COMPENSATION COURT.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LIII, Issue 9309, 6 March 1907, Page 5

COMPENSATION COURT.

THE OEO CASES.

: This morning Mr Turnbull, S.M., held a, special -itting undjer the Maori Land Claims Adjustment and Laws Amendment Act of last session. It will be remembered that in July last the Public Trustee offered for tender certain West Coast Settlement lands, included in which, were sections at Oeo. The successful tenderer for one section was Mr Curtis, and the succesfsul tenderer* for another were Messrs C. and F. Muggeridge. Each of the lessees was duly notified of the acceptance of his tender and made the payments required of him by the Trustee and proceeded to deal with, the lands. But the leases had not been executed by the Trustee, and meantime the Government had been appealed to on behalf of certain natives to stop the transaction, and eventually Parliament by an Act dated 29th October decided that the contracts between the Public Trustee and the tenants should be determined and ended and that the Public Trustee should not issue leases fothe land. It was further provided that the successful tenderers should be reqiHared within a. given period to put in their claims for compensation, and 'that thereupon the Resident Magistrate at Hawera should adjudicate upon such, claims. The total. claim of Messrs Mugigeridge amounted to £389 lls 6d. The value of ithe tenants' interest am the lease was stated' at £200, loss an purchase of wire and timber and other expenditure rendered useless oy the determination of the contract £23 Is, lose by disturbance of business, etc., £25, Tent paid and costs for stamp duty, etc., £91, loss through purchase, of stock which had to be re-sold, etc., £50. In Mr Curtis' case the total claim was £377 0a 9d, made up of (a) value of tenant's interest in con/tiract £300 ; (b) of rent paid to Public Trustee and interest £49

13s 3d ; (c) of loss by money paid for ad- i vertising foT tenders for fencing, etc., £1 7s Id; (d) of loss by disturbance of buisdness £25. Mr Gully (of Bell, Gully, and Myero, Wellington), instructed by Mr Halliwell, appeared for the ■claimants ; Mr Morrison (instructed by Mr R. D. Welsh) appeared for the natives concerned. Mt Guilly opened the case for . cQiaiman'te by explaining at length the ■circumstances under -which the Court was called tupaa to adjudicate on the claim, the principles wEich he submitted should guide the Court in assessing damages, and the claims of his clients. Evidence was being heard when we went to press.