The Press. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 1893. NATIVE AFFAIRS IN THE HOUSE.

Press, Volume L, Issue 8581, 7 September 1893, Page 4

The Press. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 1893. NATIVE AFFAIRS IN THE HOUSE.

Time waa when the Maori dominated the entire session, and the opinion of Sir Donald McLean upon Native questions made or marred Ministries. The entire interest of session after session centred in the vital question of War or Peace ? The interest in the Native questions reached its zenith in those Btormy days and waned steadily year by year until it sank to zero under the peaceful administration of the Hon. Mr Mitchelson", when members of Parliament took no interest in this matter. The interest which so peacefully slumbered awoke into greater life last session when the Cadman-Lundon purchaae of Maori land was published to the world. Ministers allayed the rising storm of hostile criticism by declaring the case should go before a Civil Tribunal. The upshot of the trial was to acquit Mr Lundon. But the colony had bought the laud at a ridiculously high figure, much of it worthless mountain tops. This matter ought to be cleared up this session. Renewed interest in Maori affairs was exoited by Mr. Kees's letters accusing Mr. Cadman of dealing in Maori landß, trafficking in them for his own personal gain. The famous Cadman v. Rbbs libel case gave Mr. Cadman£l damages. j The next scene in the play was a I challenge by Mr. Cadman to Mr. Rees in the House, both to resign aud to contest the Auckland seat. Mr. Rees pluckily but foolishly accepting the ohallenge, Mr. Cadman, backed by Ministers, was sent; back to the House. But though returned as M.H.E. for Auckland, Ministers have not ventured to put him back as Native Minister. It will be seen from to-day's telegrams that the Premier has deaided to assume the Native portfolio himself, and that Mr. Cadman rejoins the Government as Minister of Justice and Minister of Mines. Now, it appears to us that if the Auckland electors bad rehabilitated ►.Mr. Cadman, as Ministers claim, they have oast a slur upon him in asking him to take office in other than his old capacity, and the late Native Minister has not shown much spirit in allowing himself to be thus brusquely brushed aside. Our own opinion is that Mr. Cadman has. in no way improved his position by the Auckland election, and that the Ministry as a whole have taken upon themselves precisely the 1 same responsibility they would have i incurred in the first instance by re- ' taining him in the Cabinet. Apart from these personal 'phases of i the question, Ministers bragged last recess and boasted in the.House this [ session that theirs would be a broad, ! comprehensive, bold, final settlement of this vexed topic. Lustily tbey crowed that ere the session ended they | would place on the Statute. Book the most perfect, all-embracing Maori legislation, such as would give prosperity to the Nortn* and ■ ensure widespread settlement. This kind of political braggadocio is cheap and easy. Ministers gradually introduced Bill after Bill until the Order Paper is thickly strewn with them; such as a JSative Reserves Administration Bill, a Native Validation Bill, a Tairua Land Bill, a Tougariro National Park Bill,-West Coast Reserves Amendment Bill, Native Land ratiug clauses in a Rating Bill, a Native Laud Purchase and Acquisition Bili, <_c, <kc. Instead of one or at most two comprehensive consolidating measures the House is j deluged with these Bills, from which all idea of a great comprehensive plan i is absent. Such a scrappy fragmentary method must end in scrappy fragmentary valueless results. Parts of these "Bills are mere re-enact-I ments of existing laws and other ! mere technical amendments of care- | lessly drawn Acts. The folly of | bringing down a policy split up among a dozen little Bills is seeu already iv the fact that the session is galloping | to a close and yet not one of-the really important Bills has got through. It would seem pretty clear therefore that most will be among the "slaughtered innocents " at the end of the session, or even should tbey escape this malady will be thrown out by the liords ou the ground that they are sent up at too late a stage to be considered with the care aud minute attention they deserve. Of all these measures the chief is the Native Land Purchase and Acquisition Bill. It is remarkable for a clause re-establishing the Crown's right of pre-emption. This reads like a noble self-denying clause. Outside this remarkable clause tbe Bill ia by its opponents fiercely condemned as a pure Native Land Confiscation Bill. It proposes to set up a Board to choose Maori land fie for settlement: when a block is so chosen it price is to be assessed by a special Court. If a majority of owners in any block so chosen and so priced agree to take the assessed selling price, then the minority is bound to accept it. This cruel, unjust clause means that no Maori owning and farming land is safe if a majority is against him; be must sell the dearly loved heritage of his ancestors. The majority may own only a small part of the total value, and may be a bare majority of one, but their decision coerces and robs the minority. So harsh, so unjust a clause naturally has wrafchfuliy exeitad Maoris, and when its proviaious are

widely known great will be their wrath. A more unjustifiable clause has rarely been introduced. The Bill has gone to the Native Affairs Committee, and its passage into an Act is more than doubtful. Even if all this batch of Bills got through unaltered it would not by any means settle the Maori question, for it does not embrace all the topics, only a majority, but as they have been so long kept back, have been so studiously kept low on the Order Paper all through the first two months and a half, it is scarcely believable that Miuisters intend to put them through this year. lb is deeply to be regretted that Ministers, backed in both Houses by large majorities, should have neglected so great a chance of legislating in first-class style. In the North Island the progress of settlement is fettered and manacled by the quantity of unsettled hazy titles to Maori lands, large areas lie waste year after year, men with titles excellent to hold, but still tainted by suspicion, cannot borrow for improvements. A sound, statesmanlike, broad Native policy would make the North Island progress with leaps and bounds. The public, bolstered up into the belief that Ministerial promises in this direction would be equalled by Ministerial performances, will find itself doomed to bitter disappointment. Not only have Ministers dissatisfied their supporters, but they have alienated and disgusted the Maoris. A sign of this is the desire of the Hon. Mr. Carroll to abandon his Maori for a pakeha constituency. It is openly believed that this Native M.H.R, has no chance for re-election, and his eagerness to woo a new constituency is proof positive. Nor does the evil olose with the closing session, for the-Maoris annoyed, vexed, harassed, suspicious, will not cooperate cordially next session with the present or any incoming Ministry.