Native Land Question.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume I, Issue 74, 1 December 1887, Page 2

Native Land Question.

Tjie following v«ry sensible remarks occur in Mr H’anner’s speech on the Financial statement i — Under the head of “ Maori Lands” we see that the Maori, on the one hand, will be made liable to nav ra’es like his fellowsnbjeols of tho European, race. That is quite a new p<> icy, and I congratulate the honorable gentlemen on having the courage to bring it forward. The time his some now when tho Native race should bear the same responsibilities as them European brethren : and they demand it. We see this by a resolution brought down by a leading, member representing the Native race, and wo have heard their demand that they should be nut on the same fooling as ourselves. The wav to do this is to allow them to indivb'uali e their titles. That, T say, is the chief thing to be done. To mdividu dise all titles would be the most civilising agent that we could possibly have. What is tho present and what has been the past state of the Maoris ? It has been, that they have lived together in a stale of communism ; and the result of that has been that they have not risen : and they cannot rise in that state. The industrious portion of the Natives cultivaie the land, and those who are lazy live upon the proceeds of their industrious friends’ labor. There is no inducement to improvement in a svstem of that kind. If you want to elevate the Native race the first thing to do is to give them every opportunity of individualising their titles. You cannot call upon them to bear their responsibilities as Natives unless you allow them to do so. I say the Government will have to pay special attention to that The method to adopt is to establish a Native Land Court in every district where the title to land has not been ascertained.