MINISTERIAL NATIVE POLICY.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5473, 11 October 1878, Page 2

MINISTERIAL NATIVE POLICY.

After having demonstrated to bis own satisfaction, if not to that of the House, that in the short space of eight months since his accession to office, he had completely changed the whole aspect of native affairs and even the natural disposition of the Maori, Mr, Sheehan" vouchsafed to the representatives of tho people some indications of his policy for the future. First, ho wants more Native Lands Court Judges ; not as permanent officers of his department, but only in order to work off the enormous arrears of work which ho has found accumulated. There are even now, he said, 402 reserved claims, and 860 claims tho hearing of which has been adjourned. Before the new Native Lands Bill becomes law it will be necessary that all arrears shall be cleared off in order 41 to mako a fresh “start under that Act.” The now Land Bill was promised to bo printed, translated, and circulated before the meeting of Parliament, in order that the natives and Europeans _ might have the opportunity of discussing its proposals, and expressing their opinion for the guidance and instruction of the Government and of tho Parliament. When the Parliament assembled it was explained that by Mr. Sheehan’s and Sir George Grey’s “ face to face ” intercourse with the Maoris they, tlio Maoris, had learned what the provisions of the new Native Lands Bill were, and had expressed—to Mr. Sheehan, we presume—their entire satisfaction and approval. There was, therefore, no need for the promised publication of the Bill. In the early part of the session Mr. Dmsbury, the Government Printer, appears to have proved rebellious, and would not give Mr. Sheehan a Native Lands Bill until ho had got some ‘ ‘copy;” and thus tho Hon. Native Minister, when he obtained leave to bring in his Native Lands Bill, was obliged to hand a germ of the future law to Mr. Speaker, in the shape of a paper with the title of the new Act inscribed thereon. The House of Representatives on motion in due course ordered that Bill to be printed; but it appears that the Printer is still inexorable, and defies the House, as he has defied the Minister. It is on account of this contumacy, as well as because of tho arrears, that wo are to have no Native Lands Bill at present.

The other portion of what the Honorable Native Minister describes always as “my policy,” is very simple. First he requires that the provisions of the Civil Service Act shall be abrogated in his favor, and that he shall have the power of dismissing all the gentlemen employed in his department at his own will and pleasure, without fault and without inquiry ; he hopes as he says “ that the House will stand by him,” and resist enquiry when any honorable member has the impertinence to want to know, you know, “in the Native Department especially it is a matter of personal Government.” Secondly, he says with regard to purchases of Maori land : “ We shall require, before any title is declared to be complete, that it should pass through the ordeal of an Order in Council, and a certain number of months after this the title is complete ; we shall reserve to ourselves the right either to take the whwle block, paying purchase money, interest, and expenses ; secondly, to take a part of it if necessary on the same terms ; or thirdly, to make it a conditional rectification that a certain portion shall bo ent up in small allotments for the purposes of settlement.” So much for the purchaser of the freehold. Now, with regard to the lands, amounting to more than a million of acres, for which the Government have obtained leases, with what is practically a pre-emptive right. “ There is,” said Mr. Sheehan, “ one feature of our land transactions to which I propose especially to call tho attention of the House, and that is what is termed our leasehold transactions. We have a largo tract of country under negotiation for lease for a term of 21 years. I propose to ask the House to allow me to take one of two courses, either to acquire the land in freehold or Jto abandon the business altogether. (Hear, hear.) What is the value to the Government of a 21 years’ lease 1 What private person will take tho land for tho remainder of the term of the Government lease, say 17 or 18 years? If wo can acquire the freeholi well and good. It is the object of all to acquire tho freehold, and when that can bo done no one will take this land from ns, especially as most of it isofan inferior quality. That is what I shall ask the House todothcrefore. MrMuRRAT: Hear,hear.)” If we add to this tho double Maori vote, the use of which Mr. J ohn Lundon has so happily exemplified in the Bay of Islands District, and increase tho Native representation, weshallbesottingup avory influential Native Department indeed, which, under Mri Sheehan’s intelligent guidance, and with occasional advice from tho Premier, may rule the House of Representatives, and practically govern the Colony. Of course, as wo said before, neither Mr. Sheehan nor Sir George Grey desire any extraordinary power, or would be capable of using it wrongly if they had it; but let us imagine for a moment what might happen if, with such powers as Mr. Sheehan now innocently desires to endow himself, ho should be unfortunately succeeded in office by a Minister who desired to got votes for his party at any price, and who was eager to keep in the Government for seven years, or a longer time. He would first fill the Native Department with his own creatures ; ho would, next, not allow any man to get an acre of land from the Natives unless ho were a Government supporter, and ho would have on his hands more than a million acres of leasehold laud having 17 or 18 years to run, with, as wo said, practically a pre-omplivo right to tho freehold, which ho might dispose of at his pleasure to secure Parliamentary support. When tho member for Bruce (Mr. Murray) applauded this proposal he was, perhaps, taking a narrow or limited view of its operation. There are now a number of

gentlemen whom we have the pleasure of knowing who, having acquired " paper titles ■ to largo tracts of land, would be charmed to make a sacrifice in the public interest, and allow Mr. Sheehan to relieve them of their acquisitions. Thera are also some gentlemen whom wo could indicate who would be extremely glad to relieve the Government of those very leasehold interests which the Native Minister speaks of .with so much contempt. Last year the Premier appeared to attach a great deal of value to leases of eight years, when ho went behind the Parliament in a secret and unconstitutional way to endeavor to upset a legislative Act by tho Governor’s veto. But he may have changed his opinion. On the whole, probably tha General Assembly may determine that having enjoyed the constitutional control of Native affairs for so many years, it is hot worth while to abandon it now in order that Personal Government may be substituted for it; and that although there is confidence almost unlimited in tho present Government, there is great danger that the power of dealing with native land purchases and leases, which Mr. Sheehan desires to obtain, might be abused—not by him, of course— by some unscrupulous successor in bis office, Tho new Native policy, then, with the beer tax, will probably be postponed.