The Feilding Star. SATURDAY, JULY 15, 18S2. NAVAL AND MILITARY LAND CLAIMS COMMISSION.

Feilding Star, Volume III, Issue 9, 15 July 1882, Page 2

The Feilding Star. SATURDAY, JULY 15, 18S2. NAVAL AND MILITARY LAND CLAIMS COMMISSION.

-' And whereas such claims are not ne'v capable of being enforced in law, either owing to the same not having been presented within the time prescribed by law, or for ether reasons of a technical character,'" it is thought desirable to appoint a Commission j for the purpose of inquiring full}* into nud reporting upon all such claims, and any others of a similar character. This is plain enough, and is still more plainly laid down in clause 1 of the ' Governor's Commission, which is to j this effect: '''Io inquire into, examine, ! and report npon all claims to land ; which may be brought before you by ; person;, who have been officers, noni commissioned officers, and private members," or by their representatives. : '1 he Commissioners, in accordance with the terms of their instructions, i visited those parts oi the colony j deemed to he the domiciles of a majority of claimant.., and after havingi admittedly spun out the time allotted to them, sent in a report that is fearfully aud wonderfully constructed, i and as a specimen oi '- how not to do it" is a masterpiec . 'They begin j by informing the Governor " that it , was not their province to go beyond the Jaw by entertaining claims that j might have been valid if they had I been preferred at the proper time." 'Then in the name of all that is silly ! ' i what wci-b they appointed lor ? As • i ■ we read clause 1 of their instructions : | this was exactly what tbey should have done, and consequently the very j i thing they did not do. It was their j ! duty to assist poor soldiers who from ' | ignorance or procrastination had failed i i to prefer their claims within a given , ; time, or who rested tranquilly in ! the mstaken belief that those who ; had tempted them to risk life or mutilation, on promises that tnough ; land wonld be given to maintain them comfortably in their old ages — promises that were hedged in with con - ditions often utterly impossible to be . carried out by the recipients — oi j which the makers were perfectly aware, or else they deliberately shut ; their eyes to the fact, indifferent to the future so long as their present ends were served. We say depending on those placed in authority over them to see that their just claims would be recognised, they leaned on broken 1 reeds, and have now fall n to the i . ground. Hundreds of men have had : promises from members of different I ! Governments, that assistance to i obtain their individual rights would I | be granted " during the recess," with J ' which unreservaUe evasion they have ■ I rested satisfied. At last their clamour made it necessary they should have I .something done for them. 'They got ' a Commission, with three wooden : | Commissioners. "They asked for bread > and ye gave them stones." A minority : "•hose claims could not by any possible , means be thrown out, are promised i scrip — which they will receive pro- ' bably in another generation — for 10s per acre.. Now, this is a cr.ir.g- in- ; justice, for when these men fought, j they fought for broad acres, and they should be paid in broad acres. Laud | that wsis worth 5s pr acre in war | time, has been made, in many in- | stances, worth £50 per acre in j ! the present time by the courage I and patriotism of th-_.se unfortunate claimants. Yet a miser- | , able moiety of 10s is grudinglv ! , promised to be doled out. We would I ] ask the Commissioners, who had < many opportunities of learning the 1 valua of land, if they could discover j any patch of country where they could ! ' i buy land at. 10s per acre to settle ! down ? We anticip. te their reply, * tl No vv here.'* In the second clause ol tbe report we find that the Com- t missioners avail themselves of an off- i

ered opportunity to wipe, off some old scores against Crown Land Commissioners -• who were more anxious 10 augment the provincial revenues'' than to part witb land, and so were another stumbling block to the poor soldiers. The sneer is unworthy, and not in any way justified by facts, of which the worthy Commissioners were perfectly aware. Further on, we find a ''scratch" at Major Jackson, one of the most gallant officers that ever drew sword in New Zealand wars; for when he did draw it, he always managed to fight — and successfu ly too— while his Forest .-.angers won the admiration of the whole coionv. Major Jackson honestly attempte I to l; et the claims of his men granted, believing, as he did, in the ju.tice of them. A lengthy, but very cloudy explanation is given as to why he should be snub.ied and his men wronged. We also find that two gentlemen '*' who have held cominis sions'" in Her Majesty's service fall under the direct displeasure of the Comm'^.si oners, in that they claimed for some land in error. Ono reason is quite os good as another for " refusing : to entertain." In fact, the whole ' business reminds us of the saying, -* Those who ask, don't get ; and those who don't ask, don't want,"