Sessional_Paper_1886-1887 — Page 466

LAND COMMISSION REPORT.

A Commission was issued by the Officer Administering the Government on the 30th of April, 1886, appointing the undersigned Commissioners for the purpose of inquiring into and reporting upon the system of leasing or otherwise disposing of Crown Lands, and to suggest any alterations or im- provements therein, or to facilitate the transfer of land held directly or indirectly from the Crown, and generally to report upon any means that can be adopted by the Government in the disposal of land to check overcrowding in the more thickly populated parts of the City. They were also empowered to receive evidence for that purpose, and to report the evidence and their opinion thereon.

Mr. BRUCE SHEPHERD, Deputy Land Officer, was appointed Secretary to the Commission on the 4th May, 1886, and on the 9th October following, Mr. JAMES SAMPSON then temporarily attached as Surveyor to the Public Works Department was appointed Land Surveyor to the Commission for the purpose of obtaining information required by the Commissioners with reference to the numbers, dwellings, areas of ground occupied, and other requisite particulars concerning the villagers in the outlying districts and the nature of their occupancy.

The inquiries of the Commission were necessarily divided under four heads :-

1st. The system of selling and granting Crown Lands upon Lease or otherwise.

2nd. The registration of deeds and documents in the Land Office, including the system of

dividing and sub-dividing the lots granted upon Lease by the Leaseholders into sections and sub-sections and sections of sub-sections.

3rd. The occupancy of Land in the villages other than under Crown Leases.

4th. The overcrowding in the City of Victoria, its causes, and methods of alleviation.

The extent and nature of these subjects induced the Commissioners to prepare a series of questions upon most of the matters under inquiry in order that answers and information might be obtained after due consideration, a copy of which is annexed, and on the 16th February, 1887, these questions were circulated among upwards of 100 of the principal Landowners, Barristers, Solicitors, Surveyors, and others having special knowledge of the subjects under inquiry, and, as the result, information and answers have been presented to the Committee by 66 individuals and important evidence has thereby been obtained.

These answers have been presented by 10 European Landowners, 34 Chinese Landowners (31 of whom have given their answers and opinions in one body), 12 Barristers and Solicitors, 4 Surveyors and Auctioneers, and 6 by Government Officers having special knowledge of the subjects under consi- deration.

Seven sittings of the Commission have been held in the Chambers of the Chairman.