LAND BOARD.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXIII, Issue 7657, 16 June 1896, Page 3

LAND BOARD.

Tub adjourned meeting" of the Land- Board . was held in the Land office this morning, when there were present Messrs Humphries (Commissioner), Matthewson, and Groome. Application ftom F.- Craill to complete purchase of D.P. land, sections 87 and 126, block 4, Patutahi.— The Chairman said the conditions were all fulfilled, and there were no objections.— Application granted. A. -J. Cameron wrote slating that he proposed' to commence improvements on sections 3 and 20, blocks 4 and 8, Hangaroa, immediately.— The Chairman said the letter had been sent in reply to one sent to applicant by the Board asking him to complete improvements. — An extension of time till the end of December was granted to Mr Cameron in which to complete his second, years' improvements. Mr Hood applied for a leave to mortgage -to Mr Sherwood the lease of lot 1 of run 43, Waiogaromia.— The Chairman said the transfer had never been registered. Delay, . however, would be saved if they granted the application subject to the transfer being registered. — This view was endorsed by the meetiDg, and the application was granted on those terms.

Application to exchange perpetual lease for a lease in perpetuity was received from John Thompson for section 3 and 3 of blocks VII. and XL, Motu. Mr Thompson made bis transfer conditional on his being credited with the survey fee as rent under the now lease. — The Chairman said that the matter had already been .thrashed out, and it had been decided that the Board had no power to grant what was asked. — It was resolved that Mr Thompson be informed that the Board regretted that they had not power to grant the request made by him - A. Trafford attended in person to support his application for an exchange from perpetual lease to lease in perpetuity for section 1 of block VIII., Nnhaka North, on condition that allowance be made for the higher amount of rent he had been paying under the original tenure. — The Chairman said that the matter had been hanging fire for a long time, and no final arrangements had been made. The time had now come when the applicant could be made a rebate on account of the 39 acres of land that had been severed for the road. The original area was 1,696 acres at a rental valuation of 10s per acre, but the area of 39 acres taken for the road would be deducted, and that would leave 1,657 acres on which the rent would be 4 per cent, on the rental of 10s per acre. — The application was granted in terms of the request made. No payments required to be made by applicant under. the new) lease until July, and. after that the rent would be £16 11b 5d instead of £21 4s under

the old terms. ' The Road Board schedules were approved as follows :— Patntahi Road Board, £38 17s Id; Waimala, £32b's 4d ; Cook County Council, £121 3s 3d. The latter schedule 'was approved, subject to the money being expended on certain roads and bridle tracks. .>_ The' Ranger's reports showed 17 inspections had been made. The improvements ~- required to'be done "amounted to £124 10s 2d, whilst the value of the improvements effected was £3266 17s 6d.— The reports were considered very satisfactory and were adopted. Mr Scott waited on the Board with reference to the surveying of the boundaries . of his seotion at Motu. He said he had taken the section of 1000 acres on the distinct understanding that the boundary lines were ■ to be surveyed. Instead of this only 25 - chains had been marked, and from that point . it was mere guess work on the part of hia men in carrying out the fencing. He asked . : the Board to send up a surveyer to complete the survey of the lines and he would send two men to do the labor. The Chairman said the matter was one for the Survey Department to consider, and anything that the Board might recommend would not be of the slightest avail. It was quite outside the regulations to survey the :, boundaries to a distance of more than three : chains.' (There was not a district in New . 'Zealand where the lines were surveyed so far ' as in the Hawke's Bay district. In support of this he read the regulations issued by the Governor-in-Council under which the Boards ~ were bound down. It was perhaps hard on v the settlers, but it wus evidently the intention of the Department that the sections * should only be surveyed three chains, the ' ■: corners. to be marked, and the rest to be ': done by the settler, ."'.-. Mr'.Soott »aid it was very hard on the : - poor' settler who had to pay a deposit of a .•: £IQ fee for the surveying, and all they got - 1 "' i«i 25 chains done. ■ '- ■'■ : • Ihe^Ohairtnan pointed out that the £70 ''■■^aa "nob really paid for the surveying, bacftttfe' the eettlw jpb credit {or that

amount, and it went towards his rent. The deposit was really meant as a surety that the applicant was a bona fide settler, and would not throw the land back on the Government after they had been to the expense of surveying the land according to the regulations.

After a discussion it was decided that nothing could be done in the matter, and Mr Scott withdrew.

Thiß being all the business the meeting concluded.