Hawke's Bay Herald. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 4, 1883. BUYING NATIVE SHARES.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 6670, 4 October 1883, Page 2

Hawke's Bay Herald. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 4, 1883. BUYING NATIVE SHARES.

Iv the reports of tlio proceedings o£ tlie Gisborne Land Court, which appear in the local papers, are to be relied on, the agents of tlio New Zealaud Land Settlement Company are by their actions fully justifying the intense distrust felt in them by those who successfully prevented tlio bill promoted by tbe company from passim*; Parliament during the lato sesssion. On Wednesday last, it appears from these reports, Mr Rees, ou behalf of the company, applied for the subdivision of the Tangihanga bloclc, and submitted a deed purporting to be a conveyance of the land, signed by a number of natives. It then ciime out that tliis particular block is held on lease by Messrs Burnett, Kinross, and Graham, and those gentlemen, prior to the commencement of operations by the company, purchased a number of shares from the native owners. When they heard that the company were purchasing shares, Messrs Kinross and Co. courteously sent, through their solicitors, a list of the natives whose interest they had acquired. One would have thought the company would have been very glad to get the information, and would have avoided those natives ; but not so. They immediately started to effect a second purchase from the same natives, and actually obtained the signatures of 21 who had sold to Messrs Kinross and Co. There was, however, a considerable difference in the purchases. Messrs Kinross and Co. paid hard cash to the natives; the company paid in "scrip"' which may or may not turn out to be worth anything. Having once sold their land, and spent the proceeds, the natives were doubtless easily persuaded to sell again on promises of another payment in the dim future. This, as Mr Brassey remarked, seemed very like subornation to fraud, but Mr Rees attempted to justify the action of the company . Judge .Brookfield, however, would not listen to Mr Bees, and denounced the transaction in strong terms. The same interpreter acted when both deeds were signed, and the Judge rightly condemned him. Ihe natives were also warned that they might bring themselves under the criminal law if they indulged again in such practices.