DISPUTE OVER LAND.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 6 July 1927, Page 9

DISPUTE OVER LAND.

BEFORE THE APPEAL COURT.

AYAIAIATE PLAINS CASE

by telegraph special to tiie star. AVELLINGTON, July 6. The W annate land dispute came before the Court of'Appeal to-day. Air. P. O’Dea, of Hawera, who appeared for appellants, .stated that Tataurangi Tairuakena and others whom lie represented had .been owners in, fee simple of an estate of 166 acres situated on the \Animate Plains. The estate was a few miles from Hawera on some of the best dairying country on the plains. The parties had been constituted a corporate body by the Native Land Court for the purpose of fanning the land, and the defendants were made a. committee of management. Only two of the committee held any shares' in the company, one of them being Alua Carr, who was chairman. In Alay of last year, four or five members of the committee had leased land to AJ ua. Carr for 10 years from July 1, 1926. This had been confirmed by the 'Maori Land Board and had been registered in November last. The board was not told that the lessee and the chairman of the committee were one and the same. An action had been brought before Mr. J ustice Ostler asking for cancellation of the .La.se, hut this he had dismissed, stating that individual members had no locus standi to complain to the court. In. support of the appeal, Air. O’Doa submitted that the alienation of the land was a breach of the trust to which the land was subject: that the alienation was prohibited by* law, in that the lands were eased by the trustees to one of themselves, and that it was fraud on the part of Aina Can* to have the lease made out to himself. The Chief Justice (Sir Charles SicorrettV Air. Justice Sim, Mr. Justice Stringer, and Air. Justice Ala eg re go r heard the case, and decision was reserved .

ATr. Brodie appeared for Aina Carr,