THE TE AKAU BLOCK.

King Country Chronicle, Volume I, Issue 20, 8 March 1907, Page 3

THE TE AKAU BLOCK.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, Another of the numerous Native land scandals has reached another stage in its progress—the Te Akau Block—but whether the final stage or not remains to be seen. There has been so much " finality " about it, that the term is simply a mis-nomer, if we use it with its ordinary dictionary meaning. The original Native owners would appear _ to have been concerned in the Native rebellion in the early sixties, and some accounts say the land was forfeited in consequence, while others contend it was not. At any rate, it has been adjudicated upon some five ot six times, each adjudication, apparently upsetting the predecessor. Although several of such rehearings were hy the Native Land Laws and Statutes, in force at the time, declared to be final, it leads one to think: Of what use is a statute ? seeing that when the ordinary methods of the Native Land Courts failed, they went to Parliament, and obtained a fresh investi-

gation. The whole course of these proceeding's goes to show what a terrible mess successive Governments have made of the Native land question, to allow this kind of procedure. And the present Government appear very much to blame for the part they played in the recent investigation at Ngaruawahia. In the first place, {hey permitted a man (Judge Browne) to sit, who, in exercise of common fairness only, ought never to have been allowed on the Bench, seeing the part he took, with !Mr Sheridan, the then Native Land Purchase Commissioner, on a prior occasion, when the}' were trying" to purchase, on behalf of the Crown. Of course, he does not remember doing this, that, or the other, but the allegations that he did, were pretty clear. And then the fact that the present Government Native Land Purchase Officer (Mr Grace), being handy, or adjacent (presumably with cheque book and pen in hand) when the judgment was given, leads one to suppose that the judgment might have been forecasted. If we are to take this case as a sample, what must be thought of our dealings in regard to this Native land question, as according to the published account, one gathers from the remarks of the presiding Judge, that even this latest investigation may not be final. There is, no doubt, a common thought that is often publicly expressed, and that is, "Is there any finality to Native land business ?" Echo answers : "No! certainly not." —I am, etc., PAKEHA MAORI.