June 20.] THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE. 1905

Maori Lands in Wellington Land District for Lease by Public Tender.

Office of the Aotea Maori Land Board,
Whanganui, 27th May, 1907.

NOTICE is hereby given that written tenders will be received at this office up to 4 p.m. on Monday, 15th July, 1907, for leases of the undermentioned lands for a term of twenty-one years, with right of renewal for a further term of twenty-one years, under the provisions of “The Maori Lands Administration Act, 1900,” and its amendments, and the regulations made thereunder.

SCHEDULE.

WELLINGTON LAND DISTRICT.—WAIMARINO COUNTY.—MORIKAU NO. 2 BLOCK.

General Description.

Morikau No. 2 Block is situated between Jerusalem, about forty-five miles up the Wanganui River, and Raetihi (the county town of the Waimarino County), the distance being about five miles from Jerusalem to its western boundary, and also about five miles from Raetihi to its eastern boundary. Raetihi is about sixty miles from Wanganui by the Raetihi-Parapara Road, a great portion of which is still only a bridle-track. Access to the northern portion of the block is by the Pipiriki main coach-road. The distance from Pipiriki to the western boundary is about seven miles and a half, and the distance from Raetihi to the eastern boundary is a little more than six miles. The south-eastern portion of the block is accessible by a continuation of the Jerusalem-Atuahae Road through the block past Trig.-station Raekohua. This road is formed as a dray-road to within half a mile of the boundary of the block; and an old Maori track to Jerusalem goes right through the block in a southerly direction, practically along the surveyed road-line. The right to use this track is reserved until the road is formed. Access to one section is by the Mangaetoroa Road, on the eastern side of the Mangaetoroa Stream, about five miles from Raetihi. Access to the south-western portion of the block is by the Mangoihe Road, which branches off the Pipiriki-Raetihi Road near the Mangoihe Stream, about nine miles from Raetihi; this road follows the Mangoihe Stream down for about three miles, and then strikes off in a south-westerly direction through the block to the Horomia Stream, which is the western boundary of the block. The land generally throughout the block is undulating to hilly, with small flats along the larger streams and on some of the ridges. Some of the streams are deep gorges, the land falling very steeply into them. Where practicable, these gorges have been made boundaries of sections. The quality of the soil varies from fair to good, and lies on papa, sandstone, and shell-rock formation. The country is well-watered. The block is entirely forest-clad with bush, comprising principally tawa, rimu, rata, matai, maire, &c., with tawhero on the ridges and higher elevation, and here and there birch, and a dense undergrowth of rangiora, mahoe, houhou, karamu, kotukutuku, supplejacks; &c. The elevation above sea-level ranges from 300 ft. in the bed of the Mangoihe Stream at the south-western corner to 2,450 ft. at the Waipuna Trig.-station.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS.

1. Every tender shall be enclosed in a sealed envelope addressed to the President, and marked on the outside as follows: “Tender for lease of Lot No. , as advertised in the newspaper of the day of , 19 ,” and shall be accompanied by a statutory declaration in the form or to the effect set forth in Form K in the Schedule hereto.

2. If any person desires to tender for more than one lot, a separate tender for each such lot must be made, and separate declarations as required by the last preceding rule. And each such tender must be accompanied by six months’ rent and £3 3s., also stamp duty and registration fee and the value of improvements (if any).

3. All tenders shall be opened simultaneously by the Board on a day appointed for the purpose. Every tender shall be deemed to be informal and incapable of being accepted where the rental tendered is less than the upset rental fixed as aforesaid.

4. The highest tenderer, if his tender shall equal or exceed the upset rental, shall be declared the lessee, and be entitled to possession of the lands so soon as he has been notified of acceptance of tender, and has complied with all other conditions lawfully prescribed in that behalf.

5. If the rent offered by two or more persons is the same amount, and is higher than that offered by any other tenderers, then the Board shall, after opening all the tenders, decide by lot, in such manner as it shall think fit, which of such two or more persons shall be declared the lessee.

6. The deposits and fees paid by the unsuccessful tenderers for any lease shall be returned to them by the Board immediately after any tender for such lease has been accepted.

7. When the Board shall declare any person to be the lessee of any lot it shall forthwith notify the same to such person by registered letter, addressed to such person at the address given in the tender, and shall in such notice require such person, within thirty days after such notice, to execute the lease in triplicate. If two or more persons jointly tender, the notice shall be posted to each of such persons. Such notice shall be in the Form L in the Regulations under “The Maori Lands Administration Act, 1900,” or to the effect thereof.

8. If any person who has been declared a lessee shall fail to execute his lease within thirty days after being required by notice so to do, then his deposit and the above-mentioned sum of £3 3s. shall be absolutely forfeited to the Board, and the right of such person to obtain such lease shall absolutely cease and determine. Where any lessee shall forfeit his right to a lease as aforesaid, and as often as such a case shall occur from time to time until the land be leased, or until there be a failure of tenderers whose tenders are formal, the Board may, at any time within seven days of such forfeiture, declare the next highest tenderer for the same lease whose tender is not informal to be the lessee, or, if the rent offered by two or more persons is the same amount, and is higher than the rent offered by any other tenderer save the one who has so forfeited his right to a lease as aforesaid, may decide by lot which of such other persons shall be the lessee. Every person declared a lessee under this section shall, upon his paying the deposit and fees as aforesaid, be declared to have become the lessee on the day of the opening of the tenders as if he had been so declared on such day.

9. If no tender shall be received prior to the time fixed for opening the tenders for any of the leases advertised for sale, any person may at any time thereafter apply for any one of such leases, unless the same shall have been withdrawn from lease by the Board, and be declared the lessee thereof at the upset rental fixed, upon complying with the other conditions prescribed as to tenders. If, in any such case, two or more applicants shall lodge their tenders on the same day, the right to the lease shall be decided by lot.

10. The Board may at any time reduce the upset value of land which it has failed to lease for three months, and may again call for tenders for the same at such reduced value.

11. The lease to be granted in pursuance of any tender may be in the Form M in the Regulations under “The Maori Lands Administration Act, 1900,” or in such other form as the circumstances may require.

12. No tender shall be accepted or lease granted except the same be in accordance with the provisions of “The Maori Lands Administration Act, 1900,” herein referred to as “the said Act”) and its amendments, and the regulations made thereunder.

13. No lease shall comprise more than 2,000 acres, inclusive of not more than 640 acres of first-class land, except