NATIVE LAND SPECULATION.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VI, Issue 492, 17 August 1912, Page 5

NATIVE LAND SPECULATION.

J DISCUSSED IN PARLIAMENT. THE MINISTER'S OPINION. The mopping-up of large areas of native land by syndicates and land speculators recently formed the subject of a question placed on the order paper by the member for Timaru

who asked that legislation should be introduced prohibiting the sale of native lands to anyone except the Government. "Any land purchases by syndicates or land speculators ran only be carried out under Part 2 of the Act (limitation of area)" remarked tha Hon. the Prime Minister, in reply. The necessary declaration, tie added, had to be lodged with the Maori Land Board. The Native Minister said it was not proposed to prohibit the sale of native land to private individuals. "We fought for many years before private individuals were once more permitted to deal with the natives," remarked the Minister from his place in the House. "That, in my opinion, is one of the best ways of procuring settlement. There i 3 still, I think, every safeguard to provide against large areas being locked up by speculation." Mr Dickson : They are doing it now.

Hon. W. H. llerries: Well, if you will bring specific cases, I will deal with them. Each applicant has to make declaration that he does not posses more than 400 acres of first class land, etc. the same limitation as prescribed for Crown land.

An hon. member: You can find scores of cases where women are do-

ing it. The Minister: That is dum'myism, and if there is dummyism we shall have to stop it.

Proceeding, Mr Hurries said that he did not want to go back to the system of the Crown being the only purchaser. That was not fair to the natives, as they were scared down to thu lowest price. It was a difficult to get a purchase officer who could arrive at a reasonable price. They always wanted to do the best for the department; and to do this and ba generous to the natives was a difficult task. It would, in fact, be very difficult to satisfy the culonial treasurer, if they were going to be generous in buying land from the natives. Mr Craigie said he had heard on good authority that large areas of native land were being secured by speculator syndicates, and he would say land sharks. They were buying the land With the idea of making money out of it, and thus the bona fide settler would have to pay more for it. Then the Government came along, built roads ani railways, and the unimproved value thereby created went to the speculators. He thought the Government only should buy land from the natives, and provide the same for settlers. They should try and discourage land sharks and encourage bona fide settlers. "I agree absolutely with yuu. The Native Minister has said,," remarked Mr W. D. S. Mac Donald, "that under the law as it stands persons can only acquire large areas of native land by committing perjury." The Act, he went on to say, was designed to prevent the acquisition of large areas, but that had been done as far as the law could go. people were doing so, then they were breaking the law. Many persons did not seem to recognise that this land was owned by natives and that if re-

strictions were placed upon its sale, then, in common fairness, they should do the same with European land. Every precaution against speculation had been taken, and if members knew of cases where it was taking place, then they should put the matter before the Native Minister, and he would put them in their proper place.