Page 2 Advertisements Column 8

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1238, 21 September 1911, Page 2

THE MOKAU INQUIRY; STATEMENT BY MR. BLAIR, OFFICIAL RECORDS. The Native Affairs Committee continued the Mokan Inquiry yesterday. Meml;:rs present, were Messrs. W. T. Jennings, (chairman), Sir James Carroll, and tlio Hon. A. T. Ngata, Dr. To Rangihiroa, and Messrs. W. D. S. M'Donald, T. E. Y r . Scddon, I'. Mander, B.,Dive, T. Paratn, and W. H. llorries. Messrs. W. F. Massey and J. Jones attended. Mr. A. W. Blair, a member of the firm of Chapman, Skerrett, Wylic, and Tripp, was tho first witness. Ho stated that.his Ijrm had never been employed by tho Government in any way in connection with the Mohan ltlock, but had acied for (lie Natives all through, instructed by Pepene Ekelonc. He understood (hat there was some doubt as to whether ,Mr. Skerrett had acted for the.Natives at any timo after tho meeting at Te Kuiti. It was true that in a conversation ho had with Mr. Bell in the Supreme Court library reference was made to the fact thai. Mr. Skerrett had said that he found he did not represent a majority cf tha Natives. Witness had not attached any . great importance to the. conversation with. Mr. Bell, but he might be responsible [ for any misconception that had arism i on this point. The position was properly summed up in letters' which had jiassed between himself and Mr. Bell on tha matter. On_Scptembsr 15 Mr. Bell. ivroto (o him calling-liis attention to nl-s}nfo-ment made to tho committee by Mr. , Dalziell, that lie had Mr. Bla.ir's authority in his contradiction to Mr. Bell's evidence on the point of Mr. Skerret t 9 attitude after tho first meeting. Mr..Hell then went on to record his recollection of what took place between Mr. Blair and - himself during tho conversation at tho i Supreme Court, and added: "The exact point, was that before the first meeting of the assembled owners, Skerrett and I had a discussion as to which of us reprosented tho majority of the Native ownorA lie was then confident that ho did, and until 1 told him that some had consulted, me he did not know that anyone olso actcd for any of them. After the first meeting, Skerrett met me, and said, 'You were right, the large majority is with you.. I shall do nothing further, and you must go on with it. 1 then asked . you (Blair) whether Skerrett gave the same instruction to. your office. You roi plied, 'Yes, he said tho same to mo after ■ the first meeting, and I have done nothing i further.'" Mr. Bell added that i ho could not understand the dif- ■ ferenco between them which Mr. Dal-' ziell's evidence seemed to indicate. To this witness replied on September 15, 1911, stating that he was sorry indeed ■ if Mr. Dalziell was making the use tho > newspapers said he was making of a conversation he had with witness. Ho i had told witness that it was proposed to ! call him, and he would very much havo. preferred to give his evidence direct. Witness, remembered the conversation in the library, when Mr. Chapman was prosent. He had not understood that Mr. Bell was discussing the matter with a view to making formal use of any statements that witness then made, but ho 1 did not want to indicate in the slightest i degree that Mr. Bell was not frco to make use of them. He had no objection on this head, and mentioned it only as an cxcuse on his part. He did not agreo with Mr. Dalziell that, lie had his (\vit- ■ ness's) authority to use any statement [ 'witness made lo him. His recollection - of the conversation in the library &ul>- - stantially agreed with Mr. Bell's. Ho , remembered Mi'. Bell baying that Mr. t Skerrett had told liiiu after the first meet. 1 ing that Iho majority of Ekctone's follow- > ing had left him and joined the party f which was advised by Mr. Bell. Wit- . liess then said that Mr. Skerrett had said. > something to the same effect to him. Witness had not understood, however, t that Mr. Bell had taken from it that Mr, . Skerrett' had completely retired from - Mokau, but ho was certainly not prepared I to deny that he said what Mr. Ball said ho did.. ; , To Sir Jas. Carroll: Mr. Skerrett did j advise the Natives that they hod a claim , against tlio Assurance fund. Witness stated that the sum of X' 20,009 was mentioned when a claim was laid in ' respect of tho largest blcck. ; MR,. KENSINGTON'S EVIDENCE. t Mr. AY. C. Kensington (D ndcr-Secrotary for Lands), the next witness, read the t wholo of tho Departmental correspondi enco on the subject of tho M<jkau-Mohap [ lcatino Block from 1907 up to the time at [ which tho block was alienated. On July 10, 1907, witiioss wrote to the then Minister for Lands, Mr. M'Nab, staling that certain portions of tho block had been assigned to tho Crown in payment of survey fees. It now became a question whether the Crown should not acquire . the leases which were to be sold by pubp lie auction next month. On tlio eamo day the Minister forwarded tile' inquiry : to the Attorney-General with a minute: ' l'lcaso obtain opinion of Soiicitor-Gene- . ral. On August G tlio Solicitor-General ' advised that the purchase should not bo " made. If the Crown bought tha leases ' it would be brought into conflict with tho Natives. On July 17, 1907,' Mr. Jen- ■ nings asked tho Minister for Lands tlier lie would recommend tho Govern- ; nient to purchase the lands. Mr. M'Nab ; replied that as tho titles to the leasee 1 wbro complicated tho opinion of tho Crown Law Officers was being obtained. On August 10, apparently in answer' to another inquiry bv Mr. Jennings, the Minister stated that the Crown would not acquire the leases. On August 22, Mr. ; Kemp-Welsh, writing at Wellington, ofi fereu lo sell tho whole of the leases to the Government for .520,000. On September 3, 1907, the Minister for Lands notified Mr. Kemp-Welsh that the Government would not accept tho offer. Oil May 11, 130S, .Mr. A. _K. Hislop wrote lo (he Prime Minister offering on behalf of Mr. Joshua Jones to sell tho Mokau property for .£50,000 in cash and £100,000 in Government debentures. On June 1, 190S, the Prime Minister replied stating ' that he had forwarded the letter to Mr. ; M'Nab (Minister for Lands). The letter : was minuted by Mr. M'Nab on June 2, ' 1008: Saw Hislop and explained position as described by Solicitor-General. Somo 1 correspondence afterwards passed between ' Mr. Okey and tho Prime Minister in reference to the settlement ol" tho block. Mr. Kensington read a Cabinet minulo dated January 28, 1910; "Government ia willing to purchase if valuation by Government oflicers is considered satisfactory-" , , . , Two Crown lands rangers inspec.cd ana valued the blocks, mid, after receiving their reports, witness reported to tho Government, on March 23, 1910, that tho total area of tho blocks was 05.837 acres, of which 5311 had been awarded to tho Crown in satisfaction of survey liens. This left an area of 50,190 acres, which had been valued at JMS,I-H, roughly, ISs. per acre. The Crown would not be justified in offering more than .C 35.000 for this land. Strictly speaking, it would not bo justified in offering more than .C 30.000. for (he property, but in view of (ho desirability of having it settled, tho larger price'might be offered. On March 21, 1910, Cabinet issued instructions: "Offer ,£35,000." On March 28, 1910, the former. ■ minulo was cancelled, and a minute wad ■ issued: "Estate to be taken compuleorily, provided all purchawrs'-flgroo as to the proportion of purchase money to. bo taken by each." Afterwards it was agreed tliat tho matter of determining various claims to the block should bo referred lo t.lic Royal Commission of two Judges. Subsequently, it was delermintd that no power existed to set up the Commission. On August 22, 1910, Cabinet decided: "Government dccline to consider purchase until all complications are removed." To Mr. Ngata: Both the rangers who reported on the blocks mentioned the minerals, but they did not lake them into ncomint. in estimating the valuo of the blocks. They simply took into account the value of tlio land for settlement purposes. The rangers had recommended an offer of .£25,000. In view of the complications in regard to title, he had taken the respor.sibility of re-commending an odor of .£.'i's.oflo. To Sir Jas. Carroll: The rangers said that the coal strata dipped the wrong wav on the Mokau Block. To Mr. ]Terries: "Tho offer of .-£35,009 which he recommended was for the trochoid linencumlKMod, save by the subleases. The Crown would have had to deal with the sub-leases afterwards." To Mr. Massey: No offer had eoino ft cm the Natives direct to sell lo tho Government. lie from tlio Cabinet minute, that the. Natives were willing to sell. The Committee at (his stage adjourned until 10.30 a.m. to-day.