17

1.—6.

time, in respect of the whole or any portion of the land over which it may have been granted, in the event of the whole or such portion of the said land being reserved, leased, or sold by the Board, and that without any notice to that effect being necessary to be given to any such licensee. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Act, whenever any lands shall be reserved for a town or village and bo open for sale as town lands, if any of such lands so reserved shall have been within a proclaimed gold field, and at the time of the withdrawal of the same from such gold field, such reservation or opening of such land for sale shall have, for a period of two years preceding, been occupied under business license or other lawful authority as a residence or business site, or shall have been so occupied for any less period than two years, and a building of the value of fifty pounds at least have been erected on such land by the occupier or some person through whom he claims, then the Board may, if they shall think fit, sell such land to such occupier, without putting up the same to auction, at such price as shall be fixed by the Board, not being less than at the rate of ten pounds for forty perches of land." Notice of motion No. 7 was given by Mr. Sharp, To move, that clause 77 be re-committed, far the purpose of re-considering the area of five thousand acres. Notice of motion, No. 8, was given by Sir Robert Douglas, To move at next sitting of the Committee, that the following new clauses be added to the Bill in Appendix A : — The Land Distkict op Auckland Insert after the First Clause. la. It shall be lawful for the Board, with the assent of the Governor, to set apart blocks of land to be opened for occupation without payment, but subject to the conditions as to cultivation and residence hereinafter set forth, herein called the " homestead system." Ib. The Board shall give public notification of all blocks of land that'from time to time may be declared open for selection on the homestead system, and shall also publicly notify the following conditions, which shall apply to all selections under the aforesaid homestead system :— (1.) The area allowed to be selected by each person of the age of eighteen years or upward shall be of first-class lands fifty acres, or of second-class land seventy-five acres ; and for persons under eighteen years of age, of first-class lands twenty acres, or of second-class lands thirty acres : Provided that the total quantity to be selected by any one family or number of persons occupying the one household shall not exceed two hundred acres of first-class or three hundred acres of second-class lands. (2.) Within three months after the selection has been approved by the Board, the selector shall commence to reside on his selection, and shall continue to reside continuously thereon for five years from the date of such approval as aforesaid. (3.) Within eighteen months after such approval, the selector shall erect on his selection a permanent dwelling-house of wood or other materials, which shall be specified in regulations to be issued in reference to homestead-system selections. (4.) In each year there shall be brought under cultivation one-fifteenth of the area of such selection if open land, and one twenty-fifth if bush land, so that at the end of the term of five years, one-third of the selection of open land, or one-fifth if bush land, shall be under cultivation. (5.) Non-performance of any of the foregoing stipulations shall render the selection Toid, and the right of the selector therein and to all improvements thereon shall be forfeited. (6.) At the end of the said period of five years, a grant or grants shall issue for the land selected: Provided the selector shall not have forfeited his right thereto in manner aforesaid. Insert at beginning of clause 2 the following words: " Subject to the two last foregoing provisions." Notice of motion, Xo. 9, was given by Mr. Lumsden : To move the addition to clause 111 by way of proviso:— Provided that in the case of the expiration of any pastoral lease or license within the districts of Otago and Southland, from and after the month of July in any year, the currency of such lease or license shall be taken as extending to the month of March next succeeding. Besolved, on the motion of Sir R. Douglas, That Mr. Larnach be invited to attend the Committee at its next meeting. The Committee then adjourned until Tuesday, 18th September, at 11 o'clock.

Tuesday, 18th September, 1877. The Committee met pursuant to adjournment at 11 o'clock. Present: Mr. Ballance, Mr. Lusk, Mr. Hastings, Mr. Pyke, Mr. Beetham, Hon. D. Reid, Sir E. Douglas, Mr. Eolleston, Hon. W. Fox, Mr. Sharp, Mr. Harper, Mr. Stout, Mr. Lumsden, Mr Teschemakei', Mr. Thomson. Mr. Curtis in the Chair. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed. 5.—1. 6.