ONE OBJECTION.

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

ONE OBJECTION.

NATIVE LAND RIGHTS.

OPPOSITION UNEASINESS. "OVER THEIR DEAD BODIES." <, a (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, Monday. 11 When the House of Representatives j resumed thia evening the debate was 6 continued on the committal of the Petroleum Bill. Mr. H. M. Christie (Govern- s ment, Waipawa) said there was no product of more importance to any country than oil, and companies which had to go f to the expense of making deep bores f must have some form of protection and security. Approximately two and a j half million gallons of crude oil had been secured in New Zealand as the result of prospecting a.nd boring, which was only sufficient to produce enough petrol to supply our needs for one week. The Opposition's only real objection to the bill seemed to be the rights taken over native lands by the Crown. He could not see that there had been any infringement whatever of Maori rights. , Wealthy Interests Overseas. Mr. J. G. Coates (National, Kaiparai said tln>re was no desire on the part, of the Opposition to impede the search for oil in the Dominion, and he had no ' ! object .on to the Crown assuming control of the commodity. He compared Eric 1 sji with New Zealand legislation, and tsaid the difference was that petroleum had been discovered in New Zealand and there were welU producing crude oil to-day. He urged that care should be observed to prevent the handing over of . our oil to wealthy interests overseas. The Minister of Mines (Mr. Webb). Don't you think the bill provides for that ? Mr. Coates: Tf it is left to the present Minister I will be quite satisfied that nothing of the sort will happen. Mr. Coates continued to refer to the rights conferred upon the Maoris bv the Treaty of Waitangi. The Maori believed that everything that was beneath Maori land belonged to him, and everything above it, too. Both Maori men and women had said that the bill could only be put into force over their dead bodies. He did not believe the Minister would willingly offend the Maori race. In fact, lie would be the la~t man in the wo'H to do so, and lie thought Mr. Webb would be wi-e to reconsider the questi m of royalties. a< it. affected the Maori race. He also advocated that, ray, .">0 per cent of the 5 per cent royalty should be paid to the pakeha landowner on whose property oil was discovered. Might Lou Their Temper. Mr. J. O'Brien (Government, Westland) said Maoris giving evidence before the Native Affairs Committee which was considering the bill had said they might lose their temper if anybody walked over their land. There was no reference to oil prospectors going over Maoris' dead bodies, as had been stated by Mr. Coates. If there were oil in New Zealand, said Mr. O'Brien, referring to the que-tio-i of the payment of royalties, it might be under dozens of different land holdings, and It would be difficult to know to whom the royalty was to be paid. If a good flow of oil were found in ihe Dominion, and the Government co! ected the royalty, both natives and Europeans would benefit. Mr. E. T. Tirikatene (Government, .Southern Maori) congratulated the Government for it«. services to the Maoris during its two years of office. He also referred to the rights of Maoris

under the Treaty of Waitangi, which the Maoris regarded «as their Magna Charta. He suggested tliat some part of the royalties, if petroleum were found on Maori land, should be paid into a common fund for the general benefit of the Maoris aa a whole. The Maori? would not obstruct anything that would bo of national benefit, but there was something to be said for Sir Anirana Xgnta's appeal, which he had made through the Maori mind. Opposition Amendment. ]\lr. W. J. Broadfoot (Nationalist, Waitomo) said the Treaty of was a sovereign treaty and could not be altered without due provision being made for compensation being paid to the Maoris for petrol taken from their lands. It was only on the question of royalties that the Opposition disagreed with the Government. The Opposition said the royalty should go to the individual and not to the Government. The motion before the House, said Mr. Broadfoot, was "That the bill l><. committed." He moved that all the words after "that" be omitted for the purpose of inserting the following words, "That the bill be referred back to the Government with a view to inserting the following words: 'That portion of royalty paid for petroleum won hliiill be paid to all owners of land except in such eases where the title held by any owner specifies that the mineral light's are the property of the Crown and that in the case of owners of native land individual owners shall receive not less than the amount specified for European owners, but such amount shall not be less than 50 per cent of the royalty received.'"' The amendment was seconded by Mr. S. G. Smith (Nationalist, New Ply-j■ mouth). The Minister of Lands, Mr. Langstone, then moved the adjournment of ; the debate and the House rose at 10.40 p.m. I]