CADMAN V. REES.

Auckland Star, Volume XXIV, Issue 178, 29 July 1893, Page 2

CADMAN V. REES.

—-<i»- — - ---CHARGES AND COUNTER CHARGE

MR REES EXPLAINS,

Sx James' Hall was crowded to ita utmttb {limit lasb night by persons anxious to h& Mr W. L. Reea' reply to the various char& made against him. Mr H. Waite presided!/ and although the meeting was at timoi lively he succeeded in maintaining ordsr admirably. When Mr Rees rose to addrjSj the meeting he was received with prolong applauso and some hissing. He expresaiij hia pleasure at seeing such a large attofld. aoce. He bad asked them to be pres&fc for the purpose of heating him reply tojjh^ attacks that had been perpetually mddg upon him.for the last seven or eight yeajfo Me said he would deal with the char|ea seriatim. He repeated his statement tbib he had never purchased or leased native land for the benefit oi either himself or his iriends. (Applause.) Mr Rees likewise referred to the scene in fche House when he accented Mr Oadunan's challenge to resi|n, whereupon, one eyinpathotic auditor jrjj. marked, " What a fool you were." (Lau|li. tor.) He also referred to Mr W*. M Smith's speech as reported in Hansard, aiid said with regard to the Pukepapa kiosk, that the land belonged to Wi Pere'a mother. She gave it to her son, and as:a native could nob mortgage hia land, the block was vested in him (Mr Rees). The money harl been borrowed and repaid since, the landed boing re-vestod in WiPe re> with his mother." consent. (Applause.) With regard to Paora Parau's block, Mr R,ees explained that the owner was in debt. The land wu3 vested in him as solicitor, and be mortgaged it to pay tho old man's debts'. Mr Rees further said with regard to the Pouawa block of 12,000 acres that it was quite true that it stood in his name. The •natives could not utiliee ib and ib was vested in him, Mr G. M. Reed going home to bring out settlors. From that block was the origin of tho

EAST COAST LAND COMPANY.

The East Coaab Land Company failed, •$& contended, owing, nofc to bar! manafjemoy, but to the disgraceful stato of the lays relating to native land. (Applause.) The ji'ativoß, seeing this, decided to vest tlieir lands in truato.es with power to deal with the land, but the law would not permitiit. The natives were determined mot to_'bo beaten. He was acting for those natives now. (Applause,) They decided to gob'a Bill passed by Parliament called the Eisb Coast Land Settlement Bill, to give them power to deal with the land, but failed'to do so. It was then he suggested the formation of a company, but nothing could bo done, aB the Native Lands Court and also the Parliament refuted to complete the native titles to the land. ("Shame.") The Fouawa block was vested in hinvas agent for the natives to carry out their proposals to have it settled. Mr 6. M. Reed brought cut a party of settlers to Gisborne. They waited for three months, bub no titles could be obtained from the Land Court. (A voice: " What a shame.") Subsequently, with the consent of the owners/he vested thab block in the East Coast Land Company. (Applause.) His enemies had for years tried to get natives to make a charge against him, and failed until laab year, when one was laid, but it came to nothing, as the native said he had expended the money for the purpose intended, and had done nothing wroag. (Applause.) THE TAMAKI BLOCK. Mr Roes said that Mr Smith had accused him of attempting to get the restrictions, removed from the Tamaki block of 7QOOo acres. That block was leased for 15 years to the Hawke's Bay Timber Company. The directors of that Company suggested that it wdfcld be for the benefit of the whole district if the block was thrown opetf for settlement. He then made an arrangement with the Company, taking care to protect the natives. He applied to have tha restrictions removed. Mr Rees asked, "Do you think I could get them removed by Mr Cadman ?" and then answered the question himself by saying that he could not as Messrs Smith and Cadman had already got therestrictionsremoved fromtho Umutaoroa block, and the two blocks adjoined. (Applause and laughter.) Mr Rees then explained that a Mr Jensen held a timber lease for the Tamaki block, but Mr Smith got a lease of it put in the name of Mr Monteath. Next day another lease waa made from him to Messrs Cadman, Smith and Monteath (laughter), and Mr Jensen found he was out of it altogether. The result waa ho had to pay Messrs Cadman and Smith £5,000 to get that leaso. Yet these were the men who accused him of wrongdoing. (Applause.) Mr Rees then went over the whole history of the acquisition of the Umutaoroa block by Messrs Smith and Cadman. Ho said ho did not cay it was wrong to doal in native lands. What he contonded was that no Native Minister had a right to pick out the eyes of the country for himself. (Prolonged applause.) He mentioned the purchase by Mr John Lundon of native land for 7s 6d per acre, that was nob worth 2s per acre, and said ho was glad to see that the blame of that transaction waa rightly laid upon the Native Minister. (Applauso.) Reverting to his connection with the East Coast Land Company, Mr Rees said he was pub out of it in 1882. The year before a dividend was paid, after that they bad immense losses. He also gave his account of the visit' of himself and TVi Pero to England to try and float the Land Settlement Company, and allejgod that hi 3 endeavours had been frustrated by Sir H. Atkinson's telegram. With regard to the Reos-Mullins correspondence, the speaker stated thab what appeared in'tho Evening Star last Saturday was qiiite truo, and added that anybody who read it must be an idiob who could see that there was any charge against him. Mr Mullins admitted thab ho was entirely wrong »nd apologised ab the end. (Applause.) dofiod anyone to find a native who could bo induced for £10 to cay thab he had wronged him. He further stated that »o many interests had been handed over toWi Pere thab if the nativos could only use tlieir land like Europeans they would have £100,000 still. The natives wore still anxious to sell, and for the last three years ha had been trying to got the restrictions romoved, but was always blocked by~Mr Cadman and the Native Department. (Applause.) Were they surprised that when he found failure after failure ho waa disgusted? The late Mr Ballance waß entirely with him in the matter. NATIVE COMMISSION. Mr Rees said that he had been accused o! having a fat thing i,i the Native Lands Commission. He said as a matter of facb they gob £1 per day expenses and coulu ft»Ve no more because they belonged to 'tbo Mouse of Representatives. (Applause.),Be travelled tor four months and did work for which he would have charged a cltenb £1,000 to £1,500* CHAfRMANSHIP OF COMMITTEES. With regard to bhe Chairmanship of Committees, Mr Rees explained that Mr Cadman had told him that they had decided to give it to him.' Ho replied tbab he did not want it. The position was, however, pressed upon him, and all !the native members voted in his favour, (Applause.) DISAPPOINTED AMBITION. | Mr Reeu said with regard to the change tbab he was suffering irMa disappointed nmbition, thab be had refu/ed the AttorneyGeneral's office when offered by Sir George Grey, because- he thought it would be wiser to give ib to some other man. Ho did that lor tha good of Auckland, as there wevo already two Auckland members in. the Ministry, and he feared ib would not stand it a third was added. (Applause.) Wheu Mr Ballance offered him office he

also declined it, and suggested th,at it would be advisable to appoint a greater favourite in order to screngthen the Ministry. (Applause.) He asked, did it look like disappointed ambition when he gave up the Chairmanship of Committees to fight this election. (Applause.) Mr Rees said further, that instead of making money out of fchja East Coast Land Company it drove him into tho Bankruptcy Court in 1884. Hia debts were pome £8,000 or £9,000, and since then he had paid offaboub £7,000. (Loud applause,) Mr Rees said that if tho electors of Auckland returned Mr Cadman before those charges wore absolutely refuted, they would disgrace themselves in the eyes of the colony. (Applause and cheers.) Ha knew that any amount of money was being spent by the othor side, that parsons in employment had beon threatened unless they voted for Me Cadman (uproar), that an attensptwas being made by a certain religious body to coerce ita adhtrqnts inbo voting against him, but ho thanked God for the ballot and knew that those efforts would be unavailing. (Applause.) If they returned Mr Cadman it would be fatal to the Liberal party (applause and uproar), bub he would nob believe they would do it until convinced at tho ballot box (applause), which he was certain he never would be. (Applause and cheorß, also cries of "You will.") He hoped that the electors would prove themselves sciona of the noble race from which they came. (Applause.)

A large number of questions were bonded to Mr Rees, many of them had already been answered, and others did not bear on the subject. Some were funny, and others created uproar. Mr Reos, in answer to some said he would not favour taxing the Austrians or any other honest Europeans who wished to settle in Naw Zealand. (Applause.) Ho would always support the Liberal party. (Applause.) If returned he would sco that either himself or some member from Auckland, with sufficient backbeno was included in the Ministry. (Applause.) He had nothing to do with tho management of the Co-operative Butchery, bub had lost money in it. If a man got an income out of his improvements he did think he ought to be taxed upou it. (Laughter.) Mr tfiggina then moved a vote of thanks to Mr Reos for lii 3 address. This was seconded by Mr Carbine and declared by the chairman to have boen carried unanimously. A vote of thanks was accorded the chairman and three cheers were given for Mr Re9B. A similar compliment was also paid Mr Cad man.