THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O' CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 1878.

Thames Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2995, 20 September 1878, Page 2

THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O' CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 1878.

It is understood that the Government intend to test the feeling of Parliament regarding the agreement entered into by the Waste Lands Board with Mr Broom* hall for alienating the Aroha Block, by introducing a Validation Bill. The opinion of the Attorney' General is that the agreement of the Waste Lands Board is illegal, and a similar opinion has been expressed by several other lawyers. During the session of 1C76, howerer, a clause was introduced in the Waste Lands Administration Act to this effect:

29. It shall be lawful for the Governor to sell by private contract to John firoorohall, Esquire, now in the Colony of New Zealand, any block of land which,he. may select in any part of' the colony,, at such price ana upon such terms and conditions as may be fixed by the Waste Lands Board of the district in which the land selected is situate,- but subject to approval by the Governor of the price terms and conditions so fixed: Provided always that the price at which such land shall be sold shall not be less than that at which waste lands of the Grown are sold in the land district in which such lands maybe situate.

What we apprehend the Ministry now propose to do, or give the House an opportunity of doing, is to confirm the legislation of 1876, and 10 indemnify the Auckland Waste Lands Board for their illegal doings. . Theland which tha Board were so good as to sell before the Native title was extinguished is now the property of the Government, whose sympathies, we believe, would he in favor of opening the land: to residents here, who have a prior claim to Mr Broomhall. There is, however, the agreement with the Land Board, and the credit of the Colony—it is urged—is involved in keeping faith with Mr Broomhall and his coadjutors. We cannot say that we have riy sympathy for Mr Broomhall, ns we be ieve he obtained

he concession he did principally by mis■eproscntations. When the gentleman same to the co'ouy it was understood that le represented a number of large and small 3apitn]isfcs, who were eager to make New Zealand their home. "■ Mr Broomhall was ooked upon in the light of a philanthropic pioneer, preparing the way for a number af persons who would make sturdy and lesirable colonists. On these grounds he was made much of, and shown over the country to pick up the most eligible spot in it for the location of the chosru band at home who were only waiting for his choice to be made to pack up their household gods and set out for this land of promise. Actuated, probably, by a conviction that such settlers, led by such a large-hearted, man as Mr Broomhall, would prove a valuable acquisition to the country, the members of the Waste Lands Board went: beyond their powers by entering into an agreement to sell land over which they Had no control. Mr Broomhall went home again —no doubt congratulating himself on the splendid- bargain he had made. Sixty thousand acres of good land in one of the finest districts in the island, divided by a fine river and likely soon to be intersected by a railway connecting with the main trunk line; the price merely nominal, with long credit, it is not surprising that Mr Broomhall' hurried home, or that he conceived the idea of a, grand Land and Investment Company, with his agreement with the Waste Lands Board as the capital of the company. The misrepresentations under which the. land, or the promise of it, was obtained, we conceive lay in making the people here believe that the land was for a special settlement,. the persons forming which were, already associated for that purpose; because it is matter of fact that as soon as Mr Broomhall arrived in London a grand scheme of colonisation, under a designation something like that given above,. was . mooted, and attempts were male to float it on the London market. It may have formed a part "of the original intentions of Mr Broomhall and his party, this company ; but we believe it wai carefully kept in the background, and the idea promulgated here was that the land' was required for a special settlement that would be the means of vastly enriching the colony by' introducing people with capital. We believe we have sketched the principal points of this business fairly, and it is now for the people of Thames to -consider whether they shall make another effort to have the Broomhall purchase upset, or leave the Auckland Land* Board's extraordinary action in the matter to be confirmed and condoned by Act of Parliament. The Government will put the responsibility of this on the House, and members will probably be guided very much by what the Governmentand members for this district may say. If it be found that Mr Broomhall has no claim in law, or if he ever had a claim and has by any act of omission broken his agreement, we say that the transaction .should be repudiated. If, on the other hand, the business cannot be got over without reflecting, on the credit of the Colony, we would urge that some adequate compensation be tendered to Mr Broomfield,.for the loss of time and /noney during his. visit; to New Zealand, and that the Aroha Block be at once opened to bon& fide settlers already in the country. We would even go so far as to compromise the matter by letting Mr Broomhall take a portion of the Block, so that he complied with the terms as to settlement and payment; but to carry out the original agreement merely, to save the Waste Lands Board members from the consequence! of their mistake, would be encouraging illegal administration. The public should take the question up and express an opinion thereon. If. not done at once there will not probably be another opportunity ; so "If it were done when 'tis done, ,then 'twere well it were done quickly."' ■