1862: Warden’s Courts
June 3, 2023
By AHNZ
Warden’s Courts were established as early as 1862 to administer property rights over miners’ claims. They ran all the way up to late March 1973.
Kirk’s Labour 3.0 Ministry abolished them. By this time the main business would have been granting mining and prospecting rights and collecting the applicant’s fees.
“..the amount of work before the Warden’s Court in Greymouth increased considerably in recent years. All applications still before the Court will be lifted lock, stock and barrel and transferred to Wellington. The Mines Department will take over where the Magistrates left off. The only thing staff at the Greymouth Courthouse will continue to do under the new Act will be to collect royalties and rents on licences which have previously been granted in the Warden’s Court.” – Greymouth Star (3/4/2023) reporting on Yesteryear 1973
In other words, Labour 3.0 had diverted a good little revenue stream away from locals of the judicial branch of government and into their own Ministry!
Another part of the story of how Wellington eventually takes over everything. Statism always grows.
—
Image ref. Glenn Johnston collection, West Coast Recollect
Ref. also 1979: Country Courthouse Culling, AHNZ
3 thoughts on "1862: Warden’s Courts"
Leave a Reply
Like Comment Share
Just look at Aucklands Super Statism City. My super sized rates are frittered away and ratepayers are powerless. A local example our footpath in my street sprouted multiple mysterious white marks, arrows and circles. Now this footpath is perfectly usable and has some character. Many footpaths in Waterview are more needy. No explanation from anyone about the markings so onto our trusty Waterview Community page and others also are seeking an explanation. Eventually our local rep Margy Watson replied to my piece criticizing Auckland council for no explanation about footpath.Quote ” Probably because its AT doing it, not Council. We dont vote people onto AT”. Still no wiser except hearsay about footpath.
I’m pretty sure this sort of work is just like the Edmund Hillary Square in Orewa. The “repairs” and “improvements” are made as cover for the fact that contractors have cash poured into them. There has to be some pretense that they did something for all that money. Even if they have to fix things that aren’t broken. Same explanation serves as to why so many useless people in hi-vis vests mull about ‘on the job’.
A local government answerable to its people wouldn’t get away with so much. Even more obscene in tomorrow’s post: 1979: Country Courthouse Culling.
Well, yes neighbour sez there were dozens of Hi Vis and vehicles on this marking of footpath. To be fair there are many underground services but why the secrecy from our local Stooges. Rather than “Lying by Omission” maybe “Communication by Omission”.