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Poverty Bay Standard, Volume XI, Issue 1313, 7 June 1883, Page 2

I’he announcement that a sitting of the Native Land Court will shortly take place in Gisborne will be received with much satisfaction. A large amount of work has accumulated, and it is an unmistakeable drawback to the progress of the district, for siltings of the Court to be held here only at remote intervals. The Land Courts mean the settlement of land titles; the settlement of the land titles means the settlement of the country, and the settlement of the country means that progress has been too long retarded. If the Government would exerci-e the wisdom it is so often fully credited with possessing it would make permanent provision for regular sittings of the Land Court in this district. Gisborne is the heads quarters of an extensive Native dis» triet, and for some years to come its permanent advancement will be largely enhanced by the speedy adjustment of its land titles, and the process of individualisation of the land. A large amount of business has been left over from time to time from former sittings of the < 'ourt. For months and even for years through the mode of arrangement in regulating the sittings of the Court, much important work has been left at a standstill. The usual course adopted at sittings of the Court is to get through, if possible, what for the time being, is the most important, or apparently the most important business on hand, leaving subdivision eases, and claims keenly contested, for another set of judges to try their judicial hands at. In many instances the procrastination is unavoidable, as other districts are clamouring for sittings of the Court, and the Chief Judge, endeavoring to have a übiquitous staff of judges, finds himself at his wits ends. In this part of the Colony, we refer more particularly to the East Coast, an enormous amount of public convenience would be afforded by investing the present Resident Magistrate of Gisborne— Mr Jamis Booth —a gentleman of unsurpassed knowledge

in matters, with the power and functions of a judge of the Native Land Court. Much business that could be transacted in Chambers, as well as work of a subdivisional character could be carried out by that officer, while the unpaid magistrates of the district would be afforded an opportunity of becoming more efficient in the discharge of their judicial labors. Time and inexhaustible patience are essential requisites to the carrying out of the subdivision of lands held by the Natives under communistic tenure. Every day renders the question of subdividing of greater importance for European as well as Maori interests A change from the past mooe of procedure is necessary. A sitting of the Court is hurriedly gazetted, hurriedly held, and with equal celerity concluded. Excitement and agitation prevail. Opposing parties are hotly engaged in asserting or opposing claims to land hitherto undealt with by the Native Land Court. In this abnormal condition of things the steadiness of action necessarily required in approaching subjects so difficult of solution as the equitable allocation of individual interests in land, is altogether wanting. Not that the Court ean be reasonably expected to delay or prolong its sittings until its suitors are restored once more to their normal frame of mind. Our object in writing is to emphasize the fact that if by any means within the ken of His Honor Chief Judge McDonald, it were possible to have sittings of the Court held in the East Coast Native Land Court district, once a quarter, an extraordinary amount of work would be performed l'o those versed in Native Land Court matters, it is well known that the satisfactory transaction of the business of the Court is augmented in no inconsiderable degree by means of the voluntary arrangements arrived at between parties outside the Court. More especially would this be so in the ease of subdivision claims, brought on for adjudication, where greater niceties would have to be discussed and parties only hampered by the formal presence of Judges and Assessors. Were it known that at stated intervals of short duration sittings of the Court would be held, much valuable work in the way of bringing about voluntary arrangements could be done by suitors during the interim, and on the Court meeting, the formal business of confirming the arrangements arrived at, and giving them the full effect of law, would be all that would remain for the Court to do. The exchequer would be supplemented by the Native Land duties that would be caused to flow into the eoffers of the Colonial Treasurer. To illustra'e more fully the position of the-e matters, let us take a block of land in which there are 2J owners. 19 of whom are desirous of alienating their interest to their European neighbor. The twentieth owner desiring his particular portion for the purposes of residence does not sell, but wants his share partitioned off from the rest. Nothing, however, having the full force of law can be done until a sitting of the Land Court is held. The land is allowed to remain unproductive, neither European nor Native utilizing it. Even the Hon. Major Atkinson fails to get anything out of it in the shape of land duties for the Crown. When the Native Land Court sits these same Native owners, interested as they may be in many other blocks, eager in prosecuting or defending original claims to other lands, fail in the general rush to have their subdivision carried out. Whereas, if timely notice were allowed for claims to be brought forward —not the ordinary notice given in the Gazette, but specific notice that on such and such a day the subdivision of such and such a block would be gone on with, the parties in’erested could proceed at once to ger the out door portion of the work done, A little timely preparation of the character indicated would, in many cases, lead to important subdivisions being made, where m contraire, we find under the present system, there is too much uncertainty as to whether the case will be brought forward or not, and the general loss to the public at large is very considerable. Capital and labor, as well as the land, lie idle. Survey fees, Land Court fees, Native Land duties, all remain unpaid. Everything is kept at a stadnstill, and yet tradesmen and others in the district, wonder if a scarcity of money prevails. It is simply next to impossible for for things to be otherwise so long as the place is locked up. The Chief Judge and the Government will, we hope, give the matter the attention it deserves.