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Patea Mail, Volume III, Issue 231, 27 June 1877, Page 2

Wu have received a copy of the new “Native Land Court Act, 1877.” The Auckland Slav summarises the provisions of the act as follows:—The bill contains 120 clauses and three schedules. Its whole scope,' as foreshadowed by our Wellington correspondent the other day, is to give native owners titles to their lands, and leave them free from Government interference afterwards. The legislation of 1873 affecting native lands is repealed. The Act provides that a Court for the investigation of native tides, consisting of one Chief Judge, and other judges and assessors appointed by the Governor, shall be established. Any native claiming land may make application to the Chief Judge* in whom all administrative functions are invested, to have his title enquired into, and the judge shall fix a time and place for hearing the claim, due notice thereof being given! The boundaries must be clearly marked off, and before a Crown Grant is issued the land shall have been surveyed. Provisional certificates may, however, be granted in the interval. T.he Court has full power to inquire, by the best means at its disposal, into the rights of all claimants, whether appearing in Conrt or not, with the single restriction that the Governor may by notice stay proceedings in any case. When the facts affecting a claim have been established to the satisfaction of the Court, a certificate of title shall be issued. Any native who feels aggrieved by the decision may apply

within throe months for a re-hearing. Failing appeal, a Crown grant may be made out in the names of all the natives entered on the Certificate of Title, and the natives thus become possessed of an inalienable right. Beyond the ascertaining of titles, the duties of the Court are few and simple. It lias power to consider the propriety of making certain lands, with the consent of a majority of the natives, unalienable as reserves, and, at the request of the Governor, of issuing a title to certain lands now held as native reserves, hut which it is desirable should be diverted from that purpose. All surveys shall be carried out by the Surveyor-General, or competent persons to whom licenses shall have been issued by him, and all plans are made subject to his approval. The power of issuing or suspending licenses to native interpreters rests in the Chief Judge. The procedure of the Courts appears, and necessarily so, to be left very much in the hands of the judges. Surveys and necessary expenses involved in passing the land through the Court maybe carried out by monies either advanced by the Government or private persons, arid will be regarded as a first charge on the land. Where these advances are made privately a certificate in form of the third schedule of the Act must be presented to the Chief Judge for registration, and the reasonableness of the amount may be made the subject of inquiry by him. When there are more than ton claimants to a block, and in other cases on the application of ail the owners, the Court, may make a division in issuing the certificate of title ; and subsequent to the issue of a certificate or Crown Grant, application may be made by any grantee to have Ids section individualised. Where this is effected, the laud so separated remains subject to its proportion of all charges resting on the ot!i«r portions o£ the block, and when under lease can only be sold upon conditions applicable to the remainder of the block. The Government have secured their interests in respect of the large tracts of country upon which payments have been made by removing them from private sale until the Native Lauds Court shall have investigated the title, and made orders either for the completion of the purchases, the apportionment of tire land between Government and natives, or the return by the natives of the sums paid. The Government likewise reserve the right of taking land for roads or railways, amounting to not more than five per cent of the whole, free of cost, and claim a royalty of twenty per cent upon the purchase money in all cases of private sale, and an equal amount on the capitalised rental of leases. Thus guarded, the Act leaves no embargo .whatever on the sale of native lands. It enables infants whose names have been entered upon a Certificate of Title to alienate their shares, with the approval of the Court, the money so derived to be invested in the hands of trustees, and it in other ways facilitates freedom of sale between owners and purchasers.

Mr Charles Pownal, Land and Financial agent, Wellington, advertises that he has about dilo,ooo which ho has been instructed to invest in land in this district for southern capitalists. The official declaration of the polling for the Hawera Town Board by the Returning Officer (J. S. Grcig, Esq ) will be found in advertising colums. Mr William Dale, of Carlyle, has been appointed Agent of the Australasian Mutual Provident Society, for the Patea District. Clippings from the “ Taranaki Herald : A severe flash of lightning was experienced at Oakura, on 17th instant. The lightning struck the store of Mr James Loveridgc and passed through it, destroying a large quantity of glassware, lamps, &c. —Mr J. Eossitcr, of New Plymouth, is one of the prize holders of the London Art Union, by which ho is entitled to select a work of art of the value of ■JU.-jO —Mr Thomas Bayly has received an offer of £IOO per acre for twentyone acres of land belonging to him near the proposed harbour works at the Sugar Loaves. About fifteen acres of the property is merely sandy waste, and sis months ago the greater part of the land was unsaleable at any price. On Sunday evening last, about seven o’clock, a small mob of horses, starting from somewhere on the Taranaki Eoad, galloped belter skelter through Carlyle, and across the footpath on the opposite side to the Town Hall. The streets were fortunately clear and so no accidents occurred. Seven of the lot were impounded by the Police, about which there was a fine to-do. Six of the animals happened to belong to gentlemen who, as members of the Town Board, had helped to remind the Inspector of laxity formerly shown in regard to impounding wandering cattle. There was a slight chuckle in some quarters.

The ss ‘ Wellington,’ had a narrow escape from being wrecked on the Manakau bar, on Sunday, the 17th instant. She passed New Plymouth on the Saturday, it being too rough to communicate with the shore. At one o’clock on Sunday, the steamer’s head was set for the south entrance of the Manakau. On approaching the bar it was found the sea was heavy, and that the tide had begun to ebb. When the steamer was right over the first break, a tremendous green wave struck her on the port quarter, completely filling her decks to the rail, and, in addition to sanding the vessel on her beam ends, boats were carried away and other considerable damage done. Captain Lloyd, who was on the bridge, narrowly'escaped being washed overboard. The vessel being in the trough of the sea was in imminent danger of foundering. The vessl’s head was turned and she was got round safely when only about twice her length from the bank, and steamed to sea in the face of a heavy westerly gale, which she rode out safely for three days.

Letter from Waitotara on the Railway Question arrived too late for insertion in present issue. Mr R. A. Adams, of Carlyle, announces that he has made fresh arrangements as to conduct of tailoring department, and solicits favours. A meeting of persons desirous of forming a Chess Club will be held at Hawcra on Friday evening. Messrs Craig and Co., of Ilawea, arc reported to have sold a large quantity of general merchandise, on Saturday last, at satisfactory prices. After the sale a lot of sheep were disposed of privately as follows : 400 fat wethers at lis, 175 ewes in lamb at 9s, and 125 ditto at 7s. The ss ‘ Clyde ’ arrived in Patea from Wanganui yesterday morning, fully loaded, and was appointed to sail again in the evening at 8.30 p.m. The Wanganui Chronicle is responsible for the following :—“ Blooming Unseen. —Are the Patea folk aware of the honor that has been lately conferred upon their Chairman of Town Board, County Council, and goodness knows what else besides. Their representative organ has never proclaimed the fact, though we have considerately refrained from allusion to the matter in order to allow it the honor of doing so first. But if our contemporary is so remiss in notifying instances where honorable distinctions have been confei’red upon worthy recipients in his own district, we must in justice to them do so. We therefore have now the pleasure of announcing—and tlie intimation should be received with pride and satisfaction—that G. F. 'Sherwood, Esq., of Patea, has been elected in absentia a member of the Philosophical Society of Wellington.” The Chronicle professes to be anxiously looking forward to results. The Napier Telegraph of the 14th Juno says :—A Chinese gardener, residing at Moanee, has green peas for sale. This is a rare treat at this season of the year. The Napier Telegraph referring to largo well bred pigs in Hawkes Bay says : There is not the least doubt that if this industry was more generally attended to, that the importation of bacon and lard from other provinces would cease.

The Thames Advertiser , in an article on its own requirements in the matter of harbour accommodation, made useful remarks on harbours in general, and said :—We are inclined to think that the increase in the prosperity of many New Zealand towns is greatly due to the attention paid to harbour improvements.

The Chronicle hears that additions to the Armed Constabulary are being enlisted, and that its strength is proposed to be increased in view of certain contingencies which even now loom threateningly.

The Argus says : —lt has been decided to postpone sending- a combined team from the Wellington football clubs to Wanganui anvil the early part of next month, when one will be organised to compete with the players of that district. The Taranaki News say : —A football match between the New Plymouth v. Wairoa and Patea teams is expected to come off about the third week in July. The match will bo played at Patea. Colonel Trimble, Chairman of th’e Taranaki County Council, has, in letters to the Herald , given his views regarding the manner in which roads within the County should be formed and maintained, and as to funds available. The Herald also has a leader on the subject. We shall endeavour to give extaacts next issue.