I.—sa.

Clause 20. Amendment proposed to add a new paragraph, as follows : — Wherever any town district or borough shall become merged in a county, all reserves for public purposes made within such town district or borough, or granted to or vested in the Town Board or Borough Council thereof, shall be deemed to have been made for such purposes within the county wherein such town district or borough is merged, or to have been granted to or vested in the County Council thereof as from the date when such town district or borough, or the Town Board or Borough Council thereof, ceased to exist. —(Hon. Mr. J. McKenzie.) Amendment agreed to. Clause as further amended agreed to. Clause 45. Line 14, amendment proposed, After the word "of" to insert the words "arriving at a decision upon any application submitted to them, or of making."—(Hon. Mr. J. McKenzie.) Amendment agreed to. Clause as further amended agreed to. Clause 57. Line 32, subsection (3), amendment proposed, To strike out the words "two per centum," and insert the words "two and a half per centum" in lieu thereof.—(Hon. Mr. J. McKenzie.) Amendment agreed to. Clause as further amended agreed to. Clause 61. Subsection (1), amendment proposed, After the word "in" to insert the words "and circulated in the locality where such lands are situated."—(Mr. C. H. Mills.) Amendment agreed to. Clause as further amended agreed to. Clause 78. Line 45, amendment proposed, To strike out the words " during the currency of such license or lease." (After discussion, the consideration of this clause was further postponed.) Clause 80. Line 18, amendment proposed, To strike out the word " leased," and insert the words " sold or leased under this Act" in lieu thereof.—(Hon. Mr. J. McKenzie.) Clause 105. Line 11, amendment proposed, To strike out the word "may," and insert in lieu thereof, "(1.) May." Line 17, after the word "acre" to insert the word "or." Amendments agreed to. Clause as further amended agreed to. New subsection proposed, after the word " or," as follows: " (2.) May, if not sold at such auction, be let for any time not exceeding fourteen years, at a rent not less than five per centum on the upset price of such lands, subject that the lessee shall not have any right of compensation for improvements at the expiration of his lease."—(Hon. Mr. J. McKenzie.) Amendment agreed to. Clause as further amended agreed to. Clause 108 a. New clause proposed : — 108 a. Any selector of less than six hundred and forty acres of land under Part 111. of this Act, or under the provisions of any former Act relating to occupation of land on similar tenure, may apply to the Board for an additional area of surveyed or unsurveyed land contiguous to the land in his selection; and the Board, if they think fit, but subject to the limitations of this Act, may dispose of such land to the applicant without competition, at such price not being in any case less than twenty shillings per acre, to hold the same on the same tenure as that of his original selection. Lands which are separated only by a road or a stream shall be deemed to be contiguous for the purposes of this section.—(Mr. Mackintosh.) Clause agreed to. Clause 121. Line 48, amendment proposed, After the word " derived "to insert the following new paragraph: " The price or value of land upon which a third is to be paid to local authorities under this section shall be deemed to be and to have been the net price or value before any addition has been made thereto, under the provisions of ' The Government Loans to Local Bodies Act Amendment Act, 1891.'"—(Hon. Mr. J. McKenzie.) Amendment agreed to. Clause as further amended agreed to. Clause 123. Line 23, subsection (1), amendment proposed, After the word "situate "to insert the words " or to the Eoad Board of the adjacent district, if the access is from or through that district."—(Mr. Lake.) Amendment agreed to. Clause as further amended agreed to. Clause 125 a. New clause proposed, as follows : — When any local authority entitled to receive the third of the annual payments arising from lands held on deferred payments or perpetual lease shall satisfy the Land Board of the district that they have completed the making of the roads of access to open up the said lands, to which purpose the aforesaid payments are by law applicable, or that they propose to complete the same out of moneys then proposed to be borrowed under the said Act, then and in either of such cases the Board may grant a certificate to the local authority to such effect as the case may be, and the said local authority shall thereafter be entitled to apply the recurring annual payments aforesaid as ordinary revenue of the district in the first above-mentioned case, and in the second case may pledge such annual payments, or so much thereof as shall be necessary, in lieu of or in reduction of special rates as security for any such loan as aforesaid. In case any selector of land on deferred payments shall pay the capitalised value of the land in his occupation, the third of such value shall in every case be applicable in the same manner as provided in this section in respect of the recurring annual payments, and shall be so applied.—• (Hon. Mr. J. McKenzie.) Clause agreed to. Clause 138 further postponed. Clause 162 a. New clause proposed: " 162 a. No person shall be capable of becoming the holder of any land within a special settlement exceeding three hundred and twenty acres in area." (Hon. Mr. J. McKenzie.) Clause agreed to. Resolved, To adjourn sine die. Next meeting postponed clauses to be further considered. The Committee then adjourned.

Wednesday, 24th August, 1892. The Committee met pursuant to notice. Present: Mr. E. Thompson (Chairman), Mr. Duncan, Mr. Hogg, Mr. Lake, Mr. T. Mackenzie', Hon. Mr. J. McKenzie, Mr. Mackintosh, Mr. C. H. Mills, Mr. Rhodes, Hon. Mr. Bolleston, and Mr. W. C. Smith.

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