The Telephone. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE POVERTY BAY STANDARD. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. GISBORNE, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 1.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume I, Issue 275, 1 November 1884, Page 2

The Telephone. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE POVERTY BAY STANDARD. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. GISBORNE, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 1.

The Government does not appear to be altogether happy with respect to its Native Land Policy. The Bill introduced by Mr. Locke they rejected, at the same time finding themselves equally powerless to support the measure brought forward by Mr. Wi Pere. It is known that the Chief Judge of the Native Land Court while in Wellington, drafted a Bill on the subject. This Bill was not formally introduced, but was circulated privately among members. It contained several excellent provisions relating to the subdividing of lands, but owing to conflicting opinions upon the subject of Native Land Laws, the Bill had no chance of passing. The fourth attempt this session at Native Land Legislation is made by the Hon. the Native Minister himself. He has introduced his Native Land Settlement Bill, the primary object of which is to prohibit earth-hungry speculators from acquiring land from the Natives, along the route adopted by the House for the North Islund Trunk Railway. We pointed out the other day, in these columns, the large extent of lands owned by the Government along that route. Mr. Ballance’s Bill provides that lands held by Natives according to their customs and usages, as well as lands held by them under Crown Grant, situated in the vicinity of the Central and Stratford routes, can only be disposed of under the authority of a Commissioner appointed under the Act, assisted by two Native Assessors. Ample reserves, are in all cases, to be made for the Native owners, and for public purposes, before any disposition is effected. A special fund is to be established, to be called the Native Land Settlement Fund, into which all moneys accruing from sales or leases are to be paid. " Out of this fund there are to, be transferred into the public account such a proportion as the Governor may from time to time direct, not exceeding one half of the gross proceeds of the sale of any lands and of any rents received from time to time, and the remainder shall be paid in manner as the Governor shall direct, to the owners of the land in respect whereof such proceeds and rent arise in the proportions of their respective interests therein. The moneys so to be paid into the public account as aforesaid, shall be the consideration for the payment by the Government of the following charges (r) of all expenses connected with the investigation of title by the Court, the fees of Court, and the costs ordered by Court (if any), the disposal of such lands including surveying such lands, and of opening up lines of road to give access to such land, advertising the same for disposal and of the expenses of distributing the proceeds amongst the owners; (2) acting as agents on behalf of the natives in such disposal; (3) in satisfaction of the duties payable to Her Majesty in respect of such land, and of any rates lawfully payable in respect thereof, and (4) in carrying out the orders of the Court according to the wishes of the natives. The expenses attending the investigation of a title of land or the survey thereof, or the disposal thereof, shall in case the same be not disposed of, be deemed to be part of the expenses attending any subsequent disposal thereof. The Government is to approve of any town to be laid out, and may advance monies to Native owners of land subject to the Act. There is a saving clause as to the rights of the natives to sell and of Her Majesty to buy land under the Act.” On the Bill going into Committee Mr. Wi Pere intends to move the insertion of six new clauses. These are to affect lands only situated between the south side of the Wairoa River in Hawke's Bay; thence in a straight line to the west side of the Whakatane River in the Bay of Plenty; thence to the East, by the sea coast to the East Cape; thence by the sea coast South to the

starting point. Those boundaries- include the whole of Cook County and parts of the Counties of Wairoa and Whakatane. The proposed additions are to the following effect:—(t) In every district constituted under. “The Maori Committee’s Empowering Act, 1883,'’ a Board of five members is to be appointed, the Committee to nominate three, and the Governor two, to manage all land matters entrusted to it by the Natives. (2) All dealings of any kind whatever in respect to purely Native Lands must be conducted with the owners jointly through the Committee. All dealings for such land with individual Maori owners shall be penal. (3) A jury of five Maoris, not interested in the land to be adjudicated upon, and chosen by the District Committee, are to settle all questions of tribal and hapu boundaries. (4) Ah European interests now held in any lands originally held by Maoris shall be divided either by the Native Land Court or by a commission to be appointed by the Governor. (5) The Governor in Council to have power to make rules and regulations to carry out the four preceding sections. (6) The preceding sections to be only brought into operation on application being made in writing to the Governor and signed by at least ten of the District Committee, save in the East Coast District, above described, in which district these sections shall come into force on the passing of the Act. It is with reference to this Bill that Mr. Wi Pere moved, and the blouse agreed, that Wahanui be heard at the bar of the House. The House agreed yesterday that Wahanui should be heard at 1 r o'clock this morning. As he is a strong advocate of the Native Committee system, and, like many of his race, being an orator of no small power, he will undoubtedly make the best of his case. The special provision for subdividing all European interests is a thoroughly equitable one, and with a more defined explanation as to its purport might be well accepted by the Government. But as the House has already this session declined to accept the principle of handing over uncontrolled power to Native Committees for dealing with Maori lands it can be scarcely expected that Mr. Wi Pere’s proposed amendments will become law, unless, indeed, in a very modified form.