MAORI LAND PROBLEM.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 659, 9 November 1909, Page 8

MAORI LAND PROBLEM.

WEST COAST SETTLEMENT RESERVES* , A DEPUTATION' AND ME, CARROLL'S REPLXi Tho half-hundred Natives of -Taranaki who. . aro now visiting Wellington, jn connection withmatters concerning Nistivo laads were to havo •'■i-." .boon heard "by- the; Prime .'Minister, yesttsrday, "MX'i but when theytwero ushered into the room, it . was found that it was, tho .Nafavo Mmieter ,'i v '(the Hon.■ ;J. Carroll) who was to sae .them. .. The deputation, whioh was introduced by Mr. i > , ;.'-.-.';. , .:W.'i'P.'"Mas9ey, : .was ; ;head6d by tie executive I ir S the Union of Tribes between Wiitotara- and - :< ■;>■:; .'■ AVhite-Chffs. ii Tho executive consists .of . tho , . j: Rev.'i. Tahnpotiku Haddon. (representing • Ngarauru ,and :<Ngatiruanui tribes), Hon■*Martina 1 , (representing 'the great' Taranaki - tribe), Dr. vi.■■■:■ Pomare and.Tuhata, Patuhiki (representing the \~%~ : Abana;..and'iNgatimaru'.tribes).'J :v.'.;> - Th® principal subject which is agitating the , .i," --Native / mind is tho ■ control of ■ thoso lands which-were Crown-granted to the Natives by • tho Commission of ,1880 (Sir. Wm. Fox and Sir j "i: /?: H.D.: Bell)," part of the'great area confiscated after the . Taranaki; wars sof tho early 'sixties. t: :3. r, This land, which is tested in the Public Truss j f ■ • tee,, consists 0f,'201,395 acres, and lies-between ' Waitotaram the south and White Cliffs (near., ' Mokau). in tho -north.>Allvthe Taranaki:tribes; 1 i ; .jre concernedi'moro or .less, in the ownership. ! §,l:ferhefe.> .werei;. 300 - grants -Originally and 5289 < grantees .which gave an'iiirea 0f.38 acres per '...iv: man.Of the 201.395 acres, 123,408 have lwen ) -.••. ieascd to the pakeha (in- perpetuity), 20,301 i v. -icros are in the possession of Native, farmers, i :'.VIB.UOO acres is,leased land,,the leases of which i mm fall •m. shortly; and the nest (16,683 - acres) are i unworked land* ' 'wv.:'.'','"Thsi'.'Latt .of.'Hit .People,- , t 7 .■-The caso was put briefly : but picturesquely ■. I ' bv.KahupnkoTO, one of,the "old authorities," whose ?mana: lives- yet:among the -peoples of Taranaki Kahupukoro said — t , "I como before you.to-oay to have the tears , ' wiped away -from j ray eyes,.' those tears which • -, v ever since the beginning;: of otfr difficulty have, s;f;..•■ . continued ■ to. fall upbn: my: cheeks.l; stand, a-.' '-/''before you - to-day ..as it, last-, man: of. ■ my people, for I really represent- those who s : -'have gone to the other side.: I come along to 1 plaoe my grievances:before,you; those griev-. t - •'• ances'beginning -about the: year. 1880 have ;;«■ continued. with - us: until :■ 1905. I como - here . now to ask you to give mo back * the lands ... • :]ying between "Waitotara and .. ,; The peoplo who represent ; those -lands-lying, fti.'-.'.-'betwoon. Waitotara -and-.-theyWhrte Cliffs are «, here before you 'to-day fillly, represented—they. . -live. , That is :all i- have to.'say." •*•. ■ The ( After ,Kahupukoro finishedv|-Dr. :Pon)aro was called on'.to .read the plea Natives outlined by the Union, as follows:— ' To Sir Joseph Ward. < Primo Minister;. of thd,4>omimon of Now Zealand,-" ' u .v.'->>',v'-W«,'tlie'repres6iit!iiiTe«'o(r(be united tribes ol : •'. Ngatiruanm, .Ngartuiru,; Taranaki,: Ngatimuru, and Te Atlawa,. /living,between Waitotara and, • tho White Chffs.i ask. you. 'Bir.Joseph,- and Par-' ■ : liament,' to ropeal ' Tho ,West,' Coast Settlement , Eeservcs Act 0f1892." and-its'amendments, and ' ' - to ■ place our; lands.under Of the.; , ; Crown Grants.. ' i Because.,vtJfn .; Vs. •. , - violation,of,thO'Treaty of "Waitangi; a violation • ; ? ;< of the Constitutional Act of 1852; a violation of m 11 Sir George Grey's solemn . of ; ' ."-.December 17, 1864, and Septemoer 2, 1865, which K.j; l reads:—"That :all: rebel inhabitants of the said- . y,i'. ; :distncts':who come within';a Ireasonttble time.* ' and make submission to the',Queen, will receive ;■ ''.a'.'Sufficient Quantity of land-under grant from ' ■mMio :orown/ . To.,aU tho.?6 ,)?)lci have- remained ■ ..... v; v ind shall continue <in peacai and friendship,-, the • - ' Jovernor asauies'.the full .benefit, and enjoyment ' if their lands." And furthers trampling? under ■ .i'.tv Voot of the Crown .■ grants; :<#fTfher :lato Ma.festy Queen Victoria. -That ini4d)t4us and ornel Act t ■v ! 'Yested onr .lands 1 in the Pablte Trustee lor-ever > • : .. is, if he were tho thereof, in ~' ypite 1 of the Crown'', grants i solemnly given to us -by .her late, Majesty. ' ,lt^empowered tho Public ■f ' Trustee >to . arbitrardy lease, our lands „ for all .v, :s.limo, ■ regardless .-.of whother'™e havo snffleient - Vir our maintenance or: noU;'f-.lt prevented tho -Jidividualisation :of ,our 'lands, thus encourae■m =' • ing communism,; killing, all-iiicontivc to work, - forming a pretext for .thefrPuhlic. ■ Trustee to . take our lands .and; lease. thonsamo for over. :It lonferred' enormous poweMVnpon the l>nbhc , T i irnsteo.' placing' tliat offloiatsin .'the. position of . j tyrant, instead, of be;nß, l sa. loving father- . .looking after, 'thoiiinterests welfare "'Ot'iUs;: . his -children, by. making adequate provisions for j- our immediate; :needa as well as for our future ■■-■i:'■ reqnlrementil." i And now,: .that no fur- :,,: ther leasing of .our .landsi ba-:pontinued by the :■ o, "Public iTrnstee, -and that iioUr' lands now faltIng due, be.-returned to .usivabd:. that youi Sir f Joseph, and / the; Mlni6terfl'.:lof',-j'ouc Cabinet ~ ~,! Nrill pome.road .-bv iwhioh'?ol^-lands 'leasedt'.w , tho .Public .-Trustee fOr./iill'vtimo: be. ictprded . to us, as wo realiee thatvm.'oi-der -to ',avert .«t't unction . .we:'must.",-becomo not - mero rent-reec-ivors. . .And,- 'lurthermorc.. there are,a lareo-number-.of 'to ithc 1 • . - .above-mentioned ..tribes .who-were left Out, ofthe ..Crown grants .and >-are.,n(W. landless :i. we task -- that provision bo also-'made* for "fflem; ' ' , The Hon, J. Carroll's Reply r : :,The.Hon;;J.:t'arroll:said: "I hopo that as & s . result of . your visit, and what you have laid j-.,: before mo that , the Government will be'able to' do something., at nnyrato . in ,tho direction -in ■ i. ;■ which: - you, ask. The difficulty with those .Crown grants that, you IS':;.not >.that ■ ■ they, were "issuod, > but • that .war has resulted, and-as a result of those..wars, ;,v. .. the whole position, was changed.. If these lands of .yours had not,been .tiedj a,''way' . : as.preventcd.their disposal, it is almost certain .•.V that, to-day ,you would- bo absolutely landless, .vLet us, without-going into any .idle records as to, the .past, take the position, as wo find it-to- J j, day. There are 18,391:! acres-controlled hy the Public jTrnsteo, whichiiaro not-under the per- , ..: petual, .lease, and the. laase3 fall dn,in; tho "■ usual n ay. That areaas (leased under ,thn Act, : '. 0f.1893..; The other, whatlis'callethfcHo' porpotual* ,:i: .. lease;-i8 leaded for',2l years,.with the perpetual . right of' renewal, ■-Of. course ■ the Europeans are ..urging that these,lß,39l acresllshould bo thrown, in under the Act for perpetual lease. And ,be : ,yput on the same footing as,the.other...Thoia are TOppo^-<-tlmt!.f'will?be' r -uiider' Cne perpetual lease. and.'there aro between"Booo sind :X; ■: S/000 of village settlement. . ,The, lands that are .... fixed' under /Jtase, we,, shall not able to do anything with. So far as tho Gbv-sj-nment is :p9sitioh with regard' to the 18,391' acres as that we are not'lbcliried to put-it under:tho'perpetnal-leaso system, bnt ,".yon have: got the pakeha settlers to'fight- about - . this. The pakeha settlers are urging, s of course, , for the placing of them- under the perpetual , . ■: - lease I do,not think :Vcan promise you, with regard to the 18,000 odd acres, that ivo can haiid it back.-to you, to "manage as -you think- : best, because lam afraid if we-did 'that you would start to argue nnd get into difficulties (\mongst yourselves as' to tho way:to maimgo it, . and we should havo fresh Native. difisculty-. I r, :■ v am.-, quite with ■ you.-. as '.regards .-tho •• 18,000 odd acres—l do , not see thatdt ■is Tight- that" the' | pakeha should . claim; a . porpotual renewal of I , this. I am piito witVyou there... (Applaud )'I "Too Steep for Us to Climb." ■■ v "As, to those • acres that have been given away .• . .under tho perpetual i lesse,. lam afraid -that ' mountain- is- too stdep ■ for? ns.'to ''climb:''T 1 v ~ '.would; not like, to hold out any hopes for you ■' . as;ito those. ;I: can. assure, you i that.'if. there is' an,? systom:by .which yon can.get those lands ,anil work ; them with the sweat, of "your 1 hrbw, I im < entirely -with , you, / because- that;', is a ; . condition of thmgs. that I would, veryimiuch • liko to see brougnt'. about, and, .indeed,"'if'.it . , could be .brought about it wotild not', only bo a good thing: for. yourselves, but it .would b° a good, thing for the Dominion generally—. ,• wo want industry. This much I can say del finitely: I.am afraid Parliament .will..rise'bev i fore Chnstmas, and if you have any hopes .:, that an amendment! .to the 'West Coast !Nitiv'e' Reserves Act con bo mado this session, that, a ... Bill , can bo brought'before the House,. I am afraid I ,cannot, promise you that. All work . . to;.be given -out for Parliament' to 'do i this' : , Bcssion is actually given .out;. There -will be' .: no new work,-as far as 1 .1 know,' introduced •; : during-the-present j,session. ; As'to'your' peti- ; tion. and what-youj'have said, I shall discuss' ■ the matter thoronghly/ inth the Public Tnis 1 - • ' tee: I shall go into -the question with him and find out the/eract position of the lands .. under his. management on. the West* Coast."Pou Whareuinu said: "I thank you for what yon havo said. There is one matter I should i like to touch upon, and that is with regard .I:,--,-.'to-'those'.lands leased to tho pakeha. Some of . i. thoso leases are . about to fall ami others, ; u Trill fall in a little later on, * and I> should ; '. like to have . some assurance' df sdmo 1 . sort' - : that with'regard to those 'leases: that, are fall;lng in almost immediately,--that something will - ' be doiio to .prevent- them being renewed.". ; y Mr Massey .thanked the Minister' for the ' manner in-which he,had.rcceivod the deputa- ' ' tion, and sincerely hoped-that; gop(l. result therefrom.; One thing which appealed to him in tho petition was'.the.stitpment that f ■ the Native race were desiTOnsi.ofcbecoming far-: ••If nlers, and not.mere rent-receivers, and if there was anything he could do to assist them.in that direction it wo.ild give him pleasuie