NATIVE LAND ADMINISTRATION.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LVI, Issue LVI, 29 January 1909, Page 7

NATIVE LAND ADMINISTRATION.

SOME STRONG COMMENTS.

[per press association.]

WANGANUI, January 29. Strong remarks were made at the Chamber of Commerce this morning concerning native land laws and native land administration generally. An application had been made for the appointment of a resident Judge of the Native Land Court at Wanganui and more frequent sittings of the Court; but this was refused by the Chief Judge, who said Wanganui was already treated the same as other places, and he had only a limited staff. One speaker said there were already twelve Judges who were tumbling over one another. The Mayor said the trouble was due to the fact that the whole of the native laws were in such a state of chaos that no one understood them, and the system of dealing with native lands reeked, with corruption. Until the whole system was cleaned out from the bottom it would never do any good. Mr Hogan, M.P., said every member of the House knew how native matters had been drifting, for which Parliament was to blame. Very few of the South Island members took an interest in native matters, which were left to six or ten members of the North Island to deal with. Until the weight of Parliament was centred on native legislation nothing effective would be done. He believed the Premier would make a change before long;, and referred to the work of consolidating the native laws now going on. It was resolved to interview the Native Minister and invite the co-operation of other Chambers with a view of getting resident Judges and regular sittings of the Court fixed as in the Supreme Court.