NATIVE DEPARTMENT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13834, 21 August 1908, Page 5

NATIVE DEPARTMENT.

DISCUSSION IN PARLIAMENT

DEFENCE BY THE MINISTER.

[BX TELEGRAPH. —PRESS ASSOCIATION.]

WELLINGTON, Thursday. The work of the Native Department was dealt with in the House of Representatives this morning on consideration of the Estimates., claw 11, total'vote £23,222.

Mr. J. Allen said although he had for many years been in Parliament, he had never been able to tell what the policy of the Department was. He hoped the Minister would he able to show that the money voted was to be used to open up native lands, and that some good was to be done for the natives.

Mr. Hemes moved to reduce the vote by £1 as a protest.

The Hon. J. Carroll quoted (statistics to ehow what a large amount of work the Native Land Court had done.

Mi. Baume referred to the unsatisfactory condition of native land judicature. Feeling was strong that it should be reformed on the basis of the ordinary judicature. He had nothing to say against the judges themselves, or their decisions, but under the present system under which they could be appointed or dismissed by the Minister, it was felt that they might be made amenable to political influence.

Mr. Parata did not object to the constitution of the Court, but he thought the Bench should be stlengthened to expedite the native land business. The Native Department was the most important of all the Government departments, administering, as it did, the land transactions of millions per annum in value, and it was self-supporting. The vote for the upkeep of the Department was far too small instead of being too large. Mr. Hemes thought that the status of Native Land Court judges ought to be raised. They had very extensive powers, and the whole judicature required to be reformed in the direction of paying higher salaries and giving them a more secure position. Mr. Ngata agreed with Messrs. Baume and Herries that the status of the judges ought to be raised, but more urgent was the necessity of increasing the number of judges. The Northern natives complained that the Court neglected highly-import-ant work in the North for less important work in the South.

The Hon. J. , Carrol! agreed tliat the salaries of the judges ought to be raised, and said he would ask Parliament to do so. He did not, however, know how the present system could be amended. He denied that the North had been sacrificed in favour of the South." In the past year the Court had investigated 14,470 cases, and had earned £14,515 fe in fees. The cost had been £17,000 odd. Let members investigate other Departments, and see if similar results could be shown. He repudiated the suggestion that judges were in any way influenced by the Department. Continuing, the Minister said he might possibly ask the House to abolish the native appellate system, and substitute something else. The present system was unsatisfactory. Appeals could be made too easily at present, and simply duplicated the work of the lower Courts. The whole system was cumbersome. Appeals should not be allowed unless sufficient grounds existed. The Minister staled his intention of making certain changes in Maori land administration, still keeping it separate from the judiciary, but transferring to the. presidents of various district boards some of the work at present devolving on the Court, such as the investigation of titles.

"Mr. Ngata complained that no sum appeared on the Estimates for surveys by boards.

The Hon. J. Carroll said provision was made in the Public Works Estimates for a sum of £28,000 for surveys. He expected to have one. and a-half million acres operated upon by January.

Mr. Ngata regretted that the subsidy to Maori councils piaced year after year on the Estimates, was never expended. The funds of the councils were very slender and subsidies were badly required to enable the councils to carry out their work satisfactorily. Mr. Para La supported Mr. Ngata, and said the only source of revenue of his Council, was the dog-collar tax, furnishing but a slender sum for the payment of expenses. The Hon. J. Carroll expressed high appreciation of the work done by the Maori councils. He would do his best to see that the subsidies to the councils were increased. Mr. l'cule urged that the Maoris should be giart-id I- <•••! option.

After further discussion the vote was passed unaltered.