NATIVE TOWNSHIPS.

King Country Chronicle, Volume IV, Issue 216, 13 December 1909, Page 5

NATIVE TOWNSHIPS.

The Position of Greymoufh.

An interesting report was rbumitlcd Ito the Jiousc by flic Native Affairs Committee on Wednesday last. It was in connection with a subject which has agitated the minds of the people in different parts of the Don ir.ion for years. The greater part of t!i >. town of Greymouth is buiit on land owned by the Maori-*, and for some time an agitation has been in progress to devise a scheme under which the lessees should be enabled to acquire the freehold of the land. The latest proposal is that the borough council should raise < a big loan for the purpose of purchasing the reserve, and sell the freehold to the lessees, and their petition to that effect was reported on this afternoon by the Native Affairs Committee, which recommended that the borough council should be empowered to acquire the freehold with the consent of the Maori owners. A long and interesting discussion ensued, and it was evident that there was a good deal of "leasebold v. freehold" sentiment underlying the discussion.

The Hon. Mr Ngata said that the average rent received form these leases from ISV4-19GD was £3461 per annum. Petitioners said thai owing to harbour works and borough improvements in the neighbourhood of the goldficlds,the Natives derived revenue out of all proportion to their.interests in the land, this being due to improvements effected by the tenant. That point was met by the fact that although these leases had been administered for the last thirty years the average rent received was £I3OO leas than the amount received in Iqos. On the capital value the rent amounted* to under four per cent. It was not. heing asked that anything should be done without the consent of the majority of th2 Native owners. The borough, it was proposed, should acquire the whole of these leases from tre Public Trustee, and then resell them to the present occupiers without public competition. As to Feeurily for the intercsr and sinking fund on the loan which the Grcymouth Borough Council would have to raise to purchase the land?, the Council were prepared to make this a charge on their borough revenue. The proposal involved 0 loan of £IIO,OOO for the purchase of these Native reserves. Mr T. Parana said that under no circumstances would the Grey mouth Natives consent to part with the freehold of the land which was rightfully theirs. There were sixty Native families interested in the ownership of this land and not one would agree to it being sold. He moved as an amendment that all the words after the word "sell" in the original motion be struck out.

Mrssra McLaren, Hogg, Ell, and Taylor all spoke strongly in support of Mr Para la's amendment, alleging that it was simply a proposal to rob tbc Natives of tbeir heritage. Messrs Hcrries, Greci.sladc and Jennings spoke in support of the Committee's recommendation, and indicated what great trouble faces the people living in King Country towns built on Native lands.

The Hon, J. Carroll said that surely the tenants should be satisfied if they had their improvements allowed them at the falling in of the leases. If the Natives were willing and if the Crown would purchase, let it go at that but what he wanted to point out particularly was that as the Natives objected to the sale at present their wishes should be recognised on the ground of an old promise arising out of transactions that occurred many years ago. When the Natives sold an area of country of seven million acres of reserves some 501 acres were reserved for themselves and their families, and they had been assured by those acting for the authorities that this land would be reserved for them and their dependents for ever. There was the Minister added, a moral obligation cast upon them that bad come down all these years, and time had not weakened the significance of the contract.

The amendment was declared to be I lost. \io division was called for the | motion that the report do lie on the table and it was not put as too hour tor the dinner adjournment had arrived.