The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE. Equal and exact justice to all men, Of whatsoever state or persuasion, religious or political. TUESDAY, SEPT. 17, 1889.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 2681, 17 September 1889, Page 2

The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE. Equal and exact justice to all men, Of whatsoever state or persuasion, religious or political. TUESDAY, SEPT. 17, 1889.

A matt kg. of long-standing, and of much interest to many Waikato settlers, has boon again before Parliament this session. This is tin; claims of naval and military settlers and,volunteers, who have seen active service in New Zealand, to grants of land under various Acts of the General Assembly and Provincial Councils. .Numerous petitions have Leon sent to Parliament., from lime to time, from old soldiers and militiamen, pressing for recognition of their claims to land grants ; and, there are many who feel aggrieved with the Government lor not. as thuy allege, keeping faith witli, them. In order to arrive at some means for mooling the increasin" demands upon them the Government obtained the sanction of the House to appoint lioyal Commissions to ouqniro inLo tlio whole subject. The Commissioners, Col. llaultaiu and Major Gudgeon, held sittings in various places, and heard the claimants personally, Their reports showed that there were, close on two thousand cases of unsettled claims, and there still remained the dilliculty how to allbrd satisfaction to all parties on sonic equitable basis. During the present session the House had the subject again under consideration, and a .Select Committee was unpointed to report upon all the petitions presented to Parliament from the claimants, who preferred their claims under the "Naval and Military Scrip Act 1556/' various statutes affecting settlers from the army and navy, old members of the Forest Kangers, Colonial Defence Force and volunteers under the "Volunteer j Land Act 186-3." In their report ' the Committee state it was quite impossible to examine properly into the merits of each individual case ; they, therefore, determined to limit the enquiry to general principles upon which to base their recommendations for a final settlement of all claims. They find first, that oiiiccrs and men of Her Majesty's forces whose claims under li The Auckland Naval and Military Scrip Act 1556 " have not been satisfied, are still entitled to a certificate for remission of £20 in the purchase of Crown lands in the district of Auckland. Then, with regard to naval and military settlers, the Committee had some dilliculty in coming to a conclusion. Thoy state that those men, on entering the service, undoubtedly were led (.0 suppose that, it they retired from the service to settle in New Zealand, they would be entitled to grants of lands, and many men took their discharge with the object of securing land, unaware that subsequent to their enlistment various Provincial Acts provided that claim for laud had to be made within a definite period, and that residence within dis'iuct boundaries was necessary before a Crown grant could bo obtained. Owing to ignorance of their conditions, the disturbed state of native tribes, their own poverty and inability to wait till surveys were made, and which often took years to complete, the ordinary discharged soldier wandered away in search of work, and allowed his claim to lapse. Though, strictly speaking the men forfeited their rights, the Committee do not free the Government from blame. The men were led to believe they would have

their Hiul, hut found it impossible to obtain it except iu dangerous ami remote localities. The Committee do not think it wise to compensate the claimants with money, but. think that "all ollieers, non-jonunis.sioncrl otlieers, privates, seamen and marines who retired from the service willi ,i good character for the purposu of settling in the colony, and who have, remained therein, are equitably entitled to the grants of i, uid, iiccording to their respective ranks, they would have been entitled to hid they put in their (as the Provincial statutes provided they should) within twelve months." They also consider that all those men who enlisted in the original Forest Rangers, under Mr Thomas Russell's memorandum of Gth August 1863, and those who enlisted under his subsequent memorandum of 9th November 1803, should he given the land they fire entitled to, according to rank. The Committee do not, however, recognise Major Jackson's claim to a grant of land for distinguished services. It is recommended that volunteers enrolled prior to the. "Waste Lands Administration Act 187G " should have all ri-ditrt respected, and that all members of the Defence Force are entitled to the same grants of land as the Volunteers and Militia selt'ers. Finally, the Select Committee recommend that the Chief Commissioners of the Waste Lands Hoards bo empowered to enquire into the equity of each case brought before them and to grant each claimant the area of land to which he is entitled, without further reference.