COMPULSORY ACQUISITION.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume I, Issue 264, 27 October 1911, Page 3

COMPULSORY ACQUISITION.

TO APPLY TO NATIVE LAND. TilE Fi Tl KE f;F THE MAoIU. Ml ST HAVE STiTE AS. J STANCE. [•sv Tia.Et.i: ten sfeciat..] (Own f’orre.-pondent.) Wellington, Oct. 26. Tlic ni ’st imp ri.mt outcome of mt reduct ten <f the p-iimlv Land 1 'ement Bi I m tlm House this afteriii .-i r.as :i l-ic f lint interesting I':- ii-mnvi men! trom l.'uii -ideon the Siilip’fl <•! tl-,.’ -off lenient of Maori land, and t !>«■ part that the Mao;r. llniii’ihi ■ i|.oild play in •I at <-pi;:’i ion. The bill proposed to give the (umriinr'iit power to <■-■inpnl-orily .’’equifc nati'.e land foist It It meal purposes. no distinction in the LAND. The Prime Minister, rpcakittg on the introduction of th- liiii. stated that this was the furl time tin- pro po-al had been made in legislation by the Govtrniiient of the country ti- t-’.ke native land compulsorily. He al- i vanttd to s.-y that thty -hoiihl reiogni-e that the time v,-’-. coming when there i i-nilci not l;e any oi-.mition in the law so long as the '.nterei is of the M.-mris w< r? pro. periy s.-.ft gr.ardvd a.- they v. ere in this bill. As ;t (-on-equt nee of this ore,>O.-;’.] he llopi <1 to be able to frame definite proposals tinder which tiie natives could settle on their lard and r« eeive the asris. t since <f the lending departments of the State which had not been possible in the past.

Mr. Mas-ey said lie did not think the provision was necessary for the -i’liplc reason that the Maoris who liad land to sell were willing to sell it at a fair price. According to a recent return there were •n ies in the Lai d--. < f the Maori Land Boards awaiting disposal. All that was needed was that they should -ee tl at tie naiivc- git a fair price f. r th< ir lands. that sufficient was left to them f<.r thetr maintenance, and that the purchase money should be paid for their benefit to the Public T’-u.-tce.

SOLUTION OF THE PROBLEM. Sir James Carroll said that for years he had strggcsttd the doctrine of giving assistance to the Macris to settle their lands because he nt v: r ii'iild -ee l o.r the'.' con'd .solve the native land probit m with, out using the ,-ame methods a- wire being used on behalf of the European settlers, and using some ol the money for placing Mao-is on ti own lands. Anyone who had any kmr.vlcdge of the intrie-n-i<’S and complications which affect native land knew the difficult task that confronted any one who allempltd to deal with the quest i ;ii. The difficulty was net. so much in regard to the tranft r of the lard fu ni the Maori to the European as the utilisation of the land Ly ti.e Maoris tbetnsehes iipci some p:ope’ scheme. They had attempted to make provision, l»y legislation, for advances to be made iiv ti.e Go., ernrnent lending ii::;tit nt i ms to Maoris on the st < urity <.f thiir landfor developments, but theic was always a difficulty about native lands which made them unacceptable to lending institutions. The result bad been a failure. Year after year this was the question tliat was of interest to both sides of Parliament, irrespective of party and tiny should declare with a very decided vyle that such legislation would be promoted as would establish a humauitafian and generous srltctitc. as far as the Maoris wci" ninci innl. of placing them upon th* t own l imlwith assistance from the State. The stint r this was dem ti.e better it would lie, net only for the couiitry as a whole, but became, if it were done, it would ho a bright page in our history, becam e lot king back on the past they must i-r-nfess io the very serious blunder:; they had made all ti'ong the line. All Goi. ernments bad erred i t the same way. Unless they look tim step tbsit he im'd-ated they might have to make provision for the support of the Maori population. Tin y should take every e ire that th it should not happen. Ilatbcr than that they should make the Maori a useful citiz.cn amt pr - dimer ami how much easier it would be if both sides joint d together i.t that purpose and assisted tli:‘ Maori to develop his own land. UPLIFTING THE RACE. Mr. Jlerries said that any scheme that Fir Joseph Ward or tin katne Minister propi.-si d for the uplifting of the natives in any way would always receive the hearty support of the I! .use. They were ail trying to work to the same end. but some of them bad different ideas of how it should lie done. II? could not help thinking that the w:y in w!r<-h t l ’’ Native Miuisier and the Govent. men were going, rightly enough according i > their c. vn idea.”, was not tending to uplift the Maoris. He w as at one with the Prime M iniscr and the Native Minister in oneorragii’g the iialiv.s in every possible way to cultivate their land, ami if it could be Bone by the assistance of pttblie money, so long as the security was tbei-e. he vvc-ulo support any scheme t-> that end. and < rdcavo’.ir to have it placed on ■he Statute E.iok. ll'.’ agreed that the naiives were qmte willing to cultivate their knd. but that they had ’lot ii;e means to d.o it. besides which t’m-y had not the title-a difficulty c< uiecti’d wi.h the i omniunistie- system- and be hoped that in a future Native Bill the Ministe r would give •mwm’ to h-tve the lanes compul-se-rt’.v subdivided so tliat when Maori got a title tl.ei:’ would be no eiiffieuliy about hi- l-nrrowing money to work tlm land. I'm--.vh> : e trouble' was tb.-’.t t'tie lending departments of tee >t.nte did n>i re. ogni-e the <-o!i I lilttl' I-1 ie- system as -iitTicieiii title n r the Immmg < f Ills’ll-'.. He did ma belli VC HI till, iirn the ia’id <-. ’; 111 i.i I ----1 i iy li.mi the milivi - mile- ; tmy w i re tie-: gm-u tl:<- >-pp>-r( iiniiy <■■ working liu-ir laud. and. furiher. land »n idler tor

•-■.-:1c bv the Mac-i Land Boards -1 i'd In- si.-ld bvf< :<■ any Maori ’ami was c.-mpulscrily acquired, and he also thought that it vvou!<i lie a go.,d plan to lend money to the ! >: ards to enable them to put on the market the land vr : t< <] in them. The discussion then closed.