NATIVE AFFAIRS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9096, 3 July 1888, Page 5

NATIVE AFFAIRS.

TE KOOTI'S MOVEMENTS.

BILL TO PROHIBIT NATIVES GATHERINGS.

LAND MEASURES.

[BY TELEGRAPH. CORRESPONDENT.] Wellington, Monday. The Native Minister has received telegrams, to-night, from Mr. Bush, Resident Magistrate at Opotiki, stating that Te Kooti's band are leaving for Whakatane, to-morrow. The natives of the East Coast complain of being eaten out of house and home by his raids, and would be glad to see an end put to them. I understand that the Native Minister contemplates bringing in a Bill to prohibit native gatherings of this character without the permission of the authorities. There has bean a meeting of members interested held in relation to the Native Policy Bills. Mr. Ballance convened it, but Mr. Kelly, Chairman of the Native Affairs Committee, presided. The object of the meeting was to consider the Bills as affecting land settlement and colonisation. After a general discussion, there seemed to be a balance of opinion in favour of individualisation of titles, and enabling the natives to dispose of their lands as they thought fit. The Bills, it was suggested, should be altered so as to give facilities for fixing hapus, one grant not to contain more than twenty names. The meeting was also of opinion that the law should not extend further than permitting the sale of sections comprising the area of land held by twenty persons. It was proposed to limit the purchase to a maximum of two thousand acres to prevent land monopolies. From gentlemen here interested in free trade in native lands, I understand that the King natives are greatly exercised over the native policy Bills of the Government, and have written letters to their European friends here regarding them.