THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16, 1913. THE NATIVE LAND BILL.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXV, Issue 10713, 16 October 1913, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16, 1913. THE NATIVE LAND BILL.

By the courtesy of the Hon. W. H. ' Hemes, Minister- of Native Affairs, | we have been furnished with a copy of the "Native Land Laws Amendment Bill." A close examination of the measure convinces us that there is 1 much ■ in it that is deserving of favourable conosideration. The Minister has provided machinery for ascertaining ownership, surveys, reading, etc., and has furnished means whereby Natives may alienate their land. With these provisions we are in complete .accord. Indeed, we congratulate the Minister upon having made a distinctly forward move in the direction of settling the Native lands of the Dominion, and bringing them into profitable occupation. Although we are of opinion that he should have gone further, and endeavoured to immediately secure the whole of the remnant of the Native land to the Crown, and dispose of ifc under the terms of the Land Act, we admit that there are difficulties in the way, and that the Minister has honestly striven to solve the problem on the lines of voluntary alienation. We also congratulate him upon the provision he has made against aggregation. Under section 66, it will be impossible for any person to acquire Native land who has already an area which, with the Native land added, would represent more than 6000 acres. This means that he may not

acquire native land if he already holds more than 640 acres of firstclass land, which is equal, in law-, to 5000 acres of third class land. The power given to minors to , acquire the freehold of Native lands is very dangerous, for it affords a loop-hole for the evasion of the limitation clause. A man with 5000 acres of land may not be able to add to his own estate, but he may acquire Native land for his son, proi vided he is over the age of seventeen years, which amounts to the same thing. This clause will most certainly have to be dropped. There will, of course, be a hue and cry throughout the Dominion that the Bill contemplates the impoverishment of the Native race. There is no justification, however, for any such apprehension. Clause 86 provides that, .

"In any case in which the tribunal bearing an application for confirmation considers that it is not in the interests of any Native alienating that the money payable on such alienation or any unpaid balance thereof shall be actually paid j to the Native entitled thereto or paid immediately to him, it may require the same to be paid to the Board or to the Public Trustee." -This provision is designed to protect the Native against himself. In our opinion, "however, it casts too great a responsibility upon the Native Land Court. The point for Parliament to consider is whether it is in the interest of any Native that he should be given the whole of the purchase money of his estate. It would be better, we think, that the Court should set apart in every case a sum of money which would produce sufficient interest to maintain the beneficiary and his family and protect the State, as far as possible, against Native paupers. The balance might, of course, be handed to the Native owner to expend as he thinks fit. *As an alternative, it might be stipulated that half the purchase money should be paid to the owner, and half invested with the Public Trustee. The most important provision in the Bill is that which confers powers on the Government to acquire by purchase or lease any area of Native land within the Dominion. This is a provision which we have strongly advocated in the past, and we are glad to see that it has been adopted; though, of course, the powers of the Government are subject always to the will of the Natives. Power is sought for the raising of £500,000 a year for ithe acquisition of Native lands. This, in our humble opinion, is an inadequate sum; • It will; go some\ distance towards bringing about an early settlement of the Native lands. Taken altogether, and with certain reservations, we consider the Bill a very distinct improvement upon anything that' has previously been attempted in the way of Native land legislation.