Sessional_Paper_1884-1885 — Page 144

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(2.)-That having regard to the manner in which the Crown Lots in this Colony have been and are still being divided into Sections and such Sections into Sub-sections, and the difficulty, and in some cases the impossibility, thus occasioned in tracing and obtaining production of such of the Title Deeds as relate to the whole of the Crown Lot or' Section before such division, it would greatly facilitate and cheapen the trans- mission of land if a system for filing official copies of all Deeds which have now to be registered in the Land Office were legalized, either by duplicate copies of such deeds being left with the originals, or by such originals being copied by clerks to be appointed for the purpose, such official copies to be taken and received as evidence of the originals, and if certified copies of the memorials of all such deeds as have already been registered were (unless and except so far as they should be proved to be inaccurate) to be taken to be sufficient evidence of the deed and of the due execution thereof so far as the same were exemplified in the memorial.

VI. Your said petitioners also discussed several other points of practice and procedure, and came unanimously to the conclusion that without the aid of state legislation nothing effectual could be accomplished towards rescuing the land question of the Colony from its present hopeless and entangled position.

VII. The accompanying draft form of Ordinance has been prepared by your said petitioners after careful consideration and regard to the special nature of the require- ments of the practice of conveyancing in the Colony.

VIII. If an Ordinance to the proposed effect were passed, your said petitioners have no hesitation in saying that it would be a great relief to a large majority of land- owners and would materially facilitate dealings with lands in this Colony.

Your said petitioners therefore humbly pray Your Excellency and the Legislative Council to introduce an Ordinance to the above effect and your petitioners will ever pray, &c.

A. B. JOHNSON,

Crown Solicitor.

WILLIAM WOTTON.

VICTOR H. DEACON.

ALFRED PARKER STOKES.

H. L. DENNYS.

F. H. O. WILSON.

C. ERNEST BOWLES.

ERNEST R. WOOD.

W. H. R. MOSSOP.

MATHEW J. D. STEPHENS.

HENRY J. HOLMES.

CREASY EWENS.

H. T. ARKCOLL.

DANIEL E. CALDWELL.

GODFREY C. C. MASTER.