CLAIMS OF NATIVES

Hokitika Guardian, 9 October 1928, Page 2

CLAIMS OF NATIVES

* . V BOARDS TO m SMT UP. TH E Xc ATT AIIU DEM AN DS. WELLINGTON. Oct. o. There are some important, general clauses in the nuiuuil Native Lane Adjustment Bill.. One clause empowers a, Maori Banff Board, with the consent of the nr - jorit-y #f the. Native owners nt an in corpora ted . interest, tn cultivate th area Sor the general benefit,, am oinl ing the nefCKSftiy empl yvees and pu-r chaaiiig stock and implem'-suits. Ihe b4afd may distribute the receipt' , ainoag the persons. en tit led thereto, oi . ptahe them ,ui a< reserve f end. It wil |also' have. pimSifi ip • im-rrbw money on ' tlio''security; of; %-’ a'rW wfh the consen t' of ths Ntikiye ' M ini»ter.

No person, except V .Native henefi(••iary, shall, except by order of flic Court, acquire any interest in these funds or in the assets of the trust, •nor shall .the beneficial interest o f any' Native in these trust assets be liable to attachment in the vase oi Native bankruptcy. All or any of the recommendation'of the Commission of Inquiry into complaints regarding the confiscation of Native lands rilay, According bo Ail-other clause, lie given effect te cither wholly or in piodifled form a» is considered just afi expedient, but Any payment, whether periodically or otherwise. under the terms of the re port, shall only be en the authority of, jParliament. The Native Minister is authorised to set up one or more boards to carry out the terms ‘of -the- recommendations, the constitution to be defined b-v have power to borrow on the security of Native' land or on the security of a charge upon any moneys to he paid to them by the Crown. The preliminary exn-enses will -be paid from Parliamentary appropriation, and repaid from the revenues of the boards.

Their powers are thus defined: —“A hoard may buy and sell property, erect and nxainf s|in buildings, and may farm oi' ; otherwise administer lands owned hy' : 'it, may lend money to Natives and otherst may deposit mmiey with any State lending authority, may act as gmjirantor for Natives of their df-s- - generally may do all acts that a corporate. body may do.” • The Bill contains power fa- deal with thq claims of So»th Island Maoris which were investigated some years ago: the clause i re cites the fact that a? no;decision has yet been made on the recommendations of- the' Commission, and it is also ‘ desirable to have power to ;amend. from time to timh the list of 'beneficiaries, it -is desirable to set up a board representing the ben-?. Apiaries for the purpose of negotiating with the Government, the terms of settlement. Therefore, the Ngai* tflhu'-Tmst Board is to be constituted, by Order-in-Council to administer funds held by it for the general benefit of the members of the Ngaitalm twhe or their descendants. The Native Land Court is to be empowered to order the payment from th© board’s funds of any fair sum claimed by any person who proves that he has contributed towards the prosecution or the claims of the South Island Maoris, and the general list of beneficiaries may !>p altered or extended by the Chief Judge of the Native Land Court. The Bill dees not mention any sum to.be paid by the Government in settlement of the claim, hut a clause declares: “ft shall be in the fusi discretion of his .Majesty's Government what (if any) relief shall he granted.”

GOVERNMENT. BILL. LARGE PAYMENTS TO BE MADE. ' WELLINGTON, Oct. 6. In moving the committal of the Native Land Claims Bill in the House today, the Prime Minister referred to the ’clause* seeking to finalise the Native Claims i‘ll the South Island and in respect of confiscated lands in the north. One method might he to buy out the claims instead of making grant's yearly* The Bill made provision for financing the position, but if the'claims had to be"met as they arose they might, become heavy and possibly embarrassing to the Consolidated Fund. The Government did not wish to bark tlie position if there was some way of setting up a special fund. Mr Veitch: It means borrowed money. Mr Coates: Tt may even mean that and would be legitimate, though I don't know whether that will be done. The South. Island claims total £354.000. We have met some portion of that in a wav very satisfactory to the Natives.

Mr Urn. the South Island Maori member, stated that his people appreciated being placed in the same position as the northern Maori claims. Tbev had fought their case a long time, and Were still going. They Would wait till the conn try was in it good financial position, and whatever was done to benefit the Maori people, would benefit New Zealand. He approved of control by a hoard, and its powers were suitable. Sir Apirana, Ngata stated that Native members, at the Government request, submitted a memorandum suggesting a method of settlement in regard to Smith Island claims. They proposed to set aside £1 OH 000 for a general fund, invested at 4 per cent, which would yield €4OOO to lie administered by a Trust Board on the lines of the Araiva trust, the balance of £-254.000 to be paid in fifteen annual instilments to the beneficiaries. They confci.dftred that thi» Confiscated Lands Commission did not give adequate eon-

sid«ration to tin* Bay of Plenty and s\igo.stod that annual payments of £1350 would Ik.- not unreasonatdo. wliilo tli-e Taranaki trrhes slum Id weive £SOOO and the Waikato £4500 per annum.