NATIVE LANDS

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 42, 30 May 1910, Page 2

NATIVE LANDS

A PRACTICAL STATEMENT.

In moving a remit at the Wellington conference of the Farmers' Union to the effect that the Maori should be placed on the same footing as the European in regard to the collection of rates, Mr. W. J. Birch, who is a keen student of native land affairs, said the time had arrived when the object of Native Land Acts should ibe in the direction of placing the Maori in the same position as regards his lands and his responsibilities as Europeans. This was necessary as much for the preservation and elevation of the Maori as the ibenefit of settlement. Tne policy of keeping tlie Maori tied in swaddling clothes could not lead to the production of independent energy or tend to put him in a position to take his place alongside the European in the battle of life. He Knew this could not be done at one stroke. Their aim, however, should be to individualise as mudh' as possible, and when individualised he should then in all respects be in the same position as the European, both as to power to deal with his lands and at the same time have the same privileges and responsibilities. He would then have to pay rates. At present it was a gross injustice to settlers that Maori lands which have 'benefited in an equal degree as others from expenditure of rates do not contribute a farthing. Surely this should not continue. He saw no reason why he should not in all respects bear his share of taxation as other settlers; nor did he see that was any injustice to him, provided, of course, that he had his vote as a ratepayer. It was said that if this were done the Maoris would sell all their lands and be left paupers for the country to support. He did not believe this would he the case, because he 'believed they would learn wisuom if they were not held in leaning strings. To prevent such an event the Maori should not be allowed to sell .all his land. Certain reserves of cultivable land might be made, unalienable; although he was inclined to think that such reserves wouid be the ruin of the Maori a.s a race, for such a scheme would never allow the native to rise out of nis lazy communal life. His only hope as a race was to be absorbed into the general community and to learn that to exist he must work. He was aware that individualisation was a slow and expensive process, and must take time. It was quite right that no European should be able to purchase native lands until individualised. The Government should 'have power to purchase without individualisation direct from the native owners. This was provided for in the last Native Lands Act, an Act of 112 pages, which, in some respects, was an improvement on the old. It still, however, hampered any free action with elaborate machinery. However, if acted upon with energy, much could be done by its means to acquire native land*. " The grievance with regard to rates extended beyond the individualised lands, and should : also >oe dealt with. Why should large blocks of native lands, held in common, and whose value had been enormously increased iby railroads and roads, be allowed to escape all taxation? Where this was the case it surely would not be wrong to make such lands liable to taxation. Tins could be done by notifying the owners that certain blocks had been declared liable under the Act. and that such rates would be paid by the Government and 'be made a- charge against the land. He 'had not read the Treaty of Waitangi, but he did not suppose that treaty exempted the Maori from taxation for all time.