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New Zealand Mail, Issue 838, 23 March 1888, Page 1

A lawyer being asked what a contingent fee was, said—“lf I bring a suit for you and lose the case 1 get nothing; if I win the suit you get nothing.”

■Previous to commencing the business of the Native Land Court on Saturday, the attention of Judge Mackay was drawn to the fact that Natives were at present unable to procure the registration of the deaths of their deceased relatives. It was shown that the business of the Court would be much facilitated were N atives able to show definitely the date of death of any particular Native in claims for succession. The matter is of considerable importance at a- time when the policy of the Colony is in the direction of placing the Natives in the same position as Europeans inrrespect to their liability to contribute to the cost of Government. It would be unfair to impose the penalties of taxation without extending to them also . the privileges attached to the position of British subjects. The Natives are at present only con. .sidered as ..individuals,... jmd _their separate identity only acknowledged when, during their lives; they have committed a crime or become amenable to taxation. After the death of an individual no public record is kept of his decease in the Registration Department of the Colony. A census .is. taken of the Native population- periodically, which necessarily lacks authenticity, partly from the abseuce of registration of births and deaths, and the result is given in thousands, which being compared with a previous census gives as a result an increase or decrease as the case may be. This is the same course adopted by the flock-owner who yearly musters his Bheep, oounts : them, and compares his tally with, that of the previous year. There is no record kept of the death of any particular Native any more than there is a record of any individual sheep’s disappearance from the pasture. Judge -Mackay coincided with much that had. been brought before him, and said that-he had more than once made representations to the Government on the subject. He thought' the difficulty ought to be met by appointing the more reliable among the Native Assessors to collect and report upon fhe b ; rths and deaths. He was not aware that’the Natives could not obtain registration. The case was stated to him by Mr Thompson,: Native interpreter, of Hawera, who brought the matter before the Judge. The Assessor sitting with him stated that oa the East Coast the Native Scripture readers were in the habit of sending reports to Government, but he acknowledged that the system wogld nqt work in such districts a 3 Taranaki,where no religion exists among the Natives, and consequently there are no ministers. He promised to bring the matter before the Government,