NATIVE AFFAIRS.

Press, Volume XLI, Issue 6153, 9 June 1885, Page 3

NATIVE AFFAIRS.

The following report of what Mr Bryce said on Native affairs in Hie speech at Waverley is taken from the "Wanganui Chronicle":—

There was going to be great improvement in the management of Native affairs.' Th« Native Committees were to do much good, useful work. A Native Committees Act existed at present, but under that: Act the Native Committees were simply arbitrators to decide cases brought before them. But the powers of these Committees, if he understood aright, were to be greatly extended; firstly—in dealing with the title to land—preliminarily dealing with it. No doubt the actual determination of title would have to come ultimately before a Native Land Court, but previous to that, however, it must be arranged and determined by the Native Committees. He (Mr Bryce) believed that to be a task which they were not calculated to perform. Were such a duty imposed on them, they would not do it, and if they did, the crying injustice that would ensue would at once cause their powers to be abrogated. He believed they would cry taihoa, and that ascertainment of title would be indefinitely postponed. Now, the investigation of title for the determination of the ownership of Native lands was the first step to the settlement of the land, but if the title could not come before the Native Lands Court on account of Committees, then it stopped settlement. That he (Mr Bryce) said deliberately would be the effect of it. He pointed to the effect pf it in the King Country in connection with the railway. That land ought to have been before the Land Court by this time, instead of which it had been hung up until the Committee should do that which in the nature of things they could not do. That had delayed indefinitely the settlement of the country in the vicinity of where the trunk line was to go. It was a most grievous thing that the colony was to go on making t,tiat. railway, and yet that nothing like immediate settlement should keep pace with it. The ultimate effect would be to largely increase the value of the lands for the benefit of Native owners who were postponing its settlement, and wh» meanwhile were not subject to taxes like the rest of the community. Now, although he was a North Island member, yet he maintained emphatically that in the interests of the colony not a sod of that railway ought to have been turned until satisfactory arrangements could have been made for the settlement of the land. [Loud applause.] He (Mr Bryce) took the liberty of pointing that out before the Bailway Committee, and he maintained that the construction of the railway was altogether premature, and should not have been carried on until that arrangement had been made. With regard to the Native Committees, it was proposed, he believed, to greatly extend theur general powers, and to endow them wren authority in minor points of law and justice—amongst themeetres, he presumed. Many yean ago it was thought that these Committees could be utilised to carry out a perfect system of administration of the law amongst the Maoris, but it naturally broke down. If, therefore, it was impossible to carry it out then, was it not absurd to t.hinV of creating a new system of justice for the Natives, who now were »,«» in number, while we were 600,000. He maintained that it would cause much, mischief and unnecessary _incumbranoe in our Courts of Justice, and nTtinmfr>iy cause dissatisfaction and trouble yrng the Wanria themselves. No! the best hope fox the Maori "race was to throw in their lot with ours—to accept our laws, and to help us to improve thenuf necessary, and generally to accept all the responsibilities of British subjects, including the taxation of land, fHear, hear.] He did not with to pass over the subject of . irritation that had oeen going on up the

coast recently, ft ought to -be pasted, yet if he did not remark upon it, he mjrf ht render himself ©onspicuoue by his silence. He did not himself attach much importance to the circumstances, if only they were properly <fr»it with. Those occurjrenoae, werei.only such &a might be expected, but, provided they were dealt with properly, there waa nothing :&> fear. What he would advise the Govemmentto do at .present (if the Government would allow him the privilege of giving advice), was merely to enforce, the law with the Maoris, who were venr likely only feeling their way and tryingjo. ascertain how far they might go. if they were temporised with or attempts made to console them, he believed-they would feel encouraged to give fresh cause for misunderstanding. Maoris, like all savage people, did not understand our ideas in that respect. If o quantity of palaver could take the place of the law. (Applause.)