The Telephone. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED. THE POVERTY BAY STANDARD. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. GISBORNE, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume I, Issue 250, 2 October 1884, Page 2

The Telephone. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED. THE POVERTY BAY STANDARD. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. GISBORNE, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2.

In the House on the 17th instant, Mr. Locke, in moving the motion standing in his name, “ That a Select Committee be appointed to consider the condition and grievances of the East Coast District, and that the petition from that district be referred to such Committee : the Committee to consist of Sir G. Grey, Mr. Pere, Mr. Barron, Mr. Dargaville, Major Atkinson, Mr. Brown Mr. Larnach, Mr. Johnstone, Mr. Grigg, and the mover; five to form a quorum ; to have power to take evidence, and to call for persons and papers; to report in one week ; and to confer with any similar Committee appointed by the Legislative Council,” said he was aware that, if a district or a person had a grievance, it was not a pleasant thing to have to listen to its statement; but, at the same time, when there was any remedy that might be applied and the matter put right, he thought the remedy ought to be given. Certainly the district he had the honor to represent had suffered from neglect for many years past. As he had shown the other day when moving for the production of certain papers, great difficulties and drawbacks to the district had been allowed to continue to exist for many years without any attempi being made to settle them. A Royal Commission sat two yeurs ago in reference to the matter of long outstanding Maori troubles; but, though the report of the Commission had been made two years ago, so far as he was aware nothing had been done to carry out its recommendations and to settle the questions which were the cause of trouble. Then, again, for the last fifteen years there was a curious state of things in reference to lands adjudicated on in 1869 by a Commission that was appointed to settle certain questions regarding ceded lands in that district. It passed 150,000 acres of the finest land perhaps in New Zealand, as was stated in the printed report of the Lincolnshire farmers. For fourteen years there were no means whatever of adjudicating on that land. It -was possessed in joint tenancy, and had been settled by a Commission, and not by the Land Court, and therefore the Native Land Court could not deal with it. Consequently the strangest of sights was now to be seen there —that of settlers occupying large areas of the richest land without any authority whatever, but trusting that some day or other Parliament would pass a measure enabling the land to be subdivided, to prevent great expense in an action before the Stipreme Court in respect to every share purchased. Fortunately for them it was joint tenancy ; therefore they would ultimately obtain their rights either in acreage or value. But they did not know what part of the block it might be in, and they were under the chance of being turned off at any time, or of being driven from one place to another. There was much trouble and constant disturbance in

reference to this, and until about two years ago nothing had been done to put it right. What was the result of all these troubles and difficulties in the district ? Some one had said, “ Where the carcase is, there shall the eagles be gathered together ; ” and he could assure the House they were gathered in that district. During the last few years there had been from fifteen to eighteen lawyers in the district, and twenty or twenty-two licensed interpreters; and he thought a moderate computation of what that state of affairs had cost the district would show that every year there had gone to these gentlemen /'20,00c, to Z 2 s>°oo of money that ought to have been devoted to better purposes. That was to say that for the last six or eight years, /" 120,000 to 150,000 of money had been wasted in that way. Fortunately, two years ago an Act was passed which remedied the evil to a certain extent. Then, they had a grievance with regard to the Native Land Court, They had at present some three thousand cases waiting inquiry, and in one or two places there had not been a sitting of the Court for the last five years, and this although the lands had been surveyed for years, and the plans were lying in the Survey Office. If they went to the Native Department to make complaint, they were told they must go to the Court, and if they went to the Court they were told the}' must see the Government. It was laid down by the 14th section of the Act of 1880 that the Court should have full administration of the land; but by the 2nd clause of “The Land Act, 1882,” that section was repealed, and therefore the Chief Judge of the Court held that he had no control; and so all this delay took place. Then, again, in that elec-

toral district there were some 600,000 or 700,000 acres of Crown land ; and until the late Minister for Lands took the matter up, there had been no steps whatever taken on the part of the Government to open up those lands. Not a chain of road had been opened up there, notwithstanding all the money that had been spent on public works in other parts of the colony. He did not want to say any more now, but if honorable members would read the petition presented by him to the House they would see that something ought to be done to remedy the evils that existed in that part of the country, as would also those who sat with him on the Committee, if it was appointed. From a telegram received to-day from our Wellington correspondent it will be seen that the Committee have recommended that assistance be given to settlers towards the construction of the Gisborne Harbor Works, by opening up the lands of the district.