TAURANGA LAND.

Feilding Star, Volume VI, Issue 1796, 17 May 1912, Page 3

TAURANGA LAND.

probing Into ancient HISTORY. THE CLAIM OFTHE PIRIRAKAU TRIBE. A SPECIAL ENQUIRY. Auckland, May 16. A case of more than ordinary in- I terest came up for hearing before | Chief Judge Jackson Palmer at tho j Natico Land Court in Auckland this afternoon ,tho subject of dispute being a caluable allotment of land in Tauranga concerning which there is •a history attached, extending back to the troublous days of the sixties. In those early days, when the Maori War was in progress, the Government found it necessary for the protection of settlers to • enact tho New Zealand Settlements Act, by which, wherever war happened to be raging, tho Governor could declare that particular locality to be a district under tho Act, upon which all land in that district became Crown land, and could be settleel in order that by reason of numbers settlers could become a mutual protection to ono another. Under the same Act, Compensation Courts were established, with judges to assess tho land of loyal natives that had been lost to them .by the district being declared Crown land -under tho provisions of this Act. The judges coulel give certificate for compensation as against th eColonial Treasurer to tho loyal natives. By an amendment in iB6O land might bo awarded back iv lieu of monetary compensation, anel by tho Certified Land Act of 1*867 the Governor was permitted to award compensation in land or money to rebels who had surrendered. Tauranga was declared among others to bo a district under the Settlement Act, and a Crown giant was issued by the Governor, ■pursuant to some enquiries under those different Acts; tho grant in question, being in favour of two natives as trustees for the Parirakau tribe. This grant was issued in 1870. The Native Land Court was called upon to ascertain who were members of this Pirirakau tribe, so that the actual names might be applieel to givo - full .effect to the Crown grant to tne tribe. The Native Land Court sat and held that the grant was. only to members of the Pirirakau tribe who were loyal, or who had surrendered within the meaning of the aforesaid Acts, and it found that only four natives of the whole tribe came within that category. The land was awarded accordingly, and an order was also made that the Crown grant be amended according to the finding. ,'The Tauranga County and Commissioner of Education objected to the Court's decision. The niatter was brought before Parliament in petition, and in consequence of the recommendation of the Native Affairs Committee applications were made to the Chief Judge under section 50 of the Act for a new trial, while the - Crown also instructed the judgo_ to report on the merits of the petition. It was this inquh-y which opened this . afternoon.