THE MAORI AND HIS GRIEVANCES.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2176, 4 September 1907, Page 2

THE MAORI AND HIS GRIEVANCES.

SPEECH BY EX-KING MAHUTA. NATIVES’ MONEY SWALLOWED BY ADMINISTRATION FEES. HELP OF ENGLISH POLITICIANS BEING ASKED. Special to Times. WELLINGTON, September 3. Messrs Maliuta, M.L.U., and lvaibau, M.H.R., in an interview with a “N.Z. Times” reporter, talked of taking the grievances of the Maori people direct to the King if they did not get satisfaction • from the Government. Reverting to the grievances of the Maori Mr. Maliuta and Mr. Kailiau explained that the greatest dissatisfaction from their point of view, was the cruel manner-in which the Government ignored the right of the Maori to his land. They seemed reluctant to give the Native the feo simple' of any of it. Then there was the West Coast Settlement Reserves Act. As soon as the land got into the hands of the Public Trustee under that Act he leased it for an indefinite period. It was gone for good and never came back again. There was no boundary to that lease. Then when the Maori who owned the' land wanted a piece ho had to go to the Public Trustee and lease it and pay a rental for what was his own, as if it did not belong to him. Another matter was that the major portion of the rent jnoduced by the lands was consumed by the office controlling it, and the poor Maori owners got only the minor portion. ~ Questioned as to the Native Land Commission Mr. Kailiau stated that thero was one very good feature, namely, the recommendation that sales of Native lands should now cease. That was the trouble. The Maori was able to sell his land but be. sold it for a more nothing. He did not get the fair market price, but lie preferred to sell because the price offered by the Government was nowhere near that offered by private indjividuals. The Government, in fixing the value of Native lands, knew that they would be tho buyers themselves. They ought to let a private individual fix the value and the Government buy it at that price. If the Government wanted to buy the land the Maori owner and the Government should appoint an assessor each and then a third should be appointed by those two to fix the price. The leaders state that they have received several letters from members of the House of Lords with whom they had communicated and also from the Under-Secretary for the Colonies, and these documents have given them courage to pursue the course they were following. The Under-Secretary for the Colonies stated that while tho British Government could not interfere with the Government of New Zealand His Majesty the King would at all times see that due respect and full justice were paid to all his subjects.