ENG-1963 — Page 20

REVIEW

The terms of sale referred to in this notification were the average rate of rental realized at the sale on the 14th June 1841 and at the rate of £20 a year for each quarter acre for town inland lots, and £5 for each quarter acre for suburban inland lots.

This procedure of sale by private treaty was short lived but must have been extensively employed during its life, since much building took place during this period which clearly could not have been contained within 33 marine lots. Six months later on 22nd March 1842, owing to the uncertain description of the lots sold, the claims made for allotments of land, the alteration, curtail- ment and enlargement of boundaries by the making of new roads, and the uncertain tenure upon which the land was to be held, it was necessary to establish a committee to investigate claims and to mark boundaries. The land officer was to attend the com- mittee and give effect to its proceedings. But two months later on 21st May 1842 all further grants of land were prohibited, the post of land officer temporarily abolished and a land and road inspector appointed in his place.

The instructions issued to the inspector were to take no action on applications for land since 'the existing prohibition against further grants of land is to continue in full force pending the receipt of Commands from Her Majesty's Government'. These Commands came in the form of the Royal Charter and Instructions dated 5th April 1843 which laid down the principle of sale by auction. In August the Governor received instructions from Lord Stanley directing him to 'abstain from alienating any land for any time of greater length than might be necessary to induce and enable the tenants to erect substantial building', refusing to sanction any grants already made and requiring a committee to be set up to inquire into the equitable claims of all holders of land.

On 4th January 1844 this committee (with the land officer now reinstated as chairman) reported that the sale of the marine lots gave an average annual rental of nearly £350 an acre, and, looking to the fact that this was the result of a public sale, and that the purchasers were under the impression that the time for which the land was disposed of was unlimited, it recommended that all the marine lots hitherto sold or granted should be rec- ognized and confirmed for a period of 75 years, excepting those which had been abandoned or forfeited, and considering that, in