REPORT FROM THE LAND COMMISSION OF 1886-87.
THE OCCUPANCY OF LAND IN THE VILLAGES OTHER THAN
UNDER CROWN LEASES.
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In addition to the land which has been granted on lease for 999 years or 75 years, there are other descriptions of holdings throughout the Colony.
1. The original villagers upon the Island at the time of its cession, or their descendants, a Village Rent Roll of numbers and rents of houses, but not of names, being kept until quite recently by the Registrar General, and now by the Treasurer, who collects rents, rates and taxes from all.
2. The squatters licensed by the Registrar General from year to year under a squatter's licence.
3. Trespassers, who although not licensed, yet have built several hundreds of dwellings on undisposed of Crown Land in the outlying districts, many of whom are assessed for rates and taxes.
The Crown Lands are under the control of the Surveyor General; the lands occupied by the original Villagers were, until very recently, entirely under the supervision of the Registrar General, who collected their annual Village rents, and the supervision is now divided between the Registrar General and the Treasurer, the latter of whom now collects the rents; the lands occupied by squatters are or were under the control of the Registrar General, but the rents, rates and taxes are collected by the Treasurer; the woods and forests, which are now growing and becoming every year of greatly increased value, are under the control of the Superintendent of the Botanical and Afforestation De- partment.
There are other lands also upon which grass cutters have been allowed to cut and take away the growth of herbage, and people who keep cattle and goats have been permitted to let them graze. These lands are principally under the control of the Surveyor General, but are partly under the supervision of the Botanical Superintendent for the protection of the young trees, neither of whom has a sufficient staff to effectively exercise any but the slightest semblance of control.
The Commissioners are of opinion that the division of the control and supervision of the Crown Lands among different departments, where each department is working separately, is mischievo and obstructive to the best interests of the Colony particularly as there can be n, effective control under the circumstances.
Amongst other things also the consequences are, as pointed out by the Registrar General three years ago, that the proper sanitation of the Colony is undoubtedly impracticable if the system of squatting, as at present practised, is any longer continued, on account of the miserable shanties in which these people live, owing to their having no fixity of tenure.
In connexion with the question of trespassing, the Commissioners would refer to a Report made by the Surveyor General, which was laid before them, and which they have appended hereto, and which in their opinion shows the absolute necessity of adopting some measures to prevent the rights of the Crown being encroached upon in the country districts. One of the first things which the Commissioners did, principally in consequence of that Report, was to recommend that trespassing should be put a stop to at once, and a Minute was issued by the Acting Governor on the 8th day of September, 1886, directing the Police to prevent any further trespassing, and, if necessary, to pull down any houses or matsheds that may be erected in spite of their prohibition.
RECOMMENDATIONS.
The Commissioners recommend, either :-
(1.) That a Special Commissioner, with Deputies if necessary, be appointed to examine into questions of Title, invested with full power for that purpose by the Crown or by the Legislature, or by both.
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