LEASE OF SECTION

Waikato Independent, Volume XLIII, Issue 4019, 26 July 1944, Page 3

LEASE OF SECTION

THE LEAMINGTON TROUBLE

MINISTER APPROVES BOARD’S RECOMMENDATION

Section 86 will long be remembered in Leamington for it is the one that has received much publicity of late weeks. Tenders for the re-leasing of this section split the new Board into two camps of opinion and when the Board by a very narrow margin, accented a tender several pounds num less than that offered by the then tenant, Messrs Betts & Son, it brought repercussions in the resignation of Mr M. Boyce, the newly elected chairman of the Domain Board, and caused an extraordinary election.

It will be recalled that Mr Boyce resigned on the principle that the decision of the .Board by the narrowest of margins to accept the lower tender for the section, was something in the nature of a vote of no-confidence in him. The Board was divided in that some members held that the highest tender should be accepted and others were of the view that more consideration, than in past, should be given to Leamington district people, who tendered for sections. Minister’s Decision.

Following advice from the Minister of Lands on that day the Domain Board secretary, Mr R. S. Entwistle, advised Messrs Betts and Son, on Monday last that with reference to Section. 8(5 the matter had been very carefully gone into and that the Minister of Lands had decided to accept the Board’s recommendation and that the Minister approved of a lease of the area of the section for grazing to Mr C. F. MeEntee, of Leamington. Messrs Betts and Son have also been notified as per a decision at the recent meeting of the latest constituted Board, to remove their stock from the section by July 29. The only method left to Messrs Betts and Son to question the Board’s decision and that of the Minister of Lands, should they' so desire to do, would be to apply to the Supreme Court for a Writ of Mandamus and ordering the Minister to grant them a lease. Messrs Betts and Son inform us that they have no intention of proceeding further with the matter being quite satisfied to abide by the decision of the Minister.