Manawatu Standard (PUBLISHED DAILY.) The Oldest Daily Newspaper on tbe West Coast. THURSDAY, JULY 10, 1884. NATIVE LANDS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume IV, Issue 191, 10 July 1884, Page 2

Manawatu Standard ( PUBLISHED DAILY.) The Oldest Daily Newspaper on tbe West Coast. THURSDAY, JULY 10, 1884. NATIVE LANDS.

The question of which is the best and fairest way to deal with land belonging to Native owners, has occupied the thoughts of many politicians, but can hardly be said to be satisfactorily solved. It seems that there are two points to be considered, which are : — What course would be best for the Natives, and what would be fairest for Europeans. At present large tracts of country belong to certain tribes, and a sort of general title exists over the whole. To bring the land under the provisions of the Land Transfer Act, a great deal of trouble and expense must be undergone by the Natives, and even then it is possible for a rightful heir to a portion of the land, to be left out of the list of owners altogether and he consequently loses his heritage. Then, supposing the Natives have power to sell land to whom they please, here is an opportnnity for some unscrupulous European to take advantage of the careless aboriginal, and, for a comparatively small sum of money, take from him the land that is probably worth double what is paid for it. Then, supposing the Natives may not sell, but can only lease their land. Even then it goes fora nominal rental m nine cases out of ten, and is locked up for a long term of years. Then, again, supposing the Government resumed the pre-emptive right. The price they pay per acre is nothing like market value, even allowing for the expenses the country is put to by such purchases, and the cost of surveys ; and when the purchase money is given to them, they are totally unfit to handle it, ancl only squander it away like so many cljildr ren. And after it is spent many of them have no further chance of ever getting another sum of money

for the whole o£ their lives, and the one chance they have had has been utterly thrown away. Again, reserves are set apart for them and they \ are not allowed to sell them. But the land thus unworked brings m no returns, and never will, and, being unsaleable, can never be of any possible use to them, except to lease to Europeans at a nominal rental. This is looking at the matter entirely from a Native point of view. It also effects the European settlement .of this colony m many ways. First, and most important of all, while the land is allowed to remain m Native ownership, it is locked up, and men looking for a piece of land on which to settle cannot purchase. Again, from a European point of view, the Government should not allow private speculation m Native lands, whether m leases or m purchases, since m either case, they are locked up from settlement for some considerable time. Reserves are made sometimes m very valuable localities, and these, being leased to one individual, block the progress of settlement. In a district m an adjacent county a reserve of 2000 acres, all of which is standing bush, has been leased by the Natives to one man, for timber-cutting purposes. This land extends to within halfcamile of the township, and comprises the most beautiful flat alluvial country, and the valuable timber all lies at one end. Now this reserve if divided into twenty farms of 100 acres each, would at once sell, and introduce twenty new families at least into the district, when, instead of being a drawback it would be a boon to the place. Again, roads are made and run for miles and miles through native lands, and railways place them within easy reach of towns and the large centres of population. Until this year, the owners of these lands did not pay a fraction m rates although they were so largely benefited by our public works. There are other drawbacks too, though these are the chief ones, m the present system and tenure of, and laws relating to Native lands. Now, what is the remedy that is to remove these stumbling blocks to the settlement of New Zealand ? Could any scheme be possibly devised that would put all Native matters on a fair footing ? It is a comprehensive subject, and one that none would much care about passing an opinion on without giving it thorough study and consideration. Yet it seems that there could be a remedy. It seems quite possible to many who have considerable experience m Native matters, that a scheme could actuallr be brought into operation, which, though it of course could not interfere with lands already sold or leased by the Natives, nor replace m their now empty pockets the hundreds of pounds that have been recklessly squandered away, could at least prevent any more unfair dealing with their lands. The idea is not a new one, but is . none the worse for that. Let the value of a\l remaining Native lands be capittlised, and placed to the credit of the individual owners m the Treasury of the colony. Leave a few small settlements, scattered over the country at intervals for them to dwell upon, and, with these exceptions.letthe Crown assumetheownership cf all Native lands m the colony and place the value of the same m a capitalised sum, to remain at perpetual interest, which would be paid to the Natives, according to their respective shares, every quarter. Examining the working of this scheme we find a few defects certainly — every scheme has these, but • they are small as compared with tlie many advantages which the colony would gain from it. There would be no more swindling the Native out of _his land ; no more paying away large sums to them m cash, tlws putting strong temptation m their way to spend it. There would be no more uncultivated blocks of land gaining an unearned increment from the labors of Europeans, and no more settlements completely ruined by a large portion of the best of the land being m the hands of the Natives, or their tenant a single individual, for the whole of the land would be m the hands of the Crown, who would be free to do what they liked with it, and at liberty to sell it for bona Me settlement without any delay. Then the ! coffers of the Treasury would be replenished, because although the land would have been nominally purchased from the Natives, the money would still remain m hand, only the interest being paid m respect of it. The land would then be sold by the Crown, and actual cash be paid into the Treasury. These are some of the most certain advantages that would be derived from the scheme, but there are many minor ones besides. Of course there will be difficulties, and many will raise the cry that the poor Native is being badly used, through his lands being con. fiscated. But the upholders -of the scheme say their land is only a nuisance to them, and a source of no profit, and, at the rate they are now. selling, m ten years time there will not be an acre of unencumbered Native lands left m their hands, and the whole of the meney they had received will also have gone. After that these philanthropists, who oppose a measure which would provide for the Native owners for theirlives, arid those of all their descendants, from a perpetual fund, will be raising poor rates for the special benefit of the injured Maori, who of all persons m the world, has had such chances of amassing money as have fallen to no other aboriginal race under the sun.