WEBSTER'S CLAIM.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 626, 1 October 1909, Page 7

WEBSTER'S CLAIM.

■v. - V- 0 >£500,000 INVOLVED. EXPLANATION. BY THE PRIME MINISTER. HOPES i?OR A PINAL SETTLEMENT. Tolegraph-Prcu AuoclaJon.l Auckland, Soptember .30. Interviewed this morning as to. what is '• known OS the Webster claims, Sir Joseph Ward said:— .• ■. ; / ■ • .Webster claims are of vory old stand■lWr. Ihey oroso from tho alleged purchase of' ■' kativo lands in tho Auckland province of tho .»• i » 5 r ' Webster. (an American) ' before British sovereignty was assumed in. Now ■' Zealand. The claims wore considered by a .' commission which, under instructions from tho : ■ Imperial Government, was set up to in\estigatp all purchase claims, of whicli thoro wcro • a vory.-largo number in all- parts of New Zealand. Recommendations : were •' made in Web-' ster s claims, and Crown'grants were issued to him, and those who.dcrived the titlo through:' ' him. In no aise did the grants'represent the full area of the alleged purchase. This was-so • in the case of all, claimants. Some time after appeared to bo closed ns far as Now Zealand was concerned it oppears that Mr. . > >» ebstor petitioned tho United States Congress, ■ ' stating that he-was an : American citizen, and: alleging that his conveyances had been ignored by tho ftew iZca|and authorities, and' that l bo 1 ha 1 received none of the lands that he had purchased, : It unfortunately happened that the ' '• committee uf the United States Congress l to which the petition was. referred dealt only .by the' petitioner; and neither I .' the British nor. tho Now Zealand Government know anything, of. tho: matter:; Accepting: tho ' 1 ■ plaintiff's statements' as correct, tho commits . : >; l'p» presented to. Congress a' vefy 'strong-report ' jin Webster's favour. This report was adopted' by Congress, and the President was requested to make, representation to the British Government. This occurred somo ; years, ago,' and the > i. 1 ' British Government coinmiiuicatod with: New Zealand asking for a report upon'the;!factW , The mattor was investigated,by tho then Gov.v. , eminent,:and a lengthy: report,was furnished, ' showing clearly that: Webster:w-as, in' no;6onso;: wronged, but that, onvthe contrary;, ho..had. received more liberal treatment than that h'ccorded to other matter, appears to have. rested there' for , sotao considerable" timo, when it wns again revivediby tho United i Statos Government. It {was ajjain rpferred. to the New. Zealand Government - for a report.*: . Mr. Ballanco, who was then in power,:had tho J matter reviewed, and saw no reason to depart: : from the' attitude previously : taken up. Tho. claims again appeared to :dio oiit, hut recently . they have been, revived by the Unitod. States - Government, and tkeßritish Government inti- ' ■ mated that they were anxious to devise poino means of finally, sottling questions involved, foe: which purposo it' was suggested that corquestions! should .bo submitted : to,.rarbitration. I considered it was my duty, aa Prime Minister, .to co-operate .'with 1 the Im- ;•' ■ perial Government, and as, owing: to passage .1., of time and other'reasons, difficult questions of " involved , which .'could not be. satis- j • factorily dealt with by correspondence,! it ap- i. 1 ?enred'to me that the better, course was to deal : with • the . matter, personally > when* in • Lbndon.i'\ Pot; that . purposo the Solicitor-General went Jome,,ns no was fully cognisant of the whole' of the, circumstances of the case. In London I - communicated with .the!lmperial.; authorities • > and arranged,conferences between the.lmperial ' law officers and. tho , Solicitor-General;.. They >:. went thoroughly into tho wholo matter, ahd ns : aa outcome; of tho Conference it was decided that Mr. Bryce, . the- British' Ambassador, : ; should meet mo .in.'America. This he 1 did, . having come 1 a very long way .to seo.mo. 1 We 1 had a long conference, and as 1 the result a course has,been decided upon,which wilhpos- 1 sibly within the next' twelve': months finally disposo '■ of'' this., troublesome ■; matter. ■. .■ New Zealand is not financially involved,in.tho qucs-. .\ tion at alh . 'The actual , responsibility.',deyolyes':; upon the Imperial Government, as • the; trans-' action took place: before reprcsplltativo goVljrn- ■ ment ifas established.- At the same.time it ia:,' ' our duty to help the, Imperial authorities, m: : v e\wyr wny possible to onablo'them ,to justify thftipteition taken; up regarding* this claind, in; . .' regard l to which, in my, opinion,'-there. i»>iio question as; to the propnoty pf; tho .action taken." ■ -■ - ■ ; ■ " Webster's claim is for. X 500,000 ih.connection with large;areas !oflan4 ; scattered over " tho ;' Coromanacl district, including several.: areas ■ no\" hold' by Ihiining iompifties. .Full particulars wcro .published' in Tub.Domixion in Juno last.