NATIVE AFFAIRS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 906, 27 August 1910, Page 11

NATIVE AFFAIRS.

Sir,—Thero..' is so much injustico iu connection .with the Native' Office, and so littlo known . about it that I .have taken the opportunity of ventilating one or two matters only. It would bo easy to till up your paper with cases of gross iniquity. , The Maoris here tire much dissatisfied at present in. regard to a piece of land :at Hirukarama, .about 7000 acres, which has been handed over to the board to manage for the owners. The majority of them know nothing abuut the matter. ■ A few. get to work, and it is soon found that all are committed, and havo.no. say ,in their own land, merely having some shares. They cannot tell which ,-part of the block is theirs. As one of the chiefs said in-court lately, :thoy are in tho position of slaves who are being murdered by tho Native Office. A vote of' the owners was taken to select a manager. This farce was gone through at a meeting held lately at-Hirukarama, the hon.- the Native Minister being present.. One of the candidates,' who has been highly favoured by the Minister for. years, polled eight votes out of about 250. "Tho Land Board' met .about ten days ago,'and it was announced that the Government had appointed the man that polled tho eight votes. What aii abuse of power! The board had no say in the matter. This appointment ■ has been given to u man whose wife has got an estate worth Over .£30,000 by Maori .wills. Another favourite has a' position as sanitary inspector; he is also a rich man. Would a. genuine Liberal Government give such billets in this way?—l am, etc., . . OBSERVER.