WAIKANAE BEACH ACCRETIONS.

Gisborne Times, Volume IX, Issue 918, 17 June 1903, Page 2

WAIKANAE BEACH ACCRETIONS.

A SETTLEMENT ARRIVED AT,

BOARD FAYS £550 FOR THREE ACRES.

Yesterday morning at 11 o’clock tbe Harbor Board met to consider th- accretion on the Yl’illklU'.ae beach along the western -royne, and an oiler by the Niiuvcs that the Board should take three acres and pa., £3OO an acre for the balance.

Tbe Chairman said the meeting was called for the purpose of considering a suggested reduction in the area of laud which thc-v were to take for nothing on the Waikanae accretion. The Railway Department would take the land if tho Board undertook to pay what they wero charged for their portion. Mr Wi Core offered to rove the Board half of what they thought they wore going to get, but the area did not* embrace all that required ior harbor improvements. It was absolutely necessary for the future working i f tho harbor that the Board should obtain not less than six acres. The Board would have to take the breast work away and go lower down when the groyne was carried out.

Mr Sievwright: What d ies our grant give us '! Tho Chairman said the grant only gave

tho Board tho foreshore from low-water mark. The Board must get as much land as possible for harbor improvements. It was not for the pnrposo of speculation. Any member who could should assist the Board to obtain the pieco of land they required. j\lr Chrisp, tho Board’s solicitor, said all parties were anxious to arrive at a compromise. In company with Mr Reos ho had visited the ground, aud ho had nlso seon Mr Wi I'erc. Tho latter told him that the Natives wanted to know what the Board were going to pay for it. This rather staggered him, as ho understood tho land was to ho given to tho Board on tho understanding that tho Board wero .■oing to lay uo furthor claim to any iurther accretion, and would allow tho titlo to issue. Mr Wi Toro, in reply to a suggestion that tho Board wero to get tho land for nothing, said : " No, nothing of tho kind. lam pleased this has como up, lost you should go away thinking wo wero going to give it for nothing. 1 did agroo with Mr Carroll to givo you up to this point, aud Mr Townley kept shoving mo along until ho got hero (to tho Bix acres). I only agreed to tho allocation, but I do not intend you to have the strip for nothing, without paying for it.” Ho asked Mr Rees what portion the natives woro going to givo tho Board, and, upon being told, agroed, subject to tho lioard’B approval, to toko tho area indicated for nothing, and to take tho remaining portion at tho price lixed upon by the Court. Tho Board could ask for tho wholo thing to bo considorod. Tho Nativo Land Court only sot up jurisdiction over tho portion taken by tho Railway Department. It would bo absolutely suicidal not to faoo tho position now. Ha was strongly of opinion that tho accretions belonged to the natives, and his advice was that tho Board should take what was offered for nothing, aud pay tho amount fixed for tho remainder. Mr Harding said thoro was no question but that the natives wore tho owners of tho accretions. Mr Sievwright remarked that if tho Board in years past had put in thoir pegs tho accretions would havo boon thoirß, but they hud not dono that. Mr Chrisp : That is tho troublo. Another thing, tho Railway Department think thoy will want a furthor portion of tho land for a loop lino. Mr Siovwright said tho Board should not stand in tho way of tho Railway Dopartmont. Tho Chairman said Mr Carroll had statod tbut the Harbor Board was to pot

tho piece of land for nothing. Tho Board should decide to purchase tho solid land aud tho Department could take wliat they liked at tho price paid by tho Board. Tbe mattor should bo urrungod without going into the Court. Mr Whinray thought Mr Carroll should

bo acquainted with the altered suggestions. Mr Hepburn : Mr Carroll suggested to Mr Townley that tho Board wero to get tho land for nothing. Tho Chuirman : With tho oxception of the solid land. Mr Hepburn : 110 told you distinctly that we would get it for nothing. Mr Chrisp : Are you clear as to that ?

Captain Tucker : What Mr Wi Pure said he told Mr Townley himself. Mr Chrisp : It is a misunderstanding to put it mildly. 1 Mr Hepburn: It is n funny thing to understand. A liigh-handcd bit of bußincse claiming it after we have made it. Captain Tucker: No, the law is tho law. Mr Hepburn : Too laud was not there originally. Tho Chairman : You may spend more than tho value of the land testing the case, and thoD get nothing. Mr Chrisp said the point was an in.cresting one, and he would like to test :t, but ho would not ask tho members to do 60. Mr Harding said his vote would not bo given to test it. The Chairman said tho Board could decide to tako tho wholo six acres, lees what the railway wanted. On Mr Sievwright’s motion it was decided that a sub-committee of the Board, comprising tho Chairman, Capt. Tucker and Mr Harding, should moot Mr Thomson (representing the Department) and the natives with a view to making an

arrangement. As the result of the interview the Harbor Board finally decidod to pay the natives the Bum of £550 for the throe acres for which they asked to bo paid.