Patetere.

Thames Star, Volume XII, Issue 3801, 4 March 1881, Page 2

Patetere.

The following is a copy of the letter forwarded by Sir George Grey with the memorial from the Thames people re Patetere : —

Kawau, December Bfch, 1880. —Sir, — I have the honor to transmit to your Excellency a memorial forwarded to me by Mr James McGowan on behalf of a public meeting of my constituents on the 15th November last. 111-health prevents me from presenting this memorial personally to your Excellency. I therefore send it on through the Colonial Secretary in the usual course. It relates to a block of land called the the Fatetere block, in regard to which a proclamation was issued by the Governor, notifying that money had been paid by the Crown for its purchase or acquisition. The effect of that proclamation was against all persons other than the aborginal owners or occu\>\e\:s o£ svxc\v laud equivalent to a native •, j that the native title on the said land, I had been extinguised, and to make h 'unlawful for any other person to purchase or acquire from the native owners any tv&\y\, t\\-\e, estate, ere V&texe^, Ya. m^ $wc\\. \&oA, oy va &ay \jat\i tVxeteo^, oy yq. »»^ manner to contract for any such purchase or acquisition. The prayer of the memorial is that your Excellency will be pleased to maintain that proclamation in force until 1 after the next meeting of Parliamgat. I I believe that it is geuerally feli chat the Proclamation from the block, during the recess would be a great misfortuue to the country, for then it is thought, owing to circumstances which hare taken place, that a rast. block of land of great value would probably fall into the hands of private persons, whilst the rest of the inhabitants of New Zealand, who have obeyed the law, by not attempting to purchase this land whilst a proclamation was over it, would suffer great injustice. The natives would also suffer a serious wrong, from not having had an opportunity of selling their lands in the open market. In conclusion, I would venture to add that the ialling of this block of land into the hands of a few private persons, will greatly impede settlement of the country on principles which take into consideration the interests and rights of the whole of the Queen's subjects. I hare the honor to be, Sir, Yours obediently, G. Gbet. — To his Excellency the Governor.

To the above letter, the following reply was received :—

Colonial Secretary's Office, Wellington, 9th February, 1881.—Sir,—Adverting to my letter of the 7th ultimo, in which I bad the honor to inform you that your letter of the Bth December last, with the accompanying memorial, signed by Messrs McGowan, McCullough, and Kilgour on behalf of a public meeting held at Grahamstown on the 15th of November last had been laid before the Governor. I have now to inform you that His Excellency has referred the memorial to his responsible advisers, by whose advice he has directed that the following reply should be sent through you to the memorialists :—lt is the declared policy of the present Ministry to withdraw as far as possible from the purchase by the Government of lands owned by aboriginal natives ; and in pursuance of that policy they consider it inexpedient to proceed with the negotiations which had been commenced for the purchase of the Patetere and many other blocks of such native land. A notice wa§ accordingly published early in November last in the Gazette and in several newspapers that application would be made to the Native. Land Court to assign to the Crown an area of laud proportionate to the advances of money which have been made by the Government, and that on this being done, it would be open to the natives to dispose of the remainder of the block, in the manner authorised by law, to any persons whom they may choose. This not'ce was given more than two months ago, and there can be no ground for assuming that the general public is unaware of the period at which the Patetere Block will be free from existing restrictions. His Excellency's advisers have no doubt that in adopting the course above indicated they have acted in the true interests of the whole of the Queen's subjects in New Zealand.—l have, etc., Thomas Dick.—Sir George Grey, X.C.8.,. M.H.R., Kawau, Auckland.