Wanganui Chonicle AND PATEA-RANGITIKEI ADVERTISER. "NULLA DISE SINE LINEA." TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 1882.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XXIV, Issue 9662, 7 November 1882, Page 2

Wanganui Chonicle AND PATEA-RANGITIKEI ADVERTISER. "NULLA DISE SINE LINEA." TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 1882.

WehavereceivedfromtheGovernment printer the last batch lof the statutes statutes passed during the session of Parliament. Amongst them is "The Eangipo-Murimotu Agreement Validation Act, 1882," which in certain, quarters has been ihe subject of a good deal of unfairly adverse criticism. The Act consists of a somewhat lengthy preamble, and two sections, the last of which confers the powers which it ' was sought to obtain. The preamble recites that in 1874 "an agreement for the lease of certain lands was entered into between the Government of the colony, the Provincial Government of Wellington, and certain private persons referred to in the said agreement (the terms and particulars of which are contained in a printed paper published in the appendices of the House of Representatives for the year 1875, and indexed as 0. — 6) : " that in 1879 " the Colonial Government confirmed the said agreement, and agreed to take steps to give effect to the same, and also, in consideration of the delay and expense to which the said private persons had been subjected, that, on the comple- . tion of the Crown's title, the term of the lease to be granted should be extended to twenty-one years :" that the agreement was again ratified by the , Colontal Government in 1879 ; and 1 that it was gprovided in all of the agreements that the necessary legislative power to give effect to them should be applied, for by the Colonial Government. The private persons rpferred •." are the present holdrra of 1 the land under an irregular lease ■ signed by a very large proportion of the Maori owners, of the land, Kemp, . as we understand, being one of those who signed. The Act makes it law- ' 1 f ul for the Governor to lease to tho

holders " all or any portion of the said land bo soon as the title of the Crown to the same, whether by way of lease or purchase, shall have been completed." The conditions are that the lease or leases shall be in accordance with the agreements referred to in the Parliamentary paper G.—6 ; that each portion of the laud maybe leased as it comes into the possession of the Crown, without waiting until the whole of the blocks have been acquired; and that, if the Crown only acquires a leasehold interest from the native owners, the rent to be paid by the holders, that is, " the private persons " above referred to, shall be the same as that paid by the Crown. As far as we are enabled to judge of the matter there is nothing whatever in the Act to which the slightest exception can fairly be taken. At this time of day the question is not whether it would be most advantageous to lease these lands to Messrs Moorhouse and company, but whether solemn engagements entered into in years past, and ratified on several occasions, • ought or ought not to be given effect to when the Government are inaposition to deal with the land. Nothing can be clearer than that the Government of the colony would be bound to keep faith with those gentlemen even if it should appear that a better bargain might have been made in the first instance. At least it has always seemed to us that, in dealing with private citizens, Governments should depart as little as possible from the path of common honesty. We are aware that there are persons of an entirely different way of thinking, persons with whom breaches of faith in such matters are not only admissible but highly laudable, if they have the recommendation of being convenient. In moving the second reading of the Bill the Native Minister said : " The reason for going on with this Bill is that there is now at last a chance of winding this matter up. The title to the block has been ascertained by the Native Land Court, and a very large number of the owners so ascertained have signed the least. This Bill is intended to place the Government in a position' to carry out the conditional agreement made with the private parties in 1874. Of course the agreement was made subject to the approval of the House. If now the House should refuse its approval, so far as I see the matter would beat an end ; but I take it so gross an injustice would be done by such refusal that there ia very little chance" of the House taking that course." Mr Bryce very briefly traced the course of the transactions connected with the EangipoMurimotu lands since 1872-73 when the company commenced their negotiations. He said : — "The.Proyincial Government of Wellington at that time had an interest not only in the settlement of the land, but also in the land revenue. Consequently the Provincial Government — as I think very foolishly, and, I might almost say, very improperly — sent up parties to netrotiaie as against the private individuals who were in treaty with the Maoris, and complications of a highly disagreeable character arose, and it became pretty evident that, what with the contending offers to tho Maoris, and the suspicions instilled in their minds by both sides, there was little chance of anything being done. That being so, the then Native Minister, Sir Donald McLean, became convinced that it would bo conducive to the settlement of the country to enter into Maori leases ; and, knowing the disagreeable complications that were arising in that country, ho arranged a meeting between the private parties, the provincial authorities, and himself, with a view of coming to terms. The terras then arranged were these : that the private individuals who were in treaty with the Maoris should retire from their attempt to get the land, and that the Government! should obtain a lease from the Maoris. After having got that lease, the Government would in turn lease the land to the private individuals for fourteen years, retaining power to keep 25 per cent, of it for settlement purposes. I think tho whole thing was a very foolish proceeding, and that no permanent good to the country was likely to accrue from it. However, that was the arrangement, subject of course to the approval of Parliament, and the private individuals maintain that the Government should, in accordance with tho ngreement, try to get tho lease, and induce Parliament to complete the transaction. Matters drifted. on, and there appeared very little probability of getting this lease completed. Then applications were made by the Maoris to tho Nativo Land Court to ascertain tho title to the land, and at last the case was brought before the Court. There were great difficulties in the way, which 1 need not enter into, in the shape of obstructed survey, and so on ; but at last the matter was brought before the Court, the title was ascertained, and the order made. Then an application was made for rehearing, and just before the House met this session tho case was determined at Wanganui. Sinco that the lease has been largely signed by the native owners, although there are still a considerable number of them who have not signed. Sho\ild tliis Bill pass, tho process will be that the remaining owners will be invited to sign the lease. If they should do so, well and good ; if they should not, then application will be made to tho Native Land Court to determine the Crown's interest under the lease, and the interest of those who have leased to the Government will be separated from the interest of those who have refused to lease. I mention that, for I should certainly have nothing more to do with the matter in the shape of hanging it lip. If it were a ease of giving a lease to the private individuals so far as we can, and still having outstanding claims hanging over the colony, then I should feel a very strong objection to such a course, and in point of fact would not adopt it, because ono justification for taking further trouble in the matter is that it should be wound up and that the Government should wash its hands of the whole transaction. I may say that letters were written by the Grey Government and by the Government which succeeded the Grey Government to tho parties in this case, assuring them that the original agreement would be carried out — always, of course, subject to the approval of Parliament ; and that, in consideration of tho very unsatisfactory state of things to which they had been subjected, the lease should be for twenty-one years instead of for fourteen years — twenty-one years being the term for which tho Government have obtained a lease from the natives."