THE ORAKEI BILL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 15143, 6 November 1912, Page 10

THE ORAKEI BILL.

VIRTUALLY "TALKED OUT.'* OBJECTORS IN THE HOUSE, FINAL APPEAL BY MR. MYERS. [BY telegraph—special coitRESPOxriEXT.] Wellington, Tuesday. The legislation proposed to authorise the acquisition of the Orakei native reserve has been virtually killed. It will appear on the Order Paper again to-morrow, but there is so much opposition that it is almost certain that the House. will not be allowed to go to a division on the motion for the second reading. There were six local Bills set down for consideration at to-day's forenoon sitting. The, native members occupied some time in protesting against a clause dealing with native lands in a previous Bill, and only nine minutes remained when the Orakei Bill was called on. Mr. Myers (Auckland East), who was in [ charge of the Bill, said all the people of Auckland desired authority to lay out a model suburb, and the Orakei reserve was very suitable for this purpose. The matter "had been fully discussed, and the Bill before tho House had been carefully reviewed by the Local Bills and Native Affairs Committee. As a representative of tho City of Auckland, he hoped that members before recording their votes would recognise their responsibilities. All the members of the Auckland City Council, with the exception of Mr. J. S. Dickson, member for Parnell, favoured the proposals, and the members of the Remuera toad Board (except Mr. Dickson, who was chairman) also approved of the proposal. Mr. Dickson: That is not correct. Mr.' Myers said that in the membership of i 4 local bodies he had only heard of the member for Parnell and one other as dissentients Hon. Dr. Pomare said that when the Bill was hist discussed an impression had got abroad that he was in favour of the speculator getting all these lands. He was just as much against tho speculator as ho was against Auckland taking this land eompulsorily. The Bill was a violation of the Treaty of Waitangi, and a violation of the Constitution Act of 1852. As a representative of the Maoris ho was against it. Mr. Myers begged Dr. Pomare to let the House go to a vote on the Bill instead of stonewalling it by bringing up ancient history. Dr. Pomare said that he was not going, to allow the member for Auckland East to dictate to him as to what he would do or should do. He. was going to speak against this Bill, and take his full time if he could get it. Dr. Pomare continued to criticise the Bill, and one p.m. there were cries of " time."

The Speaker left the chair. When the House resumed this afternoon the Prim© Minister (Hon. W. F. Massey) was asked whether another opportunity would he afforded for a discussion of the Orakei Bill. The Prime Minister said this must depend .on the progress made with the other business of the country. Mr. Massey promised to give one hour next day for consideration of the three local Bills remaining to be dealt with. The Orakei Bill would lie placed third 011 the list. THE MAYOR'S INDIGNATION. TRIUMPH OF SPECULATORS. , lie Mayor (Mr. C. J. Parr) stated last [ evening that, lie had already telegraphed to the Prime Minister his opinion of the attitude taken by the Government regarding the Bill. He regretted extremely that not for the first time this session, private interests had succeeded in overcoming tho i public good. The City Council's schem® was a perfectly fair one to the natives. It reserved 40 acres for their own use for ever and provided that the remainder of the block should be purchased at a pries to be fixed by a compensation court-, on which the Maoris and the pake ha. should each have one representative, the City Council only having one. The council's object was to make Orakei a model garden suburb. It could have laid out a magnificent park for the future, with a fine esplanade round the whole waterfront. and the estate would have been a beautiful gateway to the harbour. The effect of killing the Bill, continued Mr. Parr, was to let in the private speculator, who would make Orakei anything but a model suburb. The Government knew perfectly well that already tho natives had privately and quietly sold to a syndicate over half the block. It was mere political humbug to say the natives were unwilling to sell. A disquieting feature of some of the purchases was the low figure given. He knew of one case where he would willingly have given double the price that had been put in the deeds, and signed by the Maori owners. He had 110 hesitation in saying that the syndicate, which would now proceed, apparently with the sanction of the Government, to secure he Orakei property. would reap a profit of at least £50.000—a profit, which would have gone to the Maoris had the Citv Council been allowed to deal with it. It almost made ono shudder to think of the estate being cut up by speculators, who would probably not set aside an inch of ground for parks or other public purposes. One of the worst aspects of the position was the fact that the. reading would probably bo done under the supervision of the Orakei Road Boarda small local body. collecting under £100 of revenue a year. The Rom tier a, Road Board bad recently provided, in the Lucerne Estate, an object les?=r>n as to how road boards supervise such matters. The truth was that tho average road board was utterly unfit to have charge of such important town planning work*. As a rule they permitted mere tracks, -ivith a little metal on them, to take the place of proper streets. Thero seemed every. chance that the unfortunate, experience of Remnera would be repeated nt Orakei.