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Petitions Presented to The House of Representatives

No. 4. — Petition of the Inhabitants of Mount Benger and Manuherikia

No. 4.
Petition of the Inhabitants of Mount Benger and Manuherikia

To the Honourable the Speaker and Members of the House of Representatives in Parliament assembled,
The Petition of the Inhabitants of Mount Benger and Manuherikia Districts,

Humbly Sheweth,—

That there is a strong desire on the part of the inhabitants of the above districts to settle there in permanently, provided sufficient facilities were afforded them to do so, by throwing open large quantities of land with that object.

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That as at present situated, they are entirely at the mercy of the runholders, one of whom is now imposing a charge of twenty-four (24) shillings per head of cattle per annum for the privilege of grazing, and at the same time restricting the number of beasts to be depastured by any one party to four (4), which your petitioners consider unjust, extortionate, and equal to a prohibitory tax upon industry.

"That owing to the scattered nature of the Gold Fields population, "The Gold Fields Act, 1866," in making no provision for commonage, and in restricting the quantity of land to be taken up on any one run to five thousand (5000) acres, is totally inadequate to the requirements of your petitioners, chiefly for the following reasons:—

That under present regulations your petitioners are permitted to occupy only the limited area of fifty (50) acres for both agricultural and grazing purposes, and no provision being made in giving facilities for depasturing cattle.

That your petitioners earnestly desire to impress upon your Honourable House the urgent necessity there exists for affording the utmost facility for depasturing cattle in combination with agricultural pursuits; in support of which they would point out the invaluable benefits conferred upon the early settlers of the Province by the system of hundreds.

That with the view of encouraging such settlement, your petitioners deem the repeal of| the thirty-third and thirty-fourth clauses of "The Gold Fields Act, 1866," absolutely necessary, and in lieu thereof respectfully suggest that the principle of hundreds be extended to the said district.

Your petitioners therefore humbly pray that your Honourable House will be pleased to take the foregoing facts into its earnest consideration, and adopt such course, with the view of redressing the above grievance, as to it may seem best.

And your petitioners will ever pray.

[Here follow 576 signatures.]