WEST COAST SETTLEMENTS RESERVES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 242, 18 November 1909, Page 4

WEST COAST SETTLEMENTS RESERVES.

COMPLAINTS BY TAUANAKI NATIVES. Before the representatives of tlie West Const Native Union returned to Tarn-1 naki. aonii' of tliein approached a reporter oi' I lie Dominion with respect to! tho reply give.ii by the J'rime Minister | last week to the deputation, us follows: j "llad it not been for tlie control of the West Coast lauds by the Public Trustee he (Sir Joseph Ward), was aflaid thai many areas would have been sold, and that numbers of the! native people would have become nn-' poverislied.'" The delegates stated that that statement (made not only'by Sir .loseph hut al»n by the Hon. ,1. Carroll) wns incorrect. ami misleading. The conditions contained in the L'rown grants t-ieni- | .selves were a siillicient guarantee that: 1 the natives would never "beciime impov-! I erished."' The restrictions in grants' | were as follows: —"On condition that. Iho j | said reserves shall be inalienable by sale., "gift, or mortgage, or in any other way. i j except as follows: That is to say. fust. I by exchange fyr other lands of at least ] equal value, such lauds taken in ex- : change being held in fee simple. Second. 1 by lease for any terms not exceeding 21 | years'." 'Tnderi the present law the Public Trustee is empowered to arbitrarily lease our lands (said the delegates) for all time regardless as to wheI tlier we have suilicieiit land for out'- * I selves or not, A great many of us oven' I now have no land at all to live upon, I the same having been leased hv the Pub- 1

lie Trustee. We have, therefore, become impoverished. Further, ordinary alienation of native lands is not given effect ' in by the Native Uanil Court, or Maori Laud Boards, unless the native alienating has still'ieient land for his inainten- ' uilcc and support. There is no siteh protection given us by the West Coast Set- j llcincnt Reserves Act, 18112. 'The great 1 majority of the natives at TaraniiKi are seething with discontent at the administration of their lands by Hie Public Trustee, and will not be satielled until a commission of enquiry is set up. I will quote one case in question. A cer-. tain native owns an area of land, 40 acres uf which is still in an unimproved i stale, containing clumps of bush and. tree slumps. Tnis he leases at Xl- 10s ' per acre; the remainder of the property, I whicii is under the control of the Public Trustee, and is in a fair state of cultivation throughout, is leased at only 10s j per acre, showing that the full value is ■ not being obtained bv the Public Trustee ! from the lessees. There are dozens of j such cases. Lauds have been leased at 10s an acre when £1 could be had for I gracing rights alone, tlifs showing that i the Maori owners would he better oil j and make much more by being allowed to farm or lease their own lands."