SIR GEORGE GREY AND PATETERE.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2494, 18 March 1881, Page 4

SIR GEORGE GREY AND PATETERE.

Tli9 following correspondence respecting the celebrated Patetere block, depicts with considerable accuracy the two sides of the question : —Kawau, December 8, 1880. —Sir, —I have the honor to transmit to your Excellency a memorial forwarded to me by Mr James McGowan, on the behalf of a public meeting of my constituents on November 15, last. 111-health prevents me from presenting this memorial personally to your Excellency, I therefore send it on through the Colonial Secretary in the usual course. It relates to a block of land, called the Patetere block, in regard to which a proclamation was issued by the Governor, notifying that money had been paid by the Crown, for its purchase or acquisition. The effect of that proclamation was against all persons other than the aboriginal owners or occupiers of such land equivalent to a native ; that the native title on such had been extinguished, and to make it unlawful for any other person to purchase or acquire from the native owners any right, title, estate, or interest in any such land or in any part thereof, or in any manner to contract for any such purchase or acquisition. The prayer of the memorial is that your Excellency will be pleased to maintain that pro clamation in force until after the next meeting of Parliament. I believe that it is generally felt that the removal of the proclamation from the block, during the recess would be a great misfortune to the country, for then it is thought, owing to circumstances which have taken place, that a vast block of land of great value would probably fall into the hands of private persons, whilst the rest of the inhabitants of New Zealand, who have obeyed the law, by not attempting to purchase this land whilst a proclamation was over it, would suffer great injustice. The natives would also suffer a serious wrong, from not having had an opportunity of selling their lands in the open market. In conclusion, I would venture to add that the falling of this block of land into the hands of a few private persons will greatly impede the settlement of the country on principles which take into consideration the interests and rights of the whole of the Queen’s subjects. I have the honor to be Sir, Yours obediently, G. Grey. —To His Excellency the Governor, Colonial Secretary’s Office Wellington, 7th January, 1881. Sir, —I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the Bth ultimo, conveying a memorial to the Governor from Messrs James McGowan,William McCullough, and James Kilgour, on behalf of a public meeting, held at Grahamstown, praying his Excellency to maintain the proclamation over the Patetere Block until after the meeting of Parliament. In reply, I have to inform you that the memorial in question, together with your letter of the Bth November covering it, has been presented to His Excellency, in accordance with your request,—l have &c., Thos. Dick —Sir G eorge Grey, K. C. 8., M. H. E. Kawau, Auckland.

Colonial Secretary’s Office, Wellington, Feb. 9, 1881. —Sir, —Adverting to my letter of the 7th ultimo, in which I had the honor to inform you that your letter of Dec. 8 last, with the accompanying memorial, signed by Messrs McGowan, McCullough, and Kilgour, on behalf of a public meeting held at Grahamstown on Nov. 15 last had been laid before the Governor. I have now to inform you that His Excellency has referred the memorial to his responsible advisers, by whose advice he has directed that the following reply should be sent through you to the memorialists :—lt is the declared policy of the present Ministry to withdraw as far as possible from the purchase by Government of lands owned by aboriginal natives ; and in pursuance of that policy they consider it inexpedient to proceed with the negotiations which had been commenced for the purchase of the Patetere and many other blocks of such native land. A notice was accordingly published early in November last in the “ Gazette ’’ and in several newspapers that application would be made to the Native Land Court to assign to the Crown an area of land proportionate to the advances of money which have been made by the Government, and that on this being done, it would be open to the natives to dispose of the remainder of the blocks, in the manner authorised by law, to any persons whom they may choose. This notice was given more than two months ago, and there can be no ground for assuming that the general public is unaware of the period at which the Patetere Block will be free from existing restrictions. His Excellency’s advisers have no that in adopting the course above indicated they have acted in the true interest of the whole of the Queen’s subjects in New Zealand.—l have, etc., Thomas Dick.—Sir George Grey, K. 0.8., M.H.R., Kawau, Auckland.