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"EUROPEANISED."

"A REGULAR TAKE-DOWN') MAORI GOES THROUGH £IB,OOO IN £ YEAR. On the annual report of the Public Trust office being laid on the tahls of the House of Representatives the other day by the Minister in charge i the Right Hon. Sir Joseph Ward), \lr. J. T. M. Horns by, M.P. for Wairavapa, referred to the ease of Mr. Chenneis (formerly Masterton agent of th* Public Trust Office), who was alleged to have trafficked improperly in lands belonging to a native (Rangi Kerehoma), whose, estate during his minority had been for ft number elf years in the hands of the 'Public Trustee. When Rangi Kerchoma attained his majority, said Mr. Honnby. he was possessed of a considerable amount of land, and there was also belonging to him some £37,000 in the hands of the Public Trustee. The Hon. Sir James Carroll, who was then Mnus'.ct in charge, wisely persuaded Rangi Firehoma to allow £25,000 to be fuiulw for him with the Public Trustee; but the balance, £ 12,000, was handed over la •the native, through Mr. Chexinel?, who had then beoome his attorney. M the end of twelve months the money had all gone—in motor-ears, land speculation, and so forth; and Mr. Chenneis applied to the 'Public Trustee for £3iWU, on Rangi Kerehoma's behalf, to enable him to pay his debts. He could not go into all the details of the case, said Mr. Hornßby, as a solicitor named Beard, who had acted with Chenneis, nad bc'-n called upon to show why he should not be struck off the rolls, and the casi: was Btill before the Supreme Court.

R TREMENDOUS DELAY. There had been a tremendous amount | of delay in the matter, as he had first I called attention to it at the election and in the House three years ago, and all that time these men had been fencing with the authorities. Mr. Hornsby stared that Rangi Kerehoma had been despoiled of some thousands of acres of land near Gladstone, for which £0 an acre, much below its value, was paid by Mr. Chenneis, who in addition arranged to take 4000 acres of land near Martinboroigii. As a result of the exposure of the matter, both in Parliament and in the country, an action was brought against Mr. Chenneis, who paid £ls,oiio to the native to settle the ease.

The Hon. W. H. Herries: "The case came into court." Mr. Hornsby: "Yes, but it never came to trial. Mr Chenneis paid £15,000 cash to settle the case, and gave up all claim to the 4000 acres near Maryborough." Nothing but the most searching inquiry, declared the hon. member, would set the public mind at r?st in regard to the matter. Mr Chenneis was* now in America, but a commission should be set up, as asked by the Public Trustee in his report and Mr. Chenne.s shoidd be called' upon to answer the charges brought against him, not only by the speaker but by the Public T:iistee.

HONOR OF THE PUBLIC TRUST OFFICE INVOLVED. Unless the 'Public Trust Office was cleared there would be a very bad feeling remaining in the public "mind vatl: regard to the matter One of the Public Trust officers in Wellington knew of this trafficking, and he, too, thotud ne called upon to explain the matter. He asked the Minister in charge to press forward the inquiry with th 3 greatest possible speed; as it involved the honor of one of the greatest of our public institutions. Something ought to be don*!, surely, to deal with the parties implicated in the robbery—there was no other word for it—of this nathe (Hear, hear.) The matter should be probed to the bottom, ;md the Ptblic Trust Office should be cleared of what was very like a scandal concerning its management. Mr. J. Payne (Grey Lynn) supported the plea for a public inquiry. 1 hough hon. members might not speak on the question they would rely on the Minister in charge of the department to %ee that the right thing was done. (Hear,hear.)

STATEMENT BY ATTORNEYGENERAL. The Hon A. L. Herdman stated that he was the Minister in charge of the •Public Trust Department when the matter was first brought up in 19R Ee r.t once referred it to the Public Trustee for inquiry, and the Public Trustee reported that the transaction he perfectly legitimate, but it had a bad complexion in the absence of full explanation. which had not been gi<-en The Public Trust Office had nothing '0 do with Mr. Beard, but Mr. Chcun;>» was the office agent at Master: - ,m The transaction, however, was nor - carried out through the Public Trust 'Jffiee, but by Mr. Chennels in hig personal capacity; and the Public Trustee regretted to say that he was not satisfied that his conduct was above reproach. He re<oi,>mended that the Mnsterton agency should be abolished and a branch established instead under one of the perman. ent members of the staff. Mr. Pterdinan stated that iie agreed to that, anil i: was done. He had reported thj mutter about 18 months ago to the New Zealand Law Society with a view to Mr. Chennels being struck off the roll. He was not a member of the Law Sosiacy, end he.could not say what was the cause of the delay, Mr. Payne: "Don't you beong to i'lc union?" (Laughter.) Mr. Herdman: 'I belong to the ur.io». but am pot an officer nor a member of the executive." Mr. 'Payne: "You are a compunorj unionist aren't you?" (LaugV,er.) Mr. T. Parata (Southern Maori) said that Eangi Kerehoma had gone through within the last ten years something like £30,000. The ease showed the necessity for the protection of Maoris against such dealings. (Hear, hear.) Mr. H. ft. Ell (Christchureh South'l strongly supported this view. Tlie ease showed,...he said, the necessity for the white man being a guardian over the best interests of the natives. They should be very careful before m.' applt- [ cations to Europeanise Maoris were given effect to. (Hear,hear.)

SIR JOSEPH'S REPLY. Sir Joseph Ward said that the matter was a very important one, ana it wa» necessary in the interests of the Public Trust Office that it should ho cleaved up. (Hear.hcar.) People doing business with the Public Trust Office lial heard pf this transaction, and there n-af an impression in the minds of some rf them that it was the Public Trust Office that was gniltv of an improper transact ob in connection with this native'* In ml. But that was not so, and he -ad asked the Publis Trustee to let him have a report as to the position. TV; riyor'. showed that- Mr Onennei--. who h.tii had I to do with the Midori during hits minritv. sot himself. appointed at'.ouiev to

him. The sum of £25,000, as .already stated, wps funded for the Maori, lint £12,000 was handed over to him through Mr. Chenneis. At the time thi income was £3OOO to enable him to pity off his indebtedness; so that in Jit twelve months the Maori Jiad run through £IB,OOO (Laughter.) Mr. C. H. Poole (Auckland West); "A regular take-down." (Hear, he;ir ,

ACTION SETTLED FOR £15,003 Sir Joseph Ward, continuing the report, said that the European lessees of the Maori's lands the leases of which were just running out, were persuaded by Chemiek to let the matter of renewals stand over. In the meantime Messrs Chenneis and Beard had got the Maori Europoanised, and all the provisions of the Maori Land Act for the [jrotection of Maoris were thus removed. They got leases for members of their ,)wn families for the lands, with a purchasing' clause; and then they purchase! the whole of tho land, giving the Maori Mortgages for the money. Next Mr. Morison brought action on behalf ol* the Maori to set aside these transactions as fraudulent, and Messrs Chenneis and Beard paid £15,000 to settle the action. ACTION WITHOUT DELAY. The question as to whether i ccmniisJion should bo appointed woull be dealt K'ith by Cabinut without delay, adufd Sir Joseph Ward; and he would also hand over the whole of the paper i to the Crown Law Officers to see whether thero were grounds for a criminal action, in which case it would ne improper to set up a commission. '(Hear, (tear.) But, in the event of the Crown, Law Officers advising ' that it was not ft. case for successful action, ha was ol opinion that a thoroughly independent commission should be formed to investigate a matter which was reacting indirectly against the 'Public Trust Office and gave the impression to a number of people that the Public Trust Otiic? was responsible for these very ourous transactions in regard to one who had been a minor under the care of the Public Trust Office. No delay would take place in having the matter fully Reared up.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/TDN19170928.2.35

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Taranaki Daily News, 28 September 1917, Page 7

Word count
Tapeke kupu
1,480

"EUROPEANISED." Taranaki Daily News, 28 September 1917, Page 7

"EUROPEANISED." Taranaki Daily News, 28 September 1917, Page 7

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