NATIVE LAND PURCHASE AND ACQUISITION BILL.

Wairoa Bell, Volume V, Issue 215, 15 September 1893, Page 2

NATIVE LAND PURCHASE AND ACQUISITION BILL.

Mr Houston speaking- in reference to the above Bill in the House said —I hold with others that where lahds are held in large areas by private individuals it is a bar to progress. For a great many years I have felt this has been a bar to progress in the district which I have the honour to represent. In that part of the country there are large areas held by Natives from which they derive no benefit; and that has been a bar to progress in that district. As an illustration of what I say, I may mention Hokianga. In that county there is more than three-fourths of the land held by the IS atives laying waste and idle. They are deriving no benefit from it and are contributing nothing to the general rates by which roads are made and maintained ; and I believe, if this Bill were made to apply to the Native lands North of Auckland alone, it would be a great benefit to that district. It has been said by some honourable members that this Bill is drastic and compulsory. "Well, Sir, if it is not compulsory, I believe that is the defect of the Bill. Unless it is made compulsory, I think it will be inoperative, and if any means can be devised to make it compulsory it will be for the benefit of the Natives themselves, and will also be of great benefit to the North. I certainly approve of the general principle of the Bill. There are many parts of it which I consider ought to he amended, aud I have no doubt that Committee which has given its attention to other Bills will try to make this a good and wise measure. I have preached the principle contained in this Bill tor many years in my district, and I regretted to hear the honourable member for the Northern Maori District speak as he did. He certainly does not understand the mind of the Natives in that part of the colony. I believe that the Natives in the northern district will agree with the principle contained in this Bill. I have had many conversations with Natives on the subject, and they have approved of tSie principle embodied in this Bill. If the Bill becomes law I believe those Natives will take advantage of this measure ; but in order to make the thing complete, I think all restrictions should bn removed from Native lands, especially in the North. If they are willing to sell to the Government, well and good, but if they are not satisfied with the price offered by the Government they should be allowed to sell to any Europeans who like to buy. The large tracts of land from which they are deriving no benefit have been an injury to them, and they certainly have been a great bar to the progress ex the North, and if we recognise ihe fact that large areas held by private individuals, whether Europeans or Natives is a bur to progress, then the Government is justified -"moving this bar, whether the land belongs in re,„ I shall support the to N atives or mv cower as a mem- £ iSffigSMifn l4 into good shape.