THE NATIVE LANDS ACT AND NATIVES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XIV, Issue 4875, 2 July 1877, Page 2

THE NATIVE LANDS ACT AND NATIVES.

The Government have had the new >7a!;ive ¥ Lands Act which is to be brought 'before Parliament during the ensuing soa3ioa printed in tho Maori language, in order chat ffS it might be circulated amongsj the tribe? ■ "• that they might ho afforded «.mpl_- oppor- T : tunity to discuss its provisions, awl snidest ' '•£ improvements. To the mind of the native the.bill possesses oms feature which reenm- \ mcud.s it, and that, is is is not 10 lon_r a ; ti old Act, although I*. contains 150 cl-us?-', i but it is still too long, and few ©f th::m ?•; be likely to make themselves a-sjuaiiitsd ' : ''1 with all its provision-*. Soni- of the "js leading natives have ideas of their .own as to how the Native Lands' Act should bworked, and the l.ands L\>urt constituted, * a_ and if, as is stated, tile object ef the Governmeut is to facilitate the in.Jividuaiisation of titles, it might perhaps be well dm some consideration should bo given to the views : they express. Tncy say that Maoris aro better judges of .native titles than Euro peans can be. One instance which in some 1 measure tends to confirm the truth of their assertion is, a case was several times befoi 0 - the Native Lands Court which was presided t* over by Major Heaphy, but so conflicting jl wan the evidence, that tho Conrt w-ts unablo n to adjudicate on it. At length several ch'rfa |a were appointed to investigate the ease, and !pi they did" so by going into tho titles '*/ of all the claimants in the fullest man- if uer. .They . then thoir- .dociaicuThtdr'proVeTTso satisfactory, that- even tho £ dissentients coincided with its justicc. lieu- £ are Manua, an influential chief, v/ho has for I years officiated as assessor at Native Lauds j Courts, recently w rote to Te Wanaifja news- | paper, in which, ou referring to this case, he ;■ f congratulated the chiefs on. the successful mauoer in which they had arrired at a deeision, and says that his experience of European Native Lands Courts leads lum to conclude that the decisions of the Courts are often wrong; that they invariably g<> in favour of the best speaker (meaning the man who display? the greatest . amount of cunning and eloquence), while the bashful man, or the man who is unablo to urge his claims, although hs may happen to be the proper owner, according to Maori usage, is ousted altogether. Many influential F natives now hold that claims aheuld be lie ■rd : and investigated by native chisfs under tho ■ sanction of a Judge of the Kative Lands £' Court, and in case a rehearing was required, t it could be referred to a secoad number oi" —* : 'r assessors, who would be in no way connected with the district or tribe intsre;tcd :u the matter in dispute. <