NATIVE LAND LEASES.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 112, 14 May 1929, Page 10

NATIVE LAND LEASES.

OWNERS OPPOSE ALTERATION JUDGE ADVISES THEM TO THINK AGAIN. SOME ACTION INEVITABLE, (By Telegraph.—Own Correspondent.) TE KUITI, Monday. The contention- that European lessees of native land had brought hardships on themselves through bad farming and through the high sums they paid to other Europeans for goodwill, was made before the Native Land Leases Commission by a Maniapoto chief, Mr. Peter Barton. Mr. Barton told the commission that he and those, he represented did not want the conditions or terms of the leases altered in any way. Where there was provision for compensation the terms of compensation were provided for in the lease. Where there was no provision for compensation the. native owners wanted the position left alone.

The chairman of the commission, Judge MacCormack, said the point was that many thousands of acres of leased lands were falling back in value, and the lessees were in some cases walking off because of their conditions. It was for the Maoris to consider whether they wanted to have all the leases abandoned. It was ftot advisable, as Mr. Barton had suggested, to wait until the leases expired and then see wiiat would happen. If the lessees had not a tenure on which they could finance and simply, held the land without improving it that would eventually, be a loss to the natives. The natives must consider that if their leases were abandoned they would not get the same rents as in the past, because people were now scared of native leases. The chairman also said the commission could only make recommendations; the decision would rest with Parliament. The. commission did not propose to make the natives suffer anything more than it thought would be ultimately for their good. If it recommended, relief for the lessees it would be because it considered the natives would ultimately lose by the present conditions. They might have to put up with the present loss, on paper, but the land would not stand the carrying out of the existing contracts in theii entirety. «>»ikw<i»iwm»««»o»<m»w.>i i— i urn* a<—