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Poverty Bay Standard, Volume I, Issue 147, 3 June 1884, Page 2

[advertisement.] TO THE ELECTORS OF EAST COAST. Gentlemen, —Permit me to take this opportunity of addressing you upon the Native land question. The question that above all others so affects this electorate, and indeed the whole of the North Island. The policy of the Government is, as you are aware, to reserve the right of Pre-emption over Native lands. Upon this important question, Mr. Locke, one of the candidates contesting the honor of representing this district in Parliament, expressed himself as follows to the electors of Gisborne, on the 26th May, just passed (vide P. B. Herald, 27th May,) “ Mr. Locke wished to explain in reference to Mr. Sheehan’s remarks. The Pre-emptive Right question was down in his notes but it had escaped him. He did not consider the Preemptive Right should be resumed over any lands which had not been dealt with or on which money had been paid. It was another question as to whether it should be applied to the King country for a few years, as none of the lands had been dealt with there.” (The italics are mine.) There are many hundreds of thousands of acres of land belonging to Natives along the East Coast. Between Wairoa, Gisborne, and the Nuhaka district there are about three hundred thousand acres of Native land which have not been dealt with, and upon which money has not been paid, these lands are to be adjudicated upon at the first sitting of the Native Land Court at the Wairoa, Tologa Bay, and other places in this district, and I ask the electors of the East Coast, and Wairoa in particular, how can they support either the policy of pre-emption enunciated by the Government or the policy advocated by its “ nominal supporter,” Mr. Samuel Locke? Such a policy, if effect be given to it, would cause those lands to be sealed against all comers. The head of the Government has intimated that no further borrowing will be resorted to except for the purpose of completing public works now in course of construction. It is manifest, therefore, that the Government proposals with respect to Native Lands, if they get the force of law, cannot fail to check the settlement and progress of the whole electorate. The Maoris themselves, while owning valuable lands, might under such a scheme be absolutely unable to procure the bare necessaries of life. Such a scheme would sap the foundation of the prosperity of the East Coast. Aly own views upon the administration of the Native Lands are already well known to you. I am altogether opposed to the Government proposal to Mr. Locke’s proposal, and to schemes for assisting Native Lands to pass into the hands of largo Land Companies or monopolists. Provision should ba made for the natives by alloca: ing for them reserves ample for their maintenance. As to the residue of the Native lands of the Colony, every possible facility should be given for placing those lands fairly in the market, and in blocks of moderate areas. The law for the individualisation of Native interests ia blocks of land should be amended, so that persons leasing or buying individual shares from Maori owners should be able to speedily and at small cost, to ascertain definitely the actual interest they held in a