Auckland Provincial Government Gazette.

(2.) Local timber reserves may be made for the purpose of supplying timber and firewood for the use of ratepayers within any highway district; and such local reserves may be placed under the control of the Board of the district in which they shall be situated, to be managed and dealt with in such way as may from time to time be directed by any Act of the Provincial Legislature.

(3.) Areas of growing timber and forest lands may be offered for sale or lease either by public auction or public tender. No such area shall exceed fifty acres in extent; and when any such area shall be leased, it shall be for a premium or foregift at a nominal rental, and not by way of rack-rent. And the term of any such lease shall not exceed ten years.

(4.) Excepting as by this clause provided, all such sales and leases shall be conducted in manner provided in the case of third-class lands, the like notice to be given in the case of public tender as of public auction.

(5.) Any other special conditions that the Superintendent may consider desirable in the public interest, and which shall not be inconsistent with these provisions, may be inserted in any such lease.

65. The Superintendent may require that the Board of any highway district shall take charge and supervision of any waste lands containing timber or timber reserves situated within such district, with a view to prevent trespass or damage or destruction thereof by fire; and it shall be the duty of every such Highway Board so required by the Superintendent to take charge and supervision of such lands accordingly.

66. It shall be lawful for the Superintendent and Provincial Council, by Act, to hand over to the colony any timber lands which under the provisions of this Act may be set apart as permanent timber reserves, to be dealt with under the provisions of any Act or Acts of the General Assembly of New Zealand now in force, or hereafter to be in force, for the conservation and management of forest lands.

Mineral Lands.

67. It shall be lawful for the Superintendent to grant leases of land for the purpose of mining and working the minerals therein, subject to the following terms and conditions:—

(1.) Every such lease shall comprise so much land as shall be necessary, in the opinion of the Superintendent, for the efficient working of the minerals, not being less than twenty acres or more than eighty acres, in respect of all minerals other than coal; and in respect of coal, any number of acres not being less than twenty acres or more than six hundred and forty acres.

(2.) The term to be granted in each lease shall be any number of years, at the option of the lessee, not exceeding twenty-one, and with a right of renewal, upon such terms as the Superintendent may decide, for a further period of twenty-one years.

(3.) There shall be reserved such rents as the Superintendent shall think fit.

(4.) Every such lease shall contain clauses in the usual form introduced into mining leases—

(a.) For securing the payment of the rent.

(b.) For enabling some person on the part of the lessor from time to time to enter and examine the demised premises and the works thereon.

(c.) For securing the regular proper and efficient working of the minerals.

(d.) For making void the lease on breach of the stipulations on the part of the lessee therein contained.

(e.) For delivering up the demised premises in good tenantable repair.

(f.) To enable the lessee to surrender the lease.

68. It shall be lawful for the Superintendent to make such regulations as he may think fit as to the form, time and manner of making applications for leases, and all such other regulations as he may think fit, in order to facilitate and effectively carry out the provisions and objects of this Part of this Act.

69. Nothing in this Part of this Act contained shall apply to gold, or authorize the lessees to mine or dig for gold upon any land demised under the powers herein contained; and it shall be lawful for the Governor of New Zealand, and for any delegate appointed by him, in exercise of the powers given by the Gold Fields Laws in force in the province, and by such delegation respectively, to constitute any of the land comprised in any such lease as may not be required by the lessee for efficiently and satisfactorily carrying on mining operations on the demised lands, to be a gold field under such Gold Fields Laws: Provided that provision shall at the same time be made for compensating and indemnifying the lessee from any loss or damage to be hereby occasioned.