WASTE LAND SALES.

Timaru Herald, Volume V, Issue 110, 16 June 1866, Page 6

WASTE LAND SALES.

[From the Timaru Herald, June 13.] At the last session of the General Assembly, there was an Act passed, amending', or rather giving more latitude to the Waste Land liegulations of Canterbury, solely for the purpose of granting powers to commissioners to sell land, and to carry out the present regulations m those parts of the Province far removed from die seat of Government. The places indicated for which the Act was passed were, Westland and Timaru. The Act empowered the appointment of waste land commissioners, with equal powers, we believe, to the Chief Commissioner at Christchurch : equal powers m every respect, so as to avoid, m all instances, the annoying and vexatious delays at present too common, when purchasers desirous of procuring land have either to travel long distances to Christchurch; or as regards this district, to deposit the purchase money with the Government agent, at the Land Office m this town, and to wait perfectly uncertain as to whether the land deposited lor will be forthcoming' or not, as any prior application m Christchurch takes precedence. The Act amended these evils; and m bringing it before the General Assembly, the Canterbury Government showed great wisdom and foresight ; but, let us ask why such an admirable arrangement has not been carried out ? The answer, unfortunately, is too plain. At the time the Act was brought forward, Canterbury was m an exceedingly nervous state as regards the settlement of that oft vexed question, the repeal or non-repeal of the New Provinces Act. Timaru was then agitating for the non-repeal. Anything to settle the disturbed waters, — even though but for a time. A land commissioner at Timaru was much required, and undoubtedly would be a great boon to the district ; at all events such a judicious sop would be highly advisable, and so the appointment of such a commissioner became law. Soon after, however, the passing of the amended regulations, the New Provinces Act was repealed. And this is the obvious reason why a commissioner has not been appointed for this district, because the JYew Provinces Act has been repealed, and Canterbury thus has been relieved from tlie then impending fate awaitint/ the Province — a disunion of its jmrts. The injustice of withholding a land commissioner, is made so much the more glaringly apparent ; for if the necessity of the case, eight months since, demanded the passing* of a special act, for the carrying out of a certain purpose for its relief, that necessity has now largely increased; for we observe that 2331 acres were sold m this district during the month of May, and for the first week of this month the sales have amounted to £6GO, representing over 300 acres of country. Governmentmay look on it m a financial view, and say that the present state of the treasury will not admit of any further expense, however laudable. If so,inthepresentinstanceitis apoor, short-sighted policy; for we feel convinced that as soon as it was generally known that land could be bought here with the same facility as m Christchurch, land sales would increase at least one-third the present ratio. These facts are worth the consideration of the Government, that not only bare justice would be rendered to this district m this one most important matter, but that the well-being of the whole Province would necessarily be augmented m giving a decided impetus to the land sales, by which Canterbury has so long been enabled to hold her own.