Native Lands Court.

Patea Mail, 13 July 1880, Page 2

Native Lands Court.

RESUMPTION OF BUSINESS ' .

Judge Hkaphy is on his way to Patea, and we are informed that he will re-open the Native. Lauds Court s this day,:’ or Wednesday■' yaf \ Parris left Pa tea for the Plains on Saturday, and Major Brown ; went up country by the same coach. MrParris adjourned the Court on Friday, a few hours after commencing- business, his reason for the adjournment not being clearly explained. Cctraiiv natives raised an objection, to his .presiding without an assessor, that being, as they believed, the proper constitution of a Court of this character. Mr Parris accepted their objection as a sufficient reason for not proceeding with the business, and adjourned the Court sine die. If it be not competent for him to hear cases alone, why did he commence, to do so ? If it be competent, why did he adjourn in compliance with an improper objection ? Several persons, with more or less legal knowledge, are unable to understand Mr Parris’s position or conduct in this matter. The numerous Maori claimants who are assembled at Patea were left without any definite information as to when the Court would resume, or whether it ever would resume. In grievous mismanagement of this kind, it is usually difficult to fix the whole blame on any individual, and probably it is so in this case ; but a journal must do its duty in exposing such mismanagement, and so paving the way for inquiry and remedy. The first land block about which claims will be heard by Judge Heaphy is that of Kaitangiwhenna, situate inland between the Whennakura and Waitotara rivers. The price to be paid is fixed, but the native claimants are not agreed as to the respective proportions which ought to be allotted to each branch or section of the tribe. When the amount due to each is determined by the Court, the money will be paid. There will then be bills to settle for goods obtained on credit of the expected payments. Many Maoris have been eating their cake in advance. They have spent largely in anticipation, so far as tradesmen would give them credit, and will probably be dissatisfied to find that the settling up leaves little uu|spent.