CO129-304 - Governor Sir Blake - 1901 [1-4] — Page 494

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COPY.

Enclosurel.

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488

APR OF

His Excellency the Governor.

I have to apologise to your Excellency for my delay in

answering your minute-- a delay which has been caused partly by

illness and partly by pressure of official duty.

2. I have consultel Mr Serconbe Smith, the Acting Paisne

Judge, and beg to submit the following observations on the matters

referred to in the papers.

3. The Crown Solicitor is not quite accurate in stating,

in the fourth paragraph of his minute, that "the complaint against

the Land Office is not that there is delay in the registration of

deeds in the band Office, but that there is great delay in obtalo- ing deeds from the band Office after registration." The specific

complaint mentioned in Your Excellency's minute of 15.1.01 is that "there is delay in getting deeds registered in the Land Office."

4. With regard to the smaller aspects of the matter, I

have some reason to think that the delay complained of somebines occurs in the solicitors' offices. I would recommend that special temporary assistance be furnished by the Government for the pur- pose of bringing the folio ledgers up to date, and of clearing out the accumulation of deeds by delivering them to the persons who

have procured registration of them. Then a fresh start might be

made, either (1) by reverbing to the old system of the office ·it- self returning deels when they have been registered, or (2) by establishing, with full notification to all the solicitors, the

new system of delivering deeds, when registered, on application made for that purpose- as the band and Deputy Land Officers may be advised is the better practice. :I confess to a leaning in favour

of the former practice.

5. I quite agree with the Crown Solicitor's 'recommenda-

bion