MAORI MEMORIES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 21 May 1940, Page 9

MAORI MEMORIES

LAND SWINDLES.

(Recorded by or Palmerston North for the “Times-Age.”) In the early days of settlement Nev.Zealand had to face land swindles of an extent never yet known to history. Mr Busby. ex-British resident and others, claimed that they had purchased lands from the original owners, the Maoris, and that any subsequent British legislation could not affect the val ■ idity of their titles. This, however, was overcome by the grossly unfair ■’land-sharking” carried on by companies and others under the guise of religion. About 26,000,000 acres were claimed by 260 persons. This area was generously dealt with by the Commissioners who reduced it by 25.900,000 acres. The main reasons for this were the nature of the “purchase money,” the "generous valuations,” and the “legal methods” employed.

A few of these taken from the sworn evidence given at the Commission are as follow: —"Deeds of conveyance with blank boundaries were marked with a Ripeka (cross) by one or more Maoris; deeds on parchment prepared in Sydney and England were completed by legal firms ready for the Ripeka, and were sold by the thousand at £5 each to speculators; the South Island was bought for a trifle from six Maori visitors in Sydney; in some instances 100 acres were valued at a farthing. In many instances the price of each acre •varied from sixpence, a pot, a clay pipe, a jews harp to a tomahawk.” Not one seller on a thousand could read, write, or speak English. A British tribunal approved of many such purchases, but Governor Hobson refused to give them Crown grants.