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4. "That the same rule be adopted, and the same price fixed for allotments already occupied and built upon, in the towns of Greymouth, Ross Town, Kaniere, and other Gold Field townships, when they are thrown open for sale."

5. With respect to town sections which the foregoing Resolutions decide should be secured to the holders on payment of £1 a foot and £1 10s. a foot frontage respectively, the Government are advised that they are legally compelled to put up all Town Lands to auction at an upset price per acre, and that they cannot therefore, as desired by the Committee, sell the sections to the present holders otherwise than by auction. At the same time the Government have decided that the above sections shall not be put up to auction at their instance until an endeavour has been made, at the next meeting of the General Assembly, to obtain an amendment to the Gold Fields Act, by which the recommendation of the Committee may be carried out.

6. With respect to the other town sections, all buildings and other improvements will be valued, and the value will be added to the upset price at which any such section is put up to auction in accordance with Clause 24 of the "Gold Fields Act Amendment Act, 1865."

The value of the buildings or improvements will be returned to the present holders immediately after the auction.

The sections will be sold to the highest bidder, the upset price being at the rate of £48 an acre.

3. In order that it may be definitely ascertained who are the persons who are at present entitled to be considered the owners of improvements in the sections to be put up for sale, it is necessary that the claimant should on the day of sale produce a certificate signed by the Warden, showing him to be the holder of the section, or part of section, on which the improvement exists.

All persons, therefore, who claim to be the owners of improvements on any sections to be offered for sale, must, on or before the 10th day of March, apply at the Mining Registrar’s Office for a certificate of registration of their sections or parts of sections.

The names of such applicants, with a description of their claims, will be posted up at the Mining Registrar’s Office for one week from the 11th to the 17th March, after which, if no objection has been lodged, the certificate will be issued.

Should any other claimant object to the issue of the certificate, the case will be heard and decided in the Warden’s Court.

On the day of sale no claim will be recognised by the Land Board unless the claimant can produce his certificate of registration; and all sections for which no certificate has been taken out will be sold to the highest bidder, without any value added for improvements.

All certificates must be actually in force on the day of sale, and therefore must be brought to the Mining Registrar’s Office for renewal from time to time, at intervals of not more than ten days, between the date of their issue and the sale of the land.

4. In order that a fair value may be placed on improvements existing on sections to be offered for sale, an assessor will be appointed by the Government, and should the owner of the buildings and improvements, valued by such Government Assessor, not be satisfied with such valuation, he shall be entitled to appeal to another Assessor, to be appointed by the Improvement Committee in either Hokitika or Greymouth townships respectively, provided the said owner guarantees the expense of such further valuation; and should the two Assessors not agree, then the Government District Engineer shall be the umpire, whose decision shall be final.

Christchurch:

Printed, under the authority of the Provincial Government of the Province of Canterbury, at the Press Office, Cashel-street, by James Edward Fitzgerald, Official Printer for the time being to the said Government.