CORRESPONDENCE RELATIVE TO THE APPOINTMENT OF RECEIVER OF LAND REVENUE AND COMMISSIONER OF CROWN LANDS, IN THE PROVINCE OF AUCKLAND.

Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1865 Session I, C-01

C—No. 1.

CORRESPONDENCE RELATIVE TO THE APPOINTMENT OF RECEIVER OF LAND REVENUE AND COMMISSIONER OF CROWN LANDS, IN THE PROVINCE OF AUCKLAND.

PRESENTED TO BOTH HOUSES OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY, BY COMMAND OF HIS EXCELLENCY. WELLINGTON. 1865.

C.-Wo. 1

No. 1. W. C. Daldy, Esq., to the Hon. the Colonial Secretary Sik,— Auckland, March 2Gth, 1864. In consequence of my leaving this Province shortly, I hereby resign my office as Commissioner of Crown Lands for the Province of Auckland. I have, &c, To the Hon. the Colonial Secretary. William C. Daldt. No. 2. The Hon. the Colonial Secretary to the Superintendent, Auckland. Sir, — Colonial Secretary's Office, Auckland, Bth April, 1864. Mr. Daldy having resigned his office as Commissioner of Crown Lands, I have to request that your Honor will be good enough to inform me who is the Waste Lands Commissioner under the Waste Land Eegulations, as such officer will have to be appointed by the Governor, under the 4th section of " The Crown Lands Act, 1862." I have, &c, His Honor the Superintendent, Auckland. William Fox. No. 3. The Superintendent, Auckland, to the Hon. the Colonial Secretary. Sir, — Superintendent's Office, Auckland, 18th April, 1864. I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter, dated Bth instant, and numbered 84, requesting to be informed who is the Waste Land Commissioner in lieu of Capt. Daldy, resigned, and to inform you, that your letter shall be laid before His Honor the Superintendent on his return to town, and the information you seek shall be then forwarded to you. I have, &c, The Hon. the Colonial Secretary, Joseph Newman, Auckland. (in the absence of the Superintendent.) No. 4. The Hon. the Colonial Secretary to the Superintendent, Auckland. Sir, —■ Colonial Secretary's Office, Auckland, 26th May, 1864. I have the honor to enclose for your Honor's information copies of the correspondence on the subject of the Deputy Waste Lands Commissioner Warner's performance of the duties of Commissioner of Crown Lands, in the absence of the Commissioner of Crown Lands. I take this opportunity of referring your Honor to the Colonial Secretary's letter of the Bth April last, to your Honor, on the subject of the vacancy still existing in the office of Waste Lands Commissioner and consequently of Commissioner of Crown Lauds. I have, &c, His Honor the Superintendent, Fredk. Wihtakeb, Auckland. (in the absence of Mr. Fox.) Enclosure 1 to No. 4. Deputy Waste Lands Commissioner to the Hon. the Colonial Secretaet. Sin,— Waste Lands Office, Auckland, 3rd May, 1864. Since the beginning of February last I have been the custodian of the Crown grants signed by His Excellency, and ready for delivery to the grantees on payment of the customary fee. At the end of March last Captain Daldy resigned his appointment of Commissioner of Crown Lands, and I have consequently been performing both the duties together with my own, the former of which has now become somewhat onerous, and although insufficient to engage the entire daily attention of one person, I am constrained to devote after hours to the work in order to keep pace with my labors : in addition to which it has become the means of a pecuniary loss which I can ill afford, inasmuch as I yesterday received from the Registrar of Deeds office, a return, charging me with the amount of fees for the registration of two endorsations of errors on Crown grants, which I think (with all due respect) under the circumstances of the case, should have been registered free of cost. I have the honor therefore to submit for your favorable consideration and recommendation that I may be allowed the sum of £100 per annum, from the Ist of February last, for this additional duty. I have, &c, The Hon. the Colonial Secretary. H. N. Warner, Deputy Waste Lands Commissioner.

CORRESPONDENCE RELATIVE TO THE APPOINTMENT OF RECEIVER OF LAND REVENUE, ETC., IN THE PROVINCE OF AUCKLAND.

C—No. 1

Enclosure 2 to No. 4. The Hon. the Colonial Secretary to 11. N. Warner, Esq. Sir, — Colonial Secretary's Office, Auckland, 2Gth May, 1864. I am directed by Mr. Fox to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 3rd instant, on the subject of your performance of the duties of Commissioner of Crown Lands, and of some remuneration for this addition to your regular duties. In reply I am to inform you that the payment of the Commissioner of Crown Lands is a matter for the consideration of the Provincial Legislature. If as you state you have been gratuitously performing the duties of Commissioner of Crown Lands, you should prefer to the Provincial Government your claim for remuneration on that account. The question which you raise regarding the payment of fees required by the Registrar of Deeds for registering endorsements in correction of grants, has been considered, and the Registrar of Deeds will be instructed to remit them. This correspondence should properly have come through his Honor the Superintendent of the Province of Auckland, and copies of it will be sent from this department to his Honor. I have, &c, 11. N. "Warner, Esq., W. Gisborne, Deputy Waste Lands Commissioner, Auckland. Under Secretary. No. 5. The Superintendent, Auckland, to the Hon. the Colonial Secretary. Sir,— Superintendent's Office, Auckland, 28th May, 18G4. Having appointed Charles Haselden, Esq., to be Waste Lands Commissioner for this Province, I have the honor to request that he may also be appointed Commissioner of Crown Lands; and as there is no salary appropriated to either of these offices, I have further to solicit that Mr. Haselden may be appointed Receiver of Laud Revenue for the Province. The duties of this latter office being comparatively light, they may conveniently be performed by the holder of the other appointments. By the arrangement I now propose, the Province will in fact save the salary of one officer—about £150 per annum. I have, &c, Robert Graham, The Hon. the Colonial Secretary, Auckland. Superintendent. No. 6. The Superintendent, Auckland, to the Hon. the Colonial Secretary. Sir, — Superintendent's Office, Auckland, 31st May, 1864. With reference to your letter No. 124, of 2Gth instant, I have the honor to inform you that the Deputy Waste Lands Commissioner has only been temporarily performing the duties of Commissioner of Crown Lands, and that 1 only wait a reply to my letter No. 675, addressed to you under date 28th instant, in order to terminate that arrangement. I have, &c, Robert Graham, The Hon. the Colonial Secretary, Auckland. Superintendent. No. 7. The Hon. the Colonial Secretary to Charles Haselden, Esq. Sir, — Colonial Secretary's Office, Auckland, June 21st, 1864. I have the honor, by the direction of Mr. Fox, to transmit to you the accompanying warrant under the hand of His Excellency the Governor, appointing you to be a Commissioner of Crown Lands under the provisions of " The Crown Lands Act, 1862." I have, &c., W. Gisborne, Charles Hawelden, Esq., Auckland. Under Secretary. No. 8. Charles Haseldex, Esq., to the Hon. the Colonial Secretary. Commissioner of Waste Lands Office, Auckland, Sir,— 21st .Tune, 1864. I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter No. 341, June 21, 1864, enclosing the warrant under the hand of His Excellency the Governor, appointing me a Commissioner of Crown Lands under "The Crown Lands Act, 1862."" I beg to offer my best thanks to His Excellency and the Government for the honor thus conferred upon me. I have, &c, Charles Haselden. The Hon. the Colonial Secretary. No. 9. The Hon. the Colonial Secretary to the Superintendent, Auckland. Sin, —- Colonial Secretary's Office, Auckland, 23rd December, 1864. The attention of the General Government has been drawn to the position of the officer who 0

2 CORRESPONDENCE RELATIVE TO APPOINTMENT OF RECEIVER

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occupies the joint offices of the Commissioner of Crown Lands and "Waste Lands Commissioner in the Province of Auckland, and who it is understood receives no regular salary from the Provincial Government for the execution of his responsible duties. May I request your Honor to be good enough to explain the arrangement as to the payment of that office from Provincial funds. I have, &c, Heney Sewell, His Honor the Superintendent, Auckland. (for the Colonial Secretary.) No. 10. The Supebintexdent, Auckland, to the Hon. the Colonial Secbetabt. Sie, — Superintendent's Office, Auckland, sth January, 1865. I have the honor to acknowledge receipt of your letter No. 316, of date 23rd December, ulfc., asking information as to arrangements made for payment of salary from Provincial funds to the gentleman holding the offices'of Commissioner of Crown Lands and Waste Lands Commissioner, and to inform you in reply, that at present no salary is paid for the performance of these duties, the Council having last session declined to pass a vote for it. Mr. Haselden, the present "Waste Lands Commissioner, is employed by the Government in other matters unconnected with that department. I, by letter (No. 675) dated 2Sth May, 1864, recommended that Mr. Haselden should draw from the General Government £150 per annum, as Beceiver of Land Revenue for the Province of Auckland. I have, &c, The Hon. the Colonial Secretary, Bobeet Geaham:, Auckland. Superintendent. No. 11. The Hon. the Colonial Seceetaey to the Supeeintendent, Auckland. Sie, — Colonial Secretary's Office, Auckland, 28th January, 1865. I have the .honor to acknowledge the receipt of your Honor's letter of the sth instant, in which you inform me that at present no salary is paid to the gentleman holding the offices of Commissioner of Crown Lands and "Waste Lands Commissioner, the Provincial Council having during last session declined to pass a vote for it. I regret to be obliged to express to your Honor the opinion of Government that this is a very defective arrangement on the part of the Provincial Government, and one which cannot be considered other than very detrimental to the public service. The Commissioner of Crown Lands is charged by law with very important duties and subjected to serious responsibilities. The same officer has also been appointed by the Governor (as the law requires) Eeceiver of Land Revenue. In this capacity, as your Honor is doubtless aware, he is mainly responsible for the legal disposal of the Waste Lands of the Crown in the Province, and for the due receipt of the money for which they are disposed of, no Crown grants being issuable until he has certified that the law has been complied with in these respects. No salary has hitherto been paid to the Receiver of Land Revenue, the Government, until the receipt of your Honor's letter, having been under the impression that as Commissioner of Waste Lands, he received a proper salary from the Provincial Government. The law is express, that Receivers of Land Revenue shall be paid out of Land Revenue arising in the respective Provinces such salaries as may be reasonable remuneration for their services. The Government intend, therefore, to pay a salary of £150 per annum to the present Receiver of Land Revenue and Crown Commissioner, to commence from the first day of the present month ; but as they do not consider that sum adequate to the responsibilities and duties of that office and the Commissionership of Crown Lands, they propose to bring the subject before the General Assembly at its next session with a view to such alteration of the law, if necessary, as will admit of the arrangement of these offices and salaries on a more satisfactory footing. I have, &c, His Honor the Superintendent, Henet Sewell, Auckland. (for the Colonial Secretary.) No. 12. The Superintendent, Auckland, to the Hon. the Colonial Seceetaet. Sie, — Superintendent's Office, Auckland, 2nd February, 1865. I have the honor to ackowledge receipt of your letter No. 32, of date 28th January ultimo, relative to the salary for the Commissioner of Crown Lands and Eeceiver of Land Revenue. I have, &c, The Hon. the Colonial Secretary, Eobeet Geaham, Auckland. Superintendent.

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OP LAND REVENUE, ETC., IN THE PROVINCE OP AUCKLAND.