SECOND EDITION.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2741, 5 January 1882, Page 3

SECOND EDITION.

- - ■ 1 ■ ■ re- , ; • as wnairfi- ,i. the recent meeting of Otago and :x ‘'bland representatives, on the above ibject; — >'t-jh -.-pal Crown Lands Office, Wellington, 29th December, 1881. Si?,--i have the honour, in the 'ihsr.ar;. of Mr Eolleston, to acknowic<i;jrh -i receipt of your letter of the 2l'.ri ( ft- , forwarding resolutions passed a?, a tnocdng of members of the House of Kc,.r.;sentatives for districts in the Otago .Provincial District, in which the (u',\ eminent is requested to postpone a'l r.ct’en in relation todealing with the pastor.’ leases which terminate in Marc'.V 1.883, until the newly-elected i’-orii ii." nt has had an opportunity of con i : ;:ng the best mode of disposing o r .r i ad affected. The Government i-; requested to arrange with the frresent lesses for the extension of their eases for a further period of one year subject to certain conditions, In reply, I have to express my regret that the proposals of the Government iin detail should not have been ready at an earlier date, so that the members present should have had full information before them. These proposals have now been forwarded to the Land Board, whose functions in respect of these runs are clearly defined in “ The Land Act, 1877.” And I have full confidence that when they are considered they will remove much of the misconception which—partly from the impossibility of giving fuller details in an advertisement —has risen upon the subject. The Government, prior to Mr Kolleston’s departure for Nelson and the West Coast, gave the request contained in the resolutions forwarded by you very careful consideration, with every desire to afford the fullest opportunity for the discussion of this important question.. But as itis at present advised, it does not appear to be competent to it to take a course which would set aside the existing law, and involve arrange ments with the pastoral lessees for which there would be no legal authority. —I have, &c.,,

Thomas Dick, For the Minister of Lands. Vincent Pyke, Esq., M.H.E., Dunedin,