DESTROYED EEL WEIRS.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VIII, Issue 678, 17 June 1914, Page 5

DESTROYED EEL WEIRS.

KAWA NATIVES' CLAIM. His Honour Mr Justice Cooper gav9 judgment at Hamilton on Saturday in the Kawa swamp case, in which Honi Te Anga and seven other natives claimed £ISOO compensation from ths Kawa Drainage Boa*d for the destruction of their eel pabs by the drainage works carried out by the Board. Dr Bamford submitted that by preventing the natives placing nets or weirs across the stream it was a very material loss to them, for the natives had thereby lost their right to fish in the atream where it passed throjgh their property. •The natives had lost four year?.' fishing, a diminishing quantity it was true, but nevertheless fishing which must have been worth a considerable sum to them. If the drainage work had been carried out without lowering the bed of the stream the natives would still have been able to fish in the stream, and the pa would not have been put out of operation. The judge awarded £l5O in full settlement of the claim. That was a net sum in consideration of all question f. He fixed the asspSßors' fees at £2l, and each party must pay its own costs. In the event of either party desiring to appeal, the sitting jf the Compensation Court was formally adjourned until Saturday, December sth. If neither party appealed, the award dated from June 2nd.