THE Inangahua Times, PUBLISHED TRI-WEEKLY MONDAY, APRIL 3, 1882.

Inangahua Times, Volume VII, Issue 1069, 3 April 1882, Page 2

THE Inangahua Times, PUBLISHED TRI- WEEKLY MONDAY, APRIL 3, 1882.

The fact of there being no DeputyCommissioner of Stamps nearer than Hokitika, bears in many respects very hardly 6n the people of the Inangahua district, whether as regards the necessary stamps on property, mining deeds, or transfers, and it is high time that some change is made by which relief may, be afforded. Probably more stamps are used in connection with the Inangahua than in any half-dozen similar areas in the Colony. By the present law, should any deed or other document be found to be insufficiently stamped it must be sent to the nearest Deputy-Commissioner, for the purpose of having an impressed stamp affixed, and the nearest officer of that kind resides in Hokitika. This denotes that all duty has been paid on the instrument submitted. Much inconvenience is thus occasioned to legal gentlemen, but the brokers and any one purchasing shares whether for investment or speculation also feel it keenly. At the present time, there. are a great many large holders of shares in Inangahua ventures in Dunedin, Christchurch, and other southern towns, in Wellington, Kapier, Auckland, and, indeed, there is scarcely any centre of population in the Colony where a Reeftoa shareholder cannot be found. These shares are continually changing hands and transfers being effected, but in many cases these documents are insufficiently stamped, and have to be forwarded to Hokitika as stated above. This means more or less delay, in some instances as much as a fortnight elapsing before they are returned completed. In the meantime, purchasers frequently suffer absolute loss for, should a dividend be declared in the interval, before the transfers are registered in the books of the respective companies, it rests with the seller whether or not he will hand it over to the vendor though he has received the money for the shares, and the transfer has only been delayed through deficient stamping. We know one purchaser who holds scrip in two mines that have declared dividends since his purchase, and yet he has not yet received the duly stamped transfers from Hokitika, Surely, there is amply sufficient grounds to justify the Government in creating a Stamp Office here, and this could be done by increasing the official expenses but very slightly, /t the present time, the Postmaster has in his charge hundreds of pounds worth of stamps at a time, surely, he might be further entrusted with a press and die to complete instruments defective through insufficient stamping, and thus save those engaged in mining business great worry and inconvenience, Under the Stamp Act, the Governor or rather Government has power to appoint Deputy-Commis-sioners, and by conferring that appointment on the Postmaster, aud thereby establishing Reefton as a Stamp Office all difficulty would be put an end tp, and a boon that would cost nothing conferred on the district, We trust, therefore, that they will take the matter into consideration, and hope that the subject may be brought under their notice by our Member, By conceding this favour, the convenience of a large number of people will be materially consulted, and we should think there can be no I possible objection urged against its being granted without hesitation,