PIRONGIA DOMAIN BOARD LANDS

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 72, Issue 6243, 17 June 1946, Page 5

PIRONGIA DOMAIN BOARD LANDS

Sir, —As there. appears to be considerable misunderstanding in Pirongia as to the powers and functions of the Domain Board, I shall be glad if you will afford me space to make an explanation. At a public meeting recently held in Pirongia I fully explained’ the position, but further publicity may be desirable so that all lessees and the general public may understand the Boards position. The Pirongia Domain lands belong to the Crown, and the Domain Board is a committee appointed by the Gov-ernor-General to control and administer these lands in accordance with statute. Such of the lands as are required for public amusement, recreation, or sport are laid out and administered by the Board for those purposes with such funds as it has available. Land not required for such purposes may be leased by the Gover-nor-General for terms up to 21 years. The Domain Board is merely a committee to arrange these leases on behalf of the Crowm. It must obey the instructions of the Lands Department, and these instructions provide that leases are to be let by tender and that the highest tender must be accepted. No lease can be for a period exceeding 21 years, and it must safeguard the rights of the public to use the land for its proper purpose of recreation. It will thus be seen that the powers of the Crown are strictly limited by the Domains Act, and that the powers of the Board are still further limited by the regulations of the Lands Department. The Board cannot deal with domain lands as though they were its private property.

At various times it has been suggested that the Pirongia Domain lands should be surrendered entirely to the Crown and cease to be domain lands, so that the tenants could obtain a more satisfactory form of lease. I have little doubt that the Lands Department would be pleased to accept such a surrender and acquire this valuable property to aid the revenues of the Department. But this would, of course, result in the rents going entirely to the Department and nothing being available for the purpose of sport and recreation in Pirongia. It is to avoid such a calamity that the members of the Domain Board continue to serve on the Board w’ithout pay and without thanks and as the only public body in Pirongia to do its best in the interests of the township.—l am, etc., J. LIVINGSTONE, Chairman, Pirongia Domain Board.