Untitled

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 944, 26 April 1879, Page 2

Mi:. KoBEr.T Gimham, the owner of the Waiwera estate, upon which are the celebrated Hot Springs, having been presented with a piece of land at Koutu by the Itotonia natives, proceeded to render it fit for settlement by clearing it, and built a dwelling upon it, with the ultimate intention of erecting ;;ii hotel. Tiiia is the gravamen, of Mr. Graham's oU'encc, for which it is said he is to be prosecuted, the hot lakes having been tapucd by the Government to themselves for the purpose of a national park and sanitorium. 'flic New Zealand Herald has an article upon t]ic subject, which is in the main fair in tone, though slightly flavored by sympathy for Mr. Graham and for the system of private land purchase from the natives. Mr. Robert Graham may lie an old mid usoful settler—wc believe he is ;he may have done some good service to the natives in the interests of private native land purchase, by aiding and abetting in the establishment of the '•Committee of Rotorua," a body of disaffected natives that have been aggregated ami primed by those interested in direct land purchase from the natives to bring pressure on the Government. But we do not know that these are any reasons why Mr. Graham should be treated exceptionally. Even if he had not done that whieh )s calculated to create rebellion amongst natives that have hitherto been peaceable and contented, seeing that the avowed intention of the Government from the first has been to reserve the hot lakes ■ for public pnqioses, and that others have . boen refused the privilege of acquiring any jwrtion of thorn and the adjacent country, | the Government ectiM not, although there exists the fact that Mr. Graham has hitherto ' been a good colonist as a set-off against his " I iate il!-;vlvi.----l eonduot, make any exception 1 ! in lii-s favor. The Herald casts a doubt

nv -n the jimvtr of \hn Government to, issue .-. |.;i.elaniatiuii prohibiting the natives :o sell But ve are sure that there is not a resident in the Colony -with perhaps the exception of a few red-hot and unprincipled land speculators, who have no thought for anybody but themselves— irrespective of political creed, that -locs not devoutly wish that >■" lep',l loophole may be discovered wit.jrchy Mr. Graham may gain the day an 1 iii.ivitr.bly lead the way to the mis-

.-nr.Mioprmlion of that which has hitherto ;,',,.,, ,>-"flnl«.-il as the sanitoriuin of the ('..:..•:■,•. ami \v::Hi h:i* not its equal in the klK.v.ii -.v.rt-lil. It is adduced as an objection to the tUtinc- aside or tUu i.oc 'ir.k'id and •utrroundiug country . for public purposes. that it is preventing tiic settlement of land and n.:tanliii? the proirrcss of the Colony. This is an argument tl:at i» utterly without r.:ason and untenable, The Lake Country is u:,.j1.-ss for settlement in the ordinary sense of the word. It is totally unfit for agricultural and pastoral purposes, and the only object that persons can have in attempting to acquire portions of it is to make the people of the Colony pay toll for that which lit is intended they shaH liayc "without I money and without price,"