absent from the provincial district of Otago for the space of 12 consecutive months, he shall cease to be a member of the said trust, aud the Governor may appoint another trustee in his place ; provided always that no corps other than the Peninsula Naval Artillery Corps shall be entitled to the use or benefit of the said land or buildings until it shall have paid to the said Peninsula Naval Artillery Volunteers a sum of money, to be agreed upon, not exceeding £150, or enter into a lease with the said Peninsula Naval Artillery Corps agreeing to pay a rental not exceeding the sum of £20 per annum.