NATIVE LAND COURT

Hokitika Guardian, 19 July 1933, Page 6

NATIVE LAND COURT

MEETING OF ASSEMBLED OWNERS

HELD UNDER- NATIVE LAND ACT

At the Supreme Courthouse, Hokitika. this morning . a meeting of assembled cnype.is of Section ’/SI, Bi. XIV, Bruce Bay district, comprising 030 acies, was held, Air Fordism j presiding. j •'ihe .business before th© meeting I wi'e an application by D. P. Stuart, of Hokitika, sawmiller, on behalf of hjmself and -others associated together under the name of th© Bruce Bay syndicate (South Westland), who applied for timber cutting rights over the whole of the areas belonging to the natives iu the Bruce Bay district. Lt was explained that, in order to protect the inteiest of the natives, a most careful appraisement had been made by the State Forest Service of the whole of the different classes of timber growing on the reserves, and a recommendation had been made- that the royalties payable should he as fellows:—Red pine 9d per 100 superficial feet; white pine Is per 100. The State Force t Service reported as follows:—The remoteness of the timber, and the groat difficulties of recess, and extraction have been influencing factors in determining tho selling price.

The following couneel appeared:— Mr Upham ,of th© firm of Bell, Gully, Wellington, Air J. A. Murdoch of P-o-kitika and Mr A. R. Elcock of Hpkitika.. It was stated that the land was originally held hy 59 owners, but by death and succession the number was now 110.

Air T. Tainui, in welcoming the Court officials, e.tfd that as a son of the Chief Tainui it gave him great pleasure to. welcome Air Fordham to this district, the home of his people. He referred to the spirit with which pakcha and Afaori' had fought together between 1014 and 1918 and urged that the Maoris be given the right to exercise their own right to sell their own timber and receive their o\yn money. Air Stuart was hardworking, honest and straightforward hr Ims"dealing with businessmen. His mill was still working \vhile othem had stopped, anti it was his inhibition to-open-up the land in beautiful south Westlpnd. • A'Jillipg was the only way in 1 whjeh to take th© timber off the biTsiV; ->rnd,‘: when removed the Maorip Could then go -and put their own lands into farms. It had proved over and again' that the Maoris made successful farmers. -■

Air Fordham was elected chairman of'the iiieetUig, :and in .outlining the v, ere concerned with was that all the, •milling, tiniber with th© exception of silver pine, be: sold to Mr Stuart. He then read the Forestry Department’s report on the locality, its conditipns, and the quantities of assessed, '.tiniber. He'’/stated that the owners were being "asked to sell the timber -|ar. .total jailne. ..of-£22.70

Mr Tainui: Does that pried suit ■Mj.-S-tuart-P .....—» "Mr Foidharrt • .Oh f I thifik so ■. ; My (Mphum . -.said. : it -was - .suggested that the amount .would be paid in 16 equal half-yearly amounts.

.. Mu', Murdoch, said that it would be some little time before milling actually commenced. There were ; the matters of harbour facilities, transport, mill erection, and others to be taken 'into account before a start was made. . Mr Murdoch raised the question of the. period within which payment was to he m de.

'Mr I. Tainui moved that the period be four 'years.

Mr 'George considered eight yeans too long. “We’ll oe pushing up daisies ■by then,” he added. Mr Ford ha m said it was understood there was no other milling timber tin the. locality beyond the species mentioned. .

Mr I. Tainui said that it was a peculiar .forest if there were no other kinds. He would like an investigation to be made, and a charge of fid made for all milling timber, not merely for red pine .alone. Mr George considered that the royalty was not sufficient. Much higher royalties had been paid in other places. 'Mr Murdoch stressed the remoteness of the locality, and the difficulties of access.

If the majority of owner 6 are . in favour will their vote carry, asked one member.

The- chairman: Tho majority of shares will rule.

'Regarding the time fo r payment an alternative of six years was suggested. Mr Murdoch recommended that the motion for .am eight year period be put to the meeting. Mr I. Tainui .said that he was mot prepared to Bell liis timber at Is and fid respectively. He wanted 1 6 right through. -•

The motion that the royalties be Is and 9d, respectively, and that the period be eight years was .defeated, and n, n amendment that the period be six years was carried. Mr 'Murdoch .spoke in strong terms of the Department’s .failure to .pay rent lnoniog due to the natives here, and urged Mi Fordham to galvanise his Department into some activity. It was a very difficult and unfair position. ■ ■Mr Ivleock supported Mr Murdoch’s exhortation, and referred to the liardships being imposed on the .natives by tho non-payment of the rent- monies. Mr Fordham defended his "Department lagoiiast the charge that it had gone to sleep, and stated that it was extremely busy.

There were occasional humourous sidelights at the meeting. The solemnity which usually characterises the transaction of business in the European courts was absent this morning, and free speech was the order of the day, men and women alike engaging in a cross tiro of comment. When the chain*, man placed a motion before the meeting ho called for a show of hands upon which one owner urged the members to idiow their hands, while another urged to' the contrary. Again, when the period of payment was under review, one said that if the amount v:/re paid immediately in one 'sum Mr Stuart could hav.e the eight years in which to settle.