THE MOKAU DEALINGS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1198, 5 August 1911, Page 4

THE MOKAU DEALINGS.

ANOTHER DEFENDER. MEMBER FOR THE DISTRICT. Further statements about the Mokfia land dealings were made in the House of Representatives yesterday afternoon in the debate 011 tho Addross-in-Roply. . Jlr ;. W \. T ; ' ,cn , n , in fi s . i» whose electorate tho Mokau block is situated, said that when the trustees of the estate of the lata Mr. I'lower bought in tho land at tho auction salo at New Plymouth they did not really want the land. T'liey wanted their money and the interest that was due to them. Why did not Mr. Ukey, who was tho advocate in this matter last year, or his friends, bid lor tlio properly at the auction? The (act was, of course, that they were all-aid to touch it, brcauso the lilies were to complicated. \Vhcn ho (Mr. .tenniiigs) asked the late Mr. beddon to do something to get tho and settled, the late Premier referred him to Jlr. Barron, the then Land Purchase Commissioner. and Mr. Ban-on told 11111 that no Government would dure to touch tho block becauso tho titles wero so mixed up. Tliero were tho claims or interests of the Maoris, Mr. Joshua Jones, the 1-tower trustees, and tho sub-lessees of some 14,000 acrcs, The statement that Jlr. .Tones was offered ,£IOO,OOO was "all tripe. If it wero true, why did not those who made tho oiler bid for tho property at tho auction?

oinn'J'' : .1 saw tho cable offering pertj assist in developing the proMr. Jennings: If that was so, could they liavo paid the ,£H,OOO lcquired by tho I lower trustees? It had been stated bv Mr. Oltey in the Select Committee last 3oar that the Natives Had offered 011 ono occasion to sell at ss. {Id. an aero. Since that time portions of tho block had been sub-leased to several people, and tho re-i-i Purchase was subject to those leases, lot the price received by tho Natives was 10s. and a fraction, a higher price than they had previously been prepaid to take for a larger area. The Natives would also receive largo sums fiom tho company when the coal mines wero developed. Tho sottlcmeiit of tho land would bo of very great benefit to tho district.

Mr. Massey quoted the actual Order-in-Council (the Hon. Mr. Carroll presiding), showing that tho area was 53.255 acres. Ho rend the actual order to the noiiso. Ho also read a letter from tlio president of tho Maori Land Board stating at tho resolutions of tho assembled owinvs provided for tho salo of all four blocks of the above-mentioned area to Hermann Lewis for .£25,000 cash and .£2500 in shaies, Mr, Dalzieli appeared for the applicant, and tho board decided to confirm tho owners' resolution to soil. What had misled Mr. Jennings was that Mr, Hermann Lewis did not resell tho whole area to tho syndicate. Ho kept 7000 acres. Why ho kept that area ho (Mr. Massey) did not knjw. Probably it would como out later on. Sir James Carroll: 11,000 of tho 53,000 acres aro under sub-leases. Mr. James Allen; They were all .sold subsequently. Sir James Carroll. Tho present purchaser cannot touch it. Mr. Jennings: 'Undoubtedly Mr. Hermann Lewis bought tho wholo area, but tho company has no right over tho sub-, leases'.for 30 years. Mr. Alien: They havo got the reversionary interest., Mr. Okey explained that when ho found .£IOO,OOO was being offered (subject to tho titlo being confirmed) to Mr. Jones for his rights in this block ho showed tho cable message to Sir Joseph Ward. Ho (Mr. Okey) wantod tho Government to .taljo. the land, settle it, and _ set up a commission to say .who was entitled to nn interest in it. '110 was only too pleased to think that 'it would bo settled now, but it was a mode of settlement that he objected to, and ho still maintained that tho Government should have purchased tho freehold and settled the land themselves. If that had been done tho settlers would havo been on a better footing than they could possibly bo under a settlement by privato people. SIR J. CARROLL'S REPLY DEFERRED. "will" put it in print.' '

Surprise was caused when the' Address-in-Hoply debato came to an end yesterday afternoon without a speech by tho ActingPrime Minister. It did not seem to havo occurred to anybody that the usual practico in this regard would bo doparted from. Tho Leader of tho Opposition earlier in tho debate had strongly attacked tho Administration, and especially tho Department over which Sir James Carroll himself presides, on account of the Mokau laud transactions, and it was taken for granted that tho latter would defend himself and tho Government at the closo. of tho debate. It is, however, the intention of tho Acting-Primo Minister to deal with this matter through the medium of a printed paper, which will be laid on the table of tho House-probably next Tuesday.