The Oamaru Mail. FRIDAY, AUGUST 13, 1880.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1319, 13 August 1880, Page 2

The Oamaru Mail. FRIDAY, AUGUST 13, 1880.

Tin: reform of the native land policy is a question that is sorely exercising the minds of our political savun's. Yielding to the outer}' against what js erroneously termed free trade, and what i; in reality a •genuine monopoly, 'he Government have, through the Native Minister, introduced a measure into Parliament designed to entirely abolish free trade in native lands, and establish a system whereby native owners shall, if they wish to sell at all, dispose of their lands through the "Waste Lands Boards. Viewed superficially the plan suggested by the Native Minister appeirs to give promise of being an effectual antidote to all the rascality thathas characterised native land transactions in tlie past. But tiie natives have resolutely set their faces against ir. They urtie that they should be allowed to do as they like with their own property, and, as the Government cannot, of course, legislate to compel them to do otherwise, it is probable that they will, unless some alternative method, mure in favor with them, of disposing of their lauds is established, refuse to part with them at all. They will, at all events, hold back from operating throngh the Waste Lands Boards, m the hope that by doing so the Government will next year be induced to institute a scheme more nearly in consonance with their wishes. Mr. Bryce's scheme, however, possesses the merit of being devoid of any principle calculated to foster poli'ical patronage, and it is a pity that he did not import into it less illiberally towards the natives. For instance, out of the proceeds derivable from the sale of lands are to be deducted tlie cost of survev, fees of court, costs ordered by the court (if any), cost of advertising, duties payable to Her Majesty, one per centum commission to the Receiver of Land Revenue, and to the same official not less than ten nor more than thirty per centum of the gross proceeds, as may be agreed upon by the owners and the Land Board for the making of roads. It is not unlikely that it would be found that these expenses would total up to a sum that would leave but a paltry balance to be handed over to the owners, if, indeed, it did not place them on the wrong side of the ledger. The native members have not failed in the performance of the duty they owe to their people. They have pointed out with no little force, and in a manner that elicited the sympathy of a majority of the House, the injustice of such an ai*rangement, and, more than that, they have signified their intention to oppose it by every means at their disposal. An elaborate scheme for opening up the native lands of the East Coast has been introduced into Parliament by Mr. M'Donald under the title of the East C>>3St Maori Land and Special Settlement Bill. It is understood that Mr. Rees is the author of this scheme, which provides that certain large areas of native land on the East Coast shall be administered by Boards, each consisting of five members, and Committees, consisting of nine Maori and half-caste land-owners, chosen by native land proprietors. Sir George Grey has moved that this principle of dealing with native lands shall be imported int') the Native Jjands Sale Bill as an alternative plan. The natives seem to view this plan with greater favor than that which provides for the administration of their lands by the Waste Lands Boards. But they do so because it would place more power in their hands. It would, in fact, leave them and speculators as free to act as they havy been under what is called the free-trado system. We fail to see that Mr. Ecus' system be any improvement upon the olu one. It i 3 cumbrous and intricate, and would be open to abuses as serious as any that have cursed native land administration in the past. 3loreuve-r, it would be expensive. If some system could be invented which would preclude the possibility o; the native lands being available only to a charmed circle of experts, would place all colonists on the Same footing as regards their acquirement, and would minimis-j the machinery for their disposal, and therefore the expense, it would be accepted by all but the few whose iniquities have left them with no friends but themselves. It is absolutely necessary that j something should be done in this direction. It would certainly not be creditable to our leirislators if they were to let their arm 3 fall helplessly by their sides and abandon the task as a hopeless one. Nuw more thau ever should the Colony adopt measures such as will place the people on the lands of the Colony that are now idle—that they should ejnulate other more fortunate or more-wisely governed young countries, and promote an influx of j such °a class as will increase our procluc-! tiveness and ease our burthens of taxation. We think that it is not impossible to do this. The objections to the present system of native land purchase are that the Government and speculators enter into competition; that the lands are seldom obtained by either, whilst the natives receive preliminary payments from both ; that when the Government does succeed in obtaining land, it is of such An inferior quality that it is unfit for settlement > and that when speculators obtain land, they exact such prices for it, that, whilst they may not be in advance of its real value, enable them to pocket profits to which they are not entitled. As it happens, the competition between the Government and speculators has so far acted as a barrier to the alienation of native lands under negotiation. There are a few blocks which the Government are endeavoring to acquire, and if they succeed, it will be because speculators are precluded by proclamations from entering into competition for them. Although, in the case of Patetere, the proclamation has not in the least degree been respected by those who have set their affections upon it, tney will not however, succeeded in getting it, thanks to the determined opposition in Parliament and the country. They are beginning to realise this fact now, and would be ulad to retire from the field if they could get a return of the moneys they have expended in the attempt to acquire it. But, as they have expended these moneys in negotiating in defiance of the law, they will not succeed in getting it from the Government, and we think that theyaren«'t suchsimpletonsasto expectany refund at the hands of the natives. Then, purchase by the Government, although excellent in theory, has been a failure in practice, and the natives say that they will not be bound down to sell exclusively to the Government; purchase by private individuals, as it is known at present, is a grossly unjust monopoly ; the system of selling through Waste L-mds Boards, as proposed by the Native Minister, was a forlorn hope that will virtually lock up native lands and create disaffection amongst the natives, who contend that to make such a stipulation is an interference with their rights ; and the system of administering through Boards and Maori Committees will have me effect of creating complete machinery without lessening the evils resulting from absolute free trade, and of, at the same tijne, increasing the expenses of alienation. We think it possible to utilise the land speculators in such a manner as to enable them to benefit themselves and the Colony at the same time. This is the plan ; we would suggest: That provision be made for enabling native owners'

of land to sell to Europeans on the following system :—That a purchaser of a block of land exceeding in extent say 2000 acres may not alienate or deal with the same or any part of it until he has given notice to the Government of his purchase, with a statement of the total cost incurred by him in effecting it. Such notice must be given ■within 30 days from the completion of the purchase. The Government must within three months from the receipt of such notice proceed to survey the block into two portions of equal value. The purchaser shall then choose for himself one-half in value of his purchase, and he shall convey the other half to the Crown and receive therefrom onehalf the total cost, with, say 10 per cent, added, the Crown's half to bo d- alt with as waste "lands of the Crown. Under this s3 T stem the speculator would make as good a bargain as possible, whilst, if it were provided that the Government should have the option of taking the whole of his purchase or paying him a certain per centage of profit, he would have every inducement to purchase it as dearly as possible. The advantages of this scheme would be simplicity, cheapness, the obtainment of good land, and the speedy settlement of the unsettled lands of the North Island.