CO129-304 - Governor Sir Blake - 1901 [1-4] — Page 495

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tion that "all bankruptoy business should be taken entirely.out

of the hand Office", or, to put the matter more accurately, that

Mr Bruce Shepherd, the Deputy Land Officer, should 'cease to be

the Official Receiver in bankrupboy. As to his holding private

receiverships, they are only two or three in number and I do not

think they occupy mach of his bine or attention. At any rate Mr

Bruce Shepherd should be allowed to work out those which he now

holds.

3. But I go further than the Crown Solicitor and recom-

mend that the connexion between the Land Officer and the Registry

of the Suprene Sourt should be severed and the band Office.be

erected into a separate and independent public department. The

connexion, it is tone, is only a personal one, consisting in the

Registrar being also Gand Officer. But, so far as I can learn, bis

headship of the Land Office bas always been purely nominal, and I

imagine it will, from the nature of the case, continue to be

purely nominal. It appears to me that the time bas now come when,

on account of the great increase and the probable continued

increase in the encunt of its business and in its importance, the

Land Officer should be placed on an independent footing.and its

actual head be made also its nominal head. As to whether its

steff is sufficient for the work I am hardly able.to express can

opinion. I would suggest that this point might be best settled.by

an inquiry by means of a small committee of the begislative

Council.

7. It remains to be considered what should be done with

regard to the Official Receivership if the Deputy Land Officer is

relieved of it. I doubt whether it could be thrown on any one of

the present staff of the Registry. This might be done if the .senior members of the staff were always on duty, but it constant-

ly happens that one of them is absent on teave or is holding an acting appointment at the Magistracy or else where. I venture to

suggest