THE SS CLAIM.

Bush Advocate, Volume XXI, Issue 302, 25 June 1909, Page 7

THE BIG CLAIM.

AX ACCOtXT OF ITS HISTORY

WILLIAM" WKHSTKJt

\ The Auckland Herald publisiic • ilm follow nig account of tlio his':«'vy of I the -big 1 land claim against tl.;> Sow Zealand Government: — j "Away back in the dawn ni the' nineteenth century, a iVw v. I'.jvlo.rs visiled these islands, and some time prior to 1840 there came along William Webster, an. American, whoseemed to have had the capacity, if never the real opportunity of a- king of finance in those- very early days. Webster saw the possibilities of the Coromaiulel district as a mining area, and he acquired sections of land all over the peninsula. He settled down a,t Herekino, and from the chief Hook Nose, of C'oromandel, not only acquired lands, but also the right of establishing trading stations all round the Firth of Thames, and even further along the shores of the Hauraki Gulf. These trading stations retuiMied rich ]ji-ont to "Webster. He traded beads, guns, rum, blankets, sugar, etc., for big loads of produce, such as maize, kumaras, flax, kauri timber, etc., and Webster waxed rich, and became known as 'King of Waion.' "Originally, bo had been a Av'haler. His time of arrival in New Zealand is not quite certain, but one Auckland gentleman, well versed in the details of the claim, places the date as 1838 I or 1839, and "Webster was probably | one of the first to deal extensively' in kauri gum. He also dealt largely in ships' spars, went in for whaling/ and embarked on mining, the latter venture costing him a large portion of bis wealth. "Before 1840, Avhen New Zealand became a separate colony, the New South Wales Government appointed a commission to enquire into' land claims in Ngav Zealand, and after, the proclamation of Now Zealand as a Cvown colony, the commission nia'de a report, setting the limit of land to be allowed to Europeans at 2560 acres. . Later on, Governor Hobson appointed a commission, which declared all claims above a certain small area to be void. "In the early fifties, Webster returned to California, and then made a claim for the lands he had acquired from the natives, and. which transactions were repudiated by. the Government. He urged that the Government, in rejmdiating his title, had never banded back the -land .to the aboriginal vendors, but had retained it as Crown property, and as he was an American citizen, the Crown had no right to dispossess him, as it had dispossessed British subjects. "If this claim is substantiated, it is stated there are numerous other ones which may be brought forward, as there were other aliens dispossessed ■ at tlie same .time. Webster's claim has cropped up frequently between 1840 and the present day. The land ho lays claim to is principally scattered all over the Coromanclel district, and includes several arena's now held by nv'ning companies. Some of the sections front the water at Mercury Bay, some' are at Maraetai, some about Taima, some about Coromandel township itself, and it is possible there are also areas on the GreatBarrier and down along the shores of Hauraki Gulf. "A good many years hack Sir llobPl't Stout sat n's a commission, to enquire into Webster's claim, and threw it out a-s^no good. But the point of Webster's nationality and the legality of the dispossession . seems never to have been properly gone into. It is stated that Webster a greed to waive his rights as an American citizen and claim, as a British' subject, but a.s that meant giving away all bis. land, it is unlikely he did so. At all events, there does not seem to be any record of such an agreement. The international point involved is a peculiarly .delicate one, in that at the time the sovereignty of the British Crown was N established in New Zealand Webster undoubtedly held the lands, and unless the Now Zealand Government or the British Government can \ipset the claim in some way, the American Government will certainly demand compensation for Webster's heirs." j A Press Association telegram states ' that Webster has been described as a big, stout, jolly individual, loud of voice and free of manner, possessing, in addition to a strong American accent, a personality that forced its domination upon all with whom ho came in contact. Ho whs a sbip's carpenter. Very -soon, from one of the simple "makers, of nations." in New Zealand he became the dictator and arbitrator between native and

lii past time the first thing done to a burn or scald was to exclude the air. To do this the victim had to either apply a paste of oil and flour or else bandage the scalded part, thus adding to his sufferings. All that 7s now 'necessary is to apply Chamberlain's Pain Balm. This liniment gives immediate relief, also heals the part in one-third the time taken by any other application; but what is more wonderful still is that there is never any scar left after Chamberlain's Pain Balm is used. For sale everywhere.

European over a wide range of country. In short' except through tho medium of William 'Webster, no pakolia could obtain ,so much land as would give room for his tont or wJiare. He was the bosom friend of tho great Coromandel chief, Hook Nose, whoso daughter he was given in marriage. "It is almost certain that Webster is the man referred to in the claim respecting which tho Solicitor-General is now going to England, but it also seems pretty clear that there is little likelihood of the claim being substantiated, for before the Crown settled the rights of claimants to land the native rights were invariably extinguished first by purchase, so that in the event of a claim being disallowed the land, by right of purchase, went to the Crown." \