THOSE RESERVES.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XXXIII, Issue 3389, 3 November 1896, Page 2

THOSE RESERVES.

We are by no means satisfied with the action, or rather inaction, of Messrs MoGuire and G. Hutohison, in respect of the Bill under which the Government converted or diverted the proceeds of the local reserves we have previously referred to. And our agreement with these gentlemen in general politics may not prevent our saying that they failed in their duty. It must be admitted that in introducing the Bill Mr McKenzie was careful to give very little information concerning it, and it is also said that the Department had written to a Whakamara settler saying that the Mokoia reserve would not he dealt with this session. In his speech on the second reading, the Minister occupied but two minutes, and merely said "it was one of those bills which had to be passed every year to •nable a lot of little things to be cleared up by legislation. Most of the provisions were to clear up slips in previous Acts." The fact still is that the Bill was allowed to go through without examination by our local

members, and the reserves have gone. The curious thing, too, is that both Mr MoGuire and Mr Hutohison were present and voted against a clause of it which had reference to some forest reserve. Why was no objection taken to the clauses which did an ill turn to this district ? We think an explanation is due.