NATIVE LAND QUESTION

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2173, 31 August 1907, Page 1

NATIVE LAND QUESTION

DISCUSSION IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S VIEWS. (Specift)' to Times.) WELLINGTON, August 29. . Tlie second reading of the Maori Land Settlement Act in the Legislative Council provided an opportunity for an interesting , discussion, during the course of which more suggestions for solving it wore' put forward. The Hon. Dr. Fmdlav AttoroeyGoneral, explained that the Dill was mainly a- money bill inasmuch as it authorised the raising of a further sum of £50,000 to be expended m the purchase of Maori land, and the validation of what had already been done in the latter direction. The Hon. Wiremu Pore suggested that the Bill was deficient because it did not explain the land to which it referred. Ho believed the Government had designs on some East Coast lands. They should not acquire undivided interests until their extent had been ascertained. , The Hon. W. W- McCardlo said that anyone acquainted with the King Country knew the blot on_ settlement caused by Maori land. Nothing better had been done by the Government than the parsing of the Maori Land Purchase Act. Roads would be made by the county through native lands, which contributed nothing towards the cost, while at the same time the cost of purchase was increased by the very fact that the roacf existed. Natives should' not be allowed absolute control over the purchase-money. He felt very strongly that if the recommendations of the Royal Commission were carried out both races would work together for the good of the colony instead of the Maori blocking the progress of the European. The Hon. 0. Samuel remarked that lie would have approved of a loan of £500,000 instead of the £50,000 proposed by the Bill. He saw no better scheme for the settlement of waste areas of Native land than its purchase. Before individual ownership claims were docidod a proper area should,he reserved for the use of the Natives, and the money paid for the remainder vested in the Public Trustee, for the benefit of the Maoris. •, . r . r . : ■ Tho Hon. J. D. Ormond expressed disappointment at the fact t-lia t the amount to be borrowed was- already allocated. Unless the waste lands held by the Maoris wore acquired by tho Government, 1 ' settlement : would

be indefinitely' postponed: Sufficient land should be'set aside lor tlio natives themselves, and the remainder dealt with by the Government with tho object of securing closer settlement. Ho did not,regard the Royal Commission’s recommendations as very practicable unless the process of improving the waste lands'was carried out under thd Control of tlio Govornmont. ■ , -

The Hon. -Drv-iKindlay said the paramount difficulty- was that they were dealing with a race far behind the European in point of civilisation, and heroic methods' of settling the difficulty would not do. The proper method was to go to the natives themselves, and ascertain the real facts, collect information, and then sit down to devise the remedy instead of speculating without knowledge of facts. He did not care how clamant was the call of settlement —the colony’s first duty was to tho natives themselves. There was a financial difficulty about the state ■ acquiring all the native land because it would enormously increase tlid public debt. Purchase by the state was however not essential becauso there were plenty of areas' in tho North Island which if put up to auction, for sale or . lease with a guaranteed title such as Land Transfer, would find plenty of applicants willing to pay market price; so why should the State expend the money? Tho Hon. G. Jones: To got the profit-. The Attorney-General; At 1 whoso expense? The Hon. G. Jones: For the construction of railways. The Attorney-General concluded by stating it would not bo long before legislation which ought to be on the lines of tlio Royal Commission’s recommendations was introduced. The Bill was'read a second time.