Settling the Reserves.

Patea Mail, 12 February 1881, Page 3

Settling the Reserves.

Sir William Fox hold a Court at Patea on Thursday, for the purpose of explaining to natives interested in the reserves set apart by the Royal Commission, what process is necessary for obtaining Crown grants for those reserves, to make them their inalienable property for ever. Sir William is now the sole Commissioner for carrying out the recommendations of the West Coast Commission, and he was accompanied by Mr Parris, a Government officer who has practical charge of native matters on this Coast. About a score of male natives attended the Court, with the usual following of women and children. Sir William Fox said, through an interpreter : The Governor has sent mo to finish up this work of granting reserves to Maoris on this West Coast, and to do that which was promised last year should be done. I cannot finish all in one day. I have come here to see that the things are done and finished, so. that they may not be talked about any longer. I have begun at the far end of the district, at Oeo, where Hone Pihama and his people live. I finished that business quickly, and before a week was gone I sent his grant to Wellington to be signed by the Governor, and he can now get it when he likes. The boundaries of his reserves are all fixed, maps are made out, the Crown grant is signed, and that land is his now for ever and ever, and cannot be taken away from him. Almost immediately, perhaps next week, I am going to send to the Governor the map of the next reserves, the piece this side of Oeo. Those boundaries will be fixed, and when the chief and his people who are to have that land have given me their names the Crown grant will be signed, and there will be no more talk about that while the world lasts. The next piece I shall take will be near the Waingongora river ; and I shall work down this way till I get to Tauroa’s land, and then take other lands till I reach Waitotara. What you have to do is to help in this work. The boundaries of the reserves are laid down on the map, but before the grants can be made out, the Governor must have the names of all the people who are to have each of these reserves. For instance, here is Tauroa’s piece, two thousand acres : I want to know the names of all his people, that they may be put in that grant. And so with the other lands. There is another thing. Some o£ these reserves are verylarge, and perhaps the natives don’t want all that land for their own use, to cultivate and grow corn on. Perhaps they will do what has been done in other places, lease part of the land to Europeans. But they might lease all this land to Europeans, and have nothing left for themselves. Therefore I want it made clear in the grant which portion may be leased and which portion they 7 shall not let to anybody. In each case the Maoris will have to decide which portion they will have tied up and which portion they will leave open to be leased if they think fit, for a term not exceeding 21 years. As soon as I get this information, and also the names, I can send the grants to the Governor to be signed, and the land will then be yours for ever. It cannot be taken away from you, unless you begin fighting again. Tauroa told us last year how hardly he had been used in having first to bear punishment on his body, and then having his land taken away too, and that he had not had so much land left to him as he ought to have had. We thought that was true, and that it was right Tauroa should have more land given to him between the Whcnuakura and Patea rivers. It is my intention to recommend to the Governor that some more land should be given to Tauroa and his people up the Whcnuakura river, and I shall have to decide when I come here again where that land is to be, and how much there is to be of it. In the case of Kotninc also, 1000 acres were awarded to him, and since then the Government have made reserves for education along-side his land. So it has never been made clear what are the boundaries of his land. There is plenty of land there, and it will be my business to find out where his boundaries are and get him a Crown grant. There are also cases in which natives have written letters to me saying they have claims in this district which have never been settled. I shall hoar what they have to say, and decide accordingly. Mr Parris will help mein these matters, and you must tell him all you can before I come to Patea again, so that I may be able to settle all tiro matters without delay. [Several Maori chiefs then made statements as to their position and expectations, and the Court adjourned. The Comrnis sioner is likely to be here again to complete the business within a few weeks, perhaps a month.