This Day's Sitting.

Thames Star, Volume XV, Issue 4934, 1 November 1884, Page 2

This Day's Sitting.

WAHANUI'S SPEECH,

The House sat at 11 a.m, Wahanui was heard at She bail of the House on the Native Lands Settlements

B. ill, The chiefs speech was to the effect that native loads on which no white man had set foot should be administered by the natives themselves, and he characterised the bill as a dangerous one, " withteeth in its head and a sting in its t^UV' for the destruction of the lanc^ The Native Minister expressed his admiration of address, which, he £;a;d, was so evidently friendly, and given, I \yith a desire to meet the House iq f^as^ing ' laws beneficial to the natives, while npt injurious to the colony. He explained the provisions of the bjll, of which he m,<?Yed:

the secoud reading, and which he said was intended to be only temporary. He intended that the bill should be so altered in Committee as to have clauses providing machinery for dealing with lands struck out, and to leave in only those prohibiting private individuals dealing with them. In answer to Col. Fraser, Mr Ballance said no existing rights would be prejudiced;

Wi Pere suggested a scheme for the administration of lands by Boards of three members, two to be appointed by the natives, and one by the Government. He asked that the second reading of the bill should be adjourned to Tuesday, so as to allow of alteration in the meantime to contain only prohibitive clauses. Te Ao followed, and advocated certain alterations in the measure.