THE MOKAU CASE.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1189, 26 July 1911, Page 4

THE MOKAU CASE.

■ FURTHER STATEMENT BY MR. MASSEY. STICKS TO HIS FIGURES. ' (By Telegraph-Press Association.) Aucklandi July i r >. The Lender of the Opposition (Mr. Masfoy), beforo he left lor Wellington this evening, made a statement regarding the Mokiiu Block case. Mr. Mnssey fa id he had to thank Messrs. M'Xab mid Loughnan for their assistance in advertising

this now notorious land transaction.' That, of course, was not their object in rushing into print, nnd their tactics reminded him of the French proverb: "Ho who excuses himself, accuses himself." If they thought by this noise and bluster they wcro going to get him off the track then they did not know their man. "Let me," he said, "as briefly as pos-. siblo give tho main facts in connection with what has taken place between 1882 and 1886. Mr. Joshua Jones obtained from the Native owners, or some of the owners, leases of the Moknu-Mohnkntino Block, amounting in aroa to about 53,000 acres, mostly good pastoral country, and known to contain extensive deposits of coal and lime, one of the conditions being that the lessee, or a company to be formed for thn purpose, was to spend .£3OOO per annum in developing the property. Mr. Jones endeavoured to make the necessary financial arrangements, but was not successful. He then proceeded to England for the purpose, but became involved there in both financial and legal difficulties. He returned to New Zealand some years ago, having mortgaged his interest in the lands to an English firm for.a considerable sum of money. A few years ago the mortgagees foreclosed, and their interest in the property was sold by order of tho Registrar of the Supreme Court to tho agents of such mortgagees, who later sold it privately to • one Hermann Lewis. In 1909 a commission was appointed to inquire into and report upon the condition of affairs. The commission consisted of Sir ■Robert Stout and Mr. Jackson Palmer, and they reported that the leases had not been signed by the whole of tho owners, and were

therefore illegal. Not only that, but the covenants, such as they were, had not been complied with, and in the case of the largest block the commission expressed the opinion that the lessors (the Natives) might proceed, after the proper and necessary steps were taken, for the ejection of the present tenant. In 1910 Mr. .Joshua Jones petitioned Parliament asking to he heard at the Bar of the House, or afforded other relief. It. came out on the consideration of the petition that the firm of Findlay and "Dalziell" were the solicitors for Hermann Lewis, and mortgagees of that gentleman's interest. The committee recommended that in any settlement this petitioner's claim should receive favourable consideration. That was November 15, 1910. Tho next we'hear of it is that a meeting of the Executive was held on March 15 of this yea'r, the ,lion,;' James Carroll (now Sir James Carroll) presiding, when it was decided ':by Order-in-Council to authorise the sales by the Native owners of the blocks referred to.

The Maori Land Board confirmed the sale on the 22nd of the same month, but the Gazette with the Order-in-C'oiincil was not published until the 30th, or, over a week after tho sale had been confirmed.. No taihoa there!

"A section''of the Native Land Act, 1900," proceeded Mr. Massey, "says in effect that no person may acquire more than iflO acres of first-class land or «i corresponding area of second or third-class land, but Section 203 of the same Act says that the Governor may, by Order-

iu-C'ouncil. where he deems it expedient in the public interest, increase the area. This was done, and Mr. Hermann Lewis became the purchaser of over 50,000 acres of Taranaki land at. certainly not over

12s. per aero. But I need 'hardly say Parliament never intended the latter section to be used for a' purpose like this. Within a few weeks' Mr. Lewis sold the property to a Hawke's Bay syndicate at, I am given to understand, an exceedingly handsome profit. Since then'the Mok'au Coal and Estate Company have bought again, 1 presume, at a profit, and I have no doubt that the Mokau Company, with Mr. M'Nab- as chairman, ami the truculent Mr. Loughnan as solicitor, will be able to take care of themselves when they sell to tlio intending settlers. Parliament meets in a few days, and I can promise this matter will not be forgotten when

the proper opportunity offers for its consideration.- I have given an outline of the case—that part of it which has been made public—but a great deal has not been made public, and I for one shall not bo satisfied until tho whole matter

has been dealt with by a competent tribunal."