THE CASE OF MR. KEEFER.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 3346, 12 October 1911, Page 5

THE CASE OF MR. KEEFER.

“THE POINT OF DIFFERENCE.” OFFICIAL DENIAL OF INTERFERENCE DISCUSSION IN PARLIAMENT. (From our Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, Oct. 11. Reference was made in the House of Representatives yesterday to the resignation of Air A. Keefer, President of the Tairawhiti Maori Land Board. Attention (it will be recalled) was drawn by Mr Herries (Tauranga) to tlio statement made by All* Keefer in announcing his resignation, when he remarked : “Gentlemen of the Bar.—l wish to announce that in all probability this will be my last sitting as President of the Board. I have had .interference and dictation from the head of the Department in the administration of my judicial duties which I immediately resented. So, preferring not to sacrifice my manhood and the dictates of my conscience, I have tendered my resignation to the Hon. Sir J. Carroll. Native Alinister, preferring to do this and give up my position and remuneration, in place of occupying any false position. What Mr Herries wanted to know in particular was whether the Alinister did not think it desirable to place officers holding judicial positions out of reach of interference in their judicial duties. Statement by Sir James Carroll. In replying to the question, the Hon. James Carroll denied that there had been interference or dictation by tlie Department. “The Maori Land Boards,” the Alinister added, “have important administrative functions, and in the exercise of these functions they are properly subject to general supervision by the Department. In this respect the relation between the Alaori Land Boards and the Undersecretary of Native Affairs is very similar to that which exists between the. Crown Land Boards and the Under-Secretary of Lands. This supervision is absolutely necessary for the proper and uniform administration of Native lands, and I have no reason to believe that it has been exercised in any improper manner in the case of the Tairawhiti Maori Land Board.”

Commenting on this reply Air Herries said it was rather peculiar that the President of the Board and the Alinister should differ as to whether there had been interference with the former m his judicial duties. So far as one could judge from the correspondence there had been considerable interference. He hoped the Alinister would lav on the table all the papers relative to this resignation. Sir J-. Carroll said that no doubt the opportunity would be seized l to make a good deal out of very little. He was sorry to lose this officer, who had performed his duties honestly and fairly, and with every despatch. The Alinister thought that Air Keefer had erred on the side of ultra-sensitiveness. There had been no interference from the Departmental point of view, and no interference with his judicial position. The question was whether the head of the Department who was responsible for the carrying out of the Act, was entitled! to give Departmental views on questions that might come before the Board in its administration of the Act. This was all that was done in the present case." The question arose over a block of 42,000 acres owned by 772 Natives. There bad been no subdivision or partition of the interests in this block. The President of the Board granted applications for certain areas of the block. A Pertinent Interjection. Air Herries : It was within the law. Sir J. Clarroll said it was sometimes a question which part of the law should he carried out. Fifteen “consents” were given for an aggregate area) of about 20,000 acres. It was suggested to the President of the Board bv the Department that it would be well not to give these precedent consents until the land had been partitioned by the Court. This was the point of difference. The Department could not prevent the Board going on as it had intended. AH that the Department could do was t-o indicate the general policy -which it thought, should be followed. The Minister said he would lay the whole of the correspondence on the table. Air Massey said he was glad that the Alinister had agreed to lay the papers on the table, and had admitted that Ali* Keefer was a. good officer. If the Secretary of the Department in Wellington were permitted to interfere with the President of a Alaori Land Board he virtually took that officer’s place. Mr Massey said he felt a good deal of sympathy with the man who ihad resigned He had heard of cases in which the president of a Alaori land board had done things that were not within ihe four corners of the law, and l to these cases no exception had been taken by the Department.

TO PREVENT ENDLESS CONFUSION THE SUGGESTIONS BY AIR FISHER WELLINGTON. Oct. 11. Later—There was considerable interest takeni in th e Keefer ease, which was before l the House this) evening. The main point in Sir James Carroll’s remarks was that the granting of precedent consents at this stage—seeing that no partition had taken placewould only lead to endless confusion in the end._ _ According to the _ Native Minister it*, was more a question of policy than of administration, and Mr Keefer would have done well under the circumstances to have been .guided by Mr Fisher. The Native Land Act of 1909, said Sir James Carroll, was, as everybody recognised, a very important policy measure, and upon Mr Fisher, as head of the Native Lands 'Department under himself, there devolved a great deal of responsibility in the matter of its administration. which Air Keefer, who had not been long in the public service, might not fully appreciate. Sir James Carroll paid a high tribute in respect of the work which Mr ICeefer had done in the capacity of President of the Tairawhiti Board, and considered that his resignation was a matted for regret. THE WHAREKAHIKA BLOCK. APPLICATIONS FOR CONFIRMATION OF LEASES. According to the New Zealand Gazette and Kiahiti for September 21st. 1911, applications for confirmation of leases have been made to the Tairawhiti Maori Land Board as under : To Roka Tiereti from Watene te

Akau and others, over 1200 acres, for 21 years. , „ _ . To Audley C’owper Wood, from Hon Mahue and others, over 2000 acres for 21 years'. To Violet Wood, from Waiheke Tureia and others, over 2000 acres, for 21 years. ; To Arthur William Hendersonj, from Manahi Parapara and others, over 2000 acres, for 21 years. To Clias. Ernest Tylden, from Hare Kapakapa ,and others, over 1200 acres for 21 years. To Brian Gerald Mahoney and Rewiti ICohcre, from Henare Ahuriri and others, over 2000 acres, for 21 years. To George Hy. Maddox, from Hindoo a Apanui and others, over 1200 acres for 21 years. When the applications will now be heard is, of course, not known.