PETROLEUM.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 290, 7 December 1937, Page 12

PETROLEUM.

CONTROLLING BILL.

PROTECTION FOR MAORIS.

TBBATT Or WAITAKOX.

(By Telegraph.—Parltameatary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, Monday.

Emphasising the economic importance of the discovery of oil to the Dominion, the Minister of Mines, Mr. Webb, in moving the second reading of the Petroleum Bill in the Houee of Representatives to-day, appealed to all members to regard the legislation from a national standpoint, and to put aside all parochial considerations. "The Bill vests all oil deposits found in New Zen land in the Crown," said the Minister.

"This in not a party bill, it ie a national bill and long overdue," he continued. "The discovery of oil is one of the major national problems, and we have to face up to it. Everyone must realise what the discovery of this commodity mean* to New Zealand."

Mr. Webb referred to the possibility of oil subsidies being cut off in the event of war and added that Australia would welcome the discovery of oil in New Zealand. It was still problematical whether or not oil in payable quantities would be found in the Dominion, but If the Government provided the machinery for the search it would be satisfied that it had done its best. In the event of the discovery of oil, the Government would insist that before any quantity was exported the needs of the Dominion would have to be mot first. The bill did not interfere with the mineral rights of the land. When the rights were reserved for the Crown the rights of everyone—Maori and pakeha—were protected. Not Convinced. Sir Apirana Ngata (National, Eastern Maori) said it was not easy to oppose the bill, because of the appeal for cooperation made by the Minister of Mine*. As a good New Zealander he felt he should respond to the appeal that no difficulty should be placed in the way of an adequate search for oil, but as a representative of the Maori people he considered there was one point on which the bill went too far. The Minister had not convinced him any more than he had convinced himself or the House that royalty should be payable to the Crown and not to the property owner under whose land the oil was discovered. The Minister of Lands, Mr. Langstone: You object to the Crown receiving royalty, but not the property owner T Sir Apirana: If It had been necessary for all royalty to go to the exploring companies to induce them to make the search I would not have objected. But that is not the position. The companies will come and make the search, but the right of the. individual to share in the royalties is being taken away. A Similar Concession. Sir Apirana added that it was his opinion that the Government had been afraid to make a concession to the Maoris because it might have found itself obliged to make a similar concession for the pakelia. It did not want to do that, and no the Hon.se was listening to a new gospel of equality in which the Mnori was making the pace for the poor pakeha. He did not think the Government would go very far with this without running into trouble. If oil were- discovered on the East Coast the Maoris would visit Wellington every session demanding compensation for rights which hud been taken away from thorn, supposedly in the public Interest Mr. W, A. Bodkin (National. Central Otago) also strongly opposed the principle of denying property owners the right to share in royalties. ,