THE KING COUNTRY

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 303, 18 September 1919, Page 6

THE KING COUNTRY

AN IMPORTANT DEPUTATION

POSITION OF NATIVE LEASES A representative deputation from the King Country, urging a conversion of the tenures from Nativo leasehold to freehold, was received yesterday morning by the Prime Minister (Eight Hon. W. F. Mnsscy), tho Minister for Native Affairs (Hon. W. 11. Herries), and the Hon. Dr. Pomare. Mr. W. T. Jennings (Tnumarunui), who introduced the speakers, traced the liistory of Hie efforts made to obtain' the freehold of the land. Ho stated that tho whole question was one which affected the South as well as the North Island. Tho Native Affairs Committee of 190!) had had before it evidence given by a deputation from Greymouth, and this had resulted in a Bill which tended considerably to improve the position of leaseholders in tho direction of improving tho position of determining the future rental and value of improvements of the leaseholder should a disagreement take place on the expiry of the torni of tho'lease. Tho Public Trustee was also empowered to sell to lessees lands leased for educational and reli-

gious purposes, and power was also given to sell Groymouth Nativo leases with tho consent of the beneficiaries, tho purchase money being determined by agreement. There had been- further deputations from the Okutu and Utiku Maori lands, and in each case favourable cojisideration luid been given by the Nativo Affairs Committee to tho proposals submitted. Tho subject of converting leasehold lands in the King Country, said Mr. Jennings, had now assumed a decisive stage, tho result being the deputation which was .present. That was a history of the movement in favour of the conversion of the tenure. The scheme to l>B laid before the Ministers was based on the principle that no injustice should l>o done to tho lessors, and that they should have other land for their maintenance before disposing of their leases. ; Mr. G. i\ i'inlay, Mayor of Te Kuiti, explained that the whole of the town of Tauniarunui was vested in-the Maori Land Board in trust for the Native owners. The board was liable for rates only in respect to income. Vacant sections paid no rates. They did uot ask that any. pressure should be applied to the Maoris to, sell. All that was wanted was that they should be allowed fo do so. Tho growth of the King Country towns had intensified the problem. A few years ago the land involved could have bec-u bought for a trifling sum. At the present time the capital value of To Kuili wus JSXifiOQ, of Tauniarunui .£385,000, and of Otorolmnga £90,000; It was not possible to find capital inside the territory itself, and the leasehold titles were not accepted as sufficiently good security for loans from outside. If the purchase Were made possible the people were prepared to pay the full present Government valuation lor tho freeholds, plus expense. After much discussion it had been agreed to ask that the Government should buy . the land at the request of tho Natives at thu present Government valuation, li more than this were asked, tho lessee should be consulted. It was further u'slted that the present occupants sliould be given the right of taking the freehold from the Government, or should be given some such title as would secure their position on.terms such that would return the Government 5 per cent, on tho cost of the purchase from the Natives. No demand was niado regnrdiii" the title in that event, save that it should lie sufficient to secure mortgagees at present holding mortgages, and that it should give the lessee a chance to obtain the 1 freehold eventually. Mr. G. S. Steadman, Mayor of. Tauniarunui, supported the case advanced, and emphasised tho impossibility of raising loans for municipal works under the persent tenure. A similar stand was taken by Mr. F. Phillips, on behalf of Otorohanga. The suggested purchase, he said, ;did not involve millions, ana either-an immediate return or a. strong security would be therefore Crown expenditure. '„,.,.,»•' j Mr. J. A. Young (Waikato). also urged the claims of the deputation. He stated that everything he could do, particularly as chairman of the Native Affairs Committee, would be done, with the special stipulation that the interests of the Natives should be in- every way safeguarded. ■ - Mr, Mnssoy, replying, said that the matter was dne of importance to the whole Dominion. The scheme submitted appealed to him as tho best which ho had seon. He hoped that something would bo done this ses°ion to give effect to the wishes expressed by the speakers, but tie shortness of the time at the disCVoi tho Government made that problical. He understood the necessity for tho variaiton sought, and hoped Mat the Government would M able to introduce a'Bill during l the session. The Government would do all in its power to give effect, to the requests, which he considered very reasonable . ' The Hon. W. H. Hemes said that the powers of the Native Department conferred by legislation in 1913 wero much wider than had been indicated 'by Mr. Jennings. Almost immediately after those powers were conferred he-tried to buy the town of Taumarunui. but thn Natives would not sell. Had they agreed to do so the difficulty in Taumarunui would have been a tiling of the past. When at that time a few freeholds were obtained not a single application came from the tenants to purchase them from the Crown. Members of the here explained that in that instance a premium on the purchase price from the Natives had been asked, and that was why the tenants had not proceeded with the matter. To this Mr. Herries 'replied that that waa ft matter' outside tho jurisdiction of the Native Department, but h" did not think tlmt it was legal to ask such a premium. Mr. Herries added that as Minister he -already had ample ipower to buy the land. If he ' thought the owners wore willing to sell he was. prepared to call meetings of the Natives and see if the matter could be arranged. He mast see, however, that the Crown was protected, and not left in the position of having bought the land and being unable to sell it again. Soino guarantee against this must' l>o given. The Minister- conolnded: "We havo done as much as wo could and bought when we could. The policy has been to get as much freehold a<s we could, and if guarantees are gfyen as indicated we can go ahead." Mr. Finlay explained that one clause of the schemo provided that an application from a lessee tor tho purchase on his behalf of a section should be made a contract binding him to complete the transaction by purchasing from the Goyornnient. The members of the deputation placed their requests before Sir Joseph Ward aud members of the Liberal Part}', and also before tho members of tho Laboiu Party.