AFTER THIRTY YEARS-

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1189, 26 July 1911, Page 8

AFTER THIRTY YEARS-

— » A GOVERNMENT LAND PURCHASE ENDED. IBy Telegraph-Press Association.) Auckland, July 25. A special court comprising Deputy Chief Judge Jones and Judges M'Cormick and Kawson gave judgment to-day in respect of claims for compensation arising out of the purchase, of tho town and suburbs of Rotorua by the Government; Up to December 2, 1010, the Government had purchased by private treaty IOIKi out of 1100 shares of the Native owners of the Kotorua township and suburbs. In order to compensate the owners of tho outstanding four shares, Sections 10 and 11 of the Thermal Springs Districts Act, IJIIO, were enacted. These sections vested tho outstanding 'shares in the Government, and empowered the Minister for Lands to request the Chief Judge of the Native Land Court to set up a special court of not less than two Judges to assess the compensation payable to the owners of the outstanding shares. This speciaPcourt sat at Kotorua on May 23', 21, and 2.5 last, there being three claimants, namely, the Ransfield family, owning 1! shares; Mrs. Mareana Clayton, owning"2.l shares; and the, Ngati Whakane tribe. The claim of the Ngati Whakane. tribe, was dismissed by the court. The claim of the Kauffield family was settled by agreement between counsel for ,£275. The claim of Mrs. Clayton resulted in a long and intricate legal argument. The Crown claimed that Mrs. Clayton signed an agreement in February, ISB3. by which she leased her share in tho laud to the Government for M years, thereby reducing her reversionary interest to about .MOO. The claimant, however, set up that whereas she signed page 7 of the agreement as a loose sheet of pawr, she signed it on the representation that it way, and she believed it to be, merely a receipt for .£2 rent, and that she never even knew of the existence of the agreement referred to. She rlaimed that she. was entitled to «ome .CISOO or as (■<riip"n?.iiion. 'The court in its .mlgmc-iit unanimously upheld the contention for the. Crown and awarded Mrs. Clayton onlv S.".fiO, with .Etfl costs. .The decision of Ih,: court is final nnd conclusive, and the Oovpvnnienr has now acquired the wliolu cf the Native interests in tho land referred io. thus briiving to an ond a pnrcliaso wbieli was begun bv Chief ,Tud;e I'enton in ISSI.