NATIVE LANDS COURT, KAIAPOI.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LIII, Issue 5947, 18 March 1880, Page 5

NATIVE LANDS COURT, KAIAPOI.

This Court sat in the Resident Magistrate’* Court, Kaiapoi, yesterday, bis Honor Judge Symonds presiding. Mr £. Hammond acted as interpreter, and Hoani Taipua, Native Assessor was also present. The Natiree were informed that it ww found that the Native Land Court had no jurisdiction over the reserves in the, Middlr Island, as. this power of the Court was done away with by the “Native Reserves‘Act, 1873,” the last clause of which states that ‘‘ these lands aboil be exempt from the operation of any Native Land Act which may at any time oe in force.” The Chief Judge haa been commanicited with by this Court as to whether it was possible to hear these elaim* at the present sitting, and his reply had simply been to refer the Court to this danse. The Court would now therefore proceed to dismiss all these claims, in order that those who had come from a distance might know that their claims to succeed to lauds could not be heard, and they would, therefore, be at liberty to return to their home* if . they wished it. Should an . Act at any time he passed, again giving the Court power to deal with these claims fresh application could be sent in, forms for which would be left with their minister, the Her George PitaMutu. The different cases were then called on, and formally dismissed. The Court , adjourned till to-day at 10 a.m., when the Commissioners will proceed to inquire into the following particulars;— ; (1.) The name of every Kaiapoi Nativewho is entitled to a share of, and in the said piece* of land and hereditaments. (2.) The share or shares to which every such Native is entitled. (3.) Whether any of such Kaiapoi Native* are under disability, and if so, the nature thereof, and if infants, thei age of such, infants. ' ‘ The land in question is the reserve made temporarily by the Superintendent of Canterbury on'July 21, and August -28,1876, out of the waste lands of the Crown in the Province of Canterbury, consisting of 1832 acres in' tba Ashburton district, 300 acres at Little Biver, 250 acres in the Upper Ashburton Boad district, and 658 acres in various parts of the Oxford district, making a total of 2910 acre* at' set forth in the first schedule of “'The Kaiapoi Native Reserves Act, 1877.”