COUNCIL PAPERS.

Taranaki Herald, Volume II, Issue 77, 18 January 1854, Page 3

COUNCIL PAPERS.

Crown Lands Office, New Plymouth, sth January, 1854. Sir, — I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your Honor's letter of the 28th ult., requesting that in acroi dance with a resolution of the Provincial Council (a copy of which was at the same time forwarded to me by your Honor) the unsold town and belt lnnds may be reserved with a view to the contraction of the Town. I have further to acknowledge the re-

ceipt of your Honor's letter; of the 3rd inst. informing me of the reason which had led you to adopt the views of tin; Council, and also of jour in enlioii to recommend to his Excellency that the lands in question may be reserved .is an endowment tor the erection and maintenance of public building* within the province. I have the honor to state that I sli ill submit the above proposal for the consideration of his hxccllency the Governor, wilh the following reasons, which in my opinion would as regards the town lands, prevent me from concurring in th-: suggestion of the council, Ist. That the Civil Secretary's despatch, quoted in the Council's Uesulution, on the subject of making reserves for certain public objects from the Crown Laudb of tlie Province, does not authorise the appropriation of the whole of such lands as reserve's. 2nd. That a considerable portion of the local reveune is den veil from the sale of town lands, nearly £500 having beer received from this soutcc since tlie l,)tli of September, 1853, and, that it would not be expedient to introduce such a measure us that now proposed by the Council, which would occasion a sudden and cuiibidetable diminution of the lesourccs of the I'ro vince. 3id. That discontinuing the sale of town allotments, of which the-ie are ievoial hundred* unsold, would olclsiuu inconvenience and disappointment to the Province, 86 applications for putchaiu having been received since the town s>.ile in November la>t. 4th. Tbnt the objection to the size of the town, which arose chiefly from the allotments being unsaleable at the uniform price adopted by the New Zealand Company, has been removed by the General Land Regulations, which by placing them within tho reach of applicants at pi ices depending altogether upon position and other cticumstancea, has occasioned a steady and increasing demand for properly of this description. I have, &c W. Halse, Commissioner of Crown Lands.