WEST COAST SETTLEMENT LEASES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 137, 5 December 1911, Page 4

WEST COAST SETTLEMENT LEASES.

Elsewhere in this issue we publish an interesting contribution from Mr. C. Andrews on tiie question of West Coast Settlement leases. With a great deal of what lie says we are in hearty accord, but. the inference that the Government are antagonistic to the interests of the leaseholders is not borne out by ail understanding of tlio facts of the case. On the contrary, the Government huvei so far met the holders- in a very generous spirit. They provided the machinery for the original holders to convert to perpetually renewable leases, with compensation for full improvements, extending the term more than once, whilst relief in the way of a rebate of the rents and reduction of rents was granted to a great many of the lessees when times were not as prosperous as they are at present. Then but two years back the lessees who had not converted were met in regard to obtaining full compensation up to the £5 an acre after tlio test Supreme Court case 1 revealed the flaw in the compensation clauses of the leases. Seeing that they have done all this, how can it be suggested that the Government are antagonistic to the interests of the lessees? Up to now the rights of the 1881 lessees have, as a matter of fact, in no way been infringed, and l no one can truthfully say otherwise. The lessees now ask to be placed on the same footing as the 1892 lessees, and are prepared to pay the difference in regard to rental, etc. An agreement as to the terms of converting has been reached, and a Bill framed, but this Bill has not so far been proceeded with by Cabinet, though it was approved' by the Lands Committee and Xative. ( Affairs Committee. Thp Ministers for Native Affairs has mean-, while offered to fjef up a commission to enquire into the whole matter of the West Coast Settlement lenses, but so far the.'offer has not been accepted. In this we think lessees are ill-advised. Providing they have adequate representation on the commission, they would have much to gain and pothing to lose by agreeing to the commission. We would say that the 'lessees, should have representation on the commission equal to the representation of the other party; and if this is done there can be no doubt as to the nature of their report Had the 1881 lessees taken advantage of. the opportunities to convert given by the Government. not once but twice, .this present trouble.would neverhave arisen, but even at this stage, it must be remembered, the Government have not refused them.this right; nor is there anything to show that the • Government are antagonistic to its being granted. To say that the Government are antagonistic is to fly in the face of the evidence of the past. The public soon forget even modern history, and it is easy at this stage to make political capital out. of an alleged injustice of the tenants' own. making in not accepting the opportunities afforded by the Government in the past. We have shown in our previous writings on this subject that we favor, the granting of the lessees' demands, for reasons we have already stated, and we believe the acceptance of the commission offered by the Government would speedily lead to the attainipg of this end. This, we notice, is als6 the view of Hon; T. Mackenzie, who, if he is successful at the poll (as seems most likely), can, as he has.promised, be■ depended, upon to see that the lessees get full justice in this, to them, .very important matter. There arc one or two points raised by Mr. Andrews that require correcting. He says that if the-lands- go back to the natives they will profit by about £7 an acre all round; There is only about one-third of the 140 lessees whose improvements are at present valued at over £5; so two-thirds stand to lose nothing if the terms of'the leas'es are J adhered to. He inveighs against the disabilities of the Xewall road leases, taken, up .a short time ago. It was not the fault' of the Farmers'' Union'' and others that they were not made aware of the terms of the leas.es. They took them .up with the eyes wide open, just as lesseesidid theirs. ■