The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. GISBORNE, APRIL 17, 1908. NECESSITY FOR LOCAL LAND BOARD.

Gisborne Times, Volume IX, Issue 867, 17 April 1903, Page 2

The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. GISBORNE, APRIL 17, 1908. NECESSITY FOR LOCAL LAND BOARD.

H does appear that Mr Hood has good cause of complain on account, of tlie intemperate and wholly unwarranled attac-K made upon Mi. Caesar, dir F. Hall and himself at the recent meeting at (iisnornc of the Hawke's Bay Land Board. .Such an attack by a member of the Heard exercising most, responsible administrative tinties might seriously injure the credit oi weaker set tiers, or impair the repute ami good name iliey iiad earned among their fellows. No cue who did not know the facts could well read ihe report which was published without concluding that. “ dummyism ’ had been going on in the 1-1 1 fee cases criticised, and that. ihe Commissioner and Mr iUat.uiew.son were good-natured apologists for the very liberal construction of the land Jaws they were prepared if necessary to take. The Board was not aware Unit Die settlers who were, so arbitrarily called upon to break up their homes and to go hack once more, to reside upon their grazing farms in tlie interior, or subject Liemselvcs to

a more summary defaulters' notice, cither by themselves or predecessors in title, had long since onserved ail residentjai and improvement clauses' binding upon them. Tins unpleasant episode does point veil stioiigiy lo tlie disadvantage of having the East- Coast Waste Lands north of Wairoa administered from Napier. With a resident Board the Departmental reports to he brought heloie it would he carefully perused heloreliand and errors corrected. The Ranger could not lie expected io know the laws applicable to leases granted at different, times, and could only report upon facts, leaving luo Hied of those facts to the department. Given tune and proper consideration Member Hail would have heen spared the very foolish position he is now in in having wasted lii.s denunciations and professions of administrative integrity upon cases of irregularity which it was his duty to Know did not exist.

WJiL'ii liic Aj'inis(cr is ignorant that 1 here arc substantial areas of Waste Limits Lo administer in tin: Northern portion of tiu> Land District-; when liie Auckland Herald, usually a most weil-iiiformeil newspaper, gravely devotes a leading article to'the reproof of Poverty Lay residents for seeking to he cutoff from a land district they were never in; when the visiting members from Hawke’s Bay are themselves ignorant of flic complex land Jaws they have to administer, it does seem that nothing hut. the most persistent: local effort will secure for the Counties ot Hook and .Waiapu I he right to have the local Crown lands administered by local men, who if they may nol learn flic land laws, would at least know the district and its settlers, and would he aide to advise the Minister as to the large and valuable Crown assets there are under his charge, amt would have lime to make enquiries before uttering statements at the Board table which hut for the privilege attendant upon their office would subject the speakers to the legal responsibilities attendant upon ail uujustijiah.le slander.

lake ail other reforms which have been slowly won for (he district, so this reform can only he achieved by agitation. - Let. all Jocul bodies, Associations, Unions, and Oli.imbcr.s once inure, «is it if were a new nwlter, demand this right from the Government. hirst, in the interest, of Hie Grown itself, whose splendid undeveloped estates are in question, and next in the interest of the many persons wim are coming to the iiisirict, and who, ij they are to remain among ns, need to find the kindliest encouragement. Careless and ul telly baseless crilicisni of established settiers, by men in high public position, may he accepted as being what; the new settler lias to expect. No one can lie surprised if he declines to take Hie risk of having later to experience Lite .same i teatmen (.