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New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume XVII, Issue 1724, 8 February 1862, Page 4

f From the “ New Zealand Spectator,” Feb. 0, 1862.) The Hawke's Bay papers recently received contain a report of a public meeting held at Napier for the purpose of considering a project for lensing Native lands for agricultural purposes, having more especial reference to what are called the Ahuriri plains in the neighbourhood of the town of Napier, and a letter adopted by the committee appointed at the public meeting addressed by them to the Native chiefs, which contains a formal proposal for renting these plains at a stipulated rent for a term of years. The prominent mover in this scheme appears to be Mr. T. H. Fitzgerald, the first Superintendent of the new Province of Hawke’s Bay, who disinterestedly entered on the duties of office without hope of emolument or reward, but who, when he found himself firmly seated, was prevailed on to accept £6OO a-year, as Superintendent,—the same salary received by the Superintendent of Wellington when Hawke's Buy formed part of the Province, — with three months’ arrears of rint calculated at the same rate for his gratuitous services. The Ahuriri plains have always been an object of desire to the settlers of that district, they consist of several thousand acres of level land of a very superior quality, free from timber, and well adapted to agricultural purposes, and would no doubt be a great acquisition if they could be obtained on such terms as would insure their occupation by a numerous agricultural population, since from their fertility and their proximity to the Port they arc the most available hinds for cultivation, the cost of carriage from other inland districts precluding the hope of cultivation on a large scale with any expectation of profit. It was n great mistake that these plains were not purchased in the first instance, instead of being left to some future indefinite period, when as the settlement of Europeans increased their price and the difficulty of obtaining them would bo prodigiously enhanced. To buy the site for the town and not at the same time to secure the lauds immediately surrounding it, which would be so much enhanced in value by the formation of the town, and would add so much to its importance, was very much like giving a man a pair of rullles and forgetting to give him a shirt. Nor do we think the course taken by the leaders of the present movement at all likely to re pair the mistake., or in any way calculated to promo e the object they profess to have in view. On the pretence that these plains are likely to be seized upon by some runholders, —in order to counteract as they conceive an undue pressure of the squatting interest, —an offer is made to the Natives to lease these lands for a period of twenty-one years, at the rate ol Is. 6d. an acre the first seven years, 2s. Od. per acre for the next seven years, and 2s- fid. per acre for the third seven years, “ the rent to be paid quarterly in advance." By accepting tliis offer the Natives are assured they would receive for these lands more than £6OOO a year for the first seven years, £9OOO forthcsceoud seven years, and £12,000 for the third seven years and after that still higher rents ; that if at the end of the term, “ the Maori people wish a man they do not love to give up the land be had cultivated, he should do so on re ceiving from them payment for his bouse and the improvements he had made, and the Hit nanga could then lease that land and house to another man;’’ and as a further inducement to accede to these proposals, the Natives are led to believe that all the cost of surveys, " which might amount to between £2OOO or £3OOO, ’ will be borne by the Provincial Government without any cost to themselves.

The above is an Outline of a project which we think it requires very little argument to show to be both impracticable and mischievous. The temptation likely to secure a numerous agricultural population is not a lease with a probability of being turned out at the end of the term, but a- lease (if there be a lease at all) with a purchasing clause in it, a reasonable prospect of a man making the land on which ho has laboured his own freehold, so that he may enter on the fruitof his labours. It is nut contended that the plains are wanted for the present European population of Hawke’s Bay (amounting to about 2300 souls, including

men, women, and children) so much as that their acquisition on these terms would be an inducement to the working classes elsewhere to come and occupy these lands and increase the population of the district. But we repeat we do not think the inducement held out will prove sufficiently attractive. And if the scheme fails who is to be responsible?—the Government of the Province, who it is proposed shall bear all the cost of Surveys “ which might amount to £2OOO or £3000," and £6OOO a-year, to be paid quarterly in advance to the Natives from the commencement of the agreement whether the land is let or not. Aud if these leaseholders fall in nrrear in their payments to the Government, is it probable that these friends of the working classes will be very exact in calling to account their debtors who will also be voters? The issue would be that the scheme, if for the sake of argument we suppose it accepted bv the Natives, would break down and still further involve the Provincial Government, already hardly able to meet its engagements, while the only effect of these proposals in our opinion will be still farther to complicate this question, and render the acquisition of these plains or any other lands in the Province, still more difficult, if not impossible, by their effect in exciting the cupidity of the Natives

The project we think further mischievous in throwing fresh difficulties in the way of the working of the new Institutions for the Natives about to be established by Sir George Grey, who the promoters of the scheme endeavour to commit by assuring the Natives that these proposals of theirs will “ be very pleasing” to him. It must not be forgotten either that the difficulties connected with the acquisition of Native Lands in the Ha .vke.’s Bay Province have been very greatly increased by the course pursued by Mr. Fitzgerald before resigning the office of Superintendent in reference to those persons leasing lands from the Natives, a course which was in direct opposition to the wishes and instructions of the Stafford Ministry.

On the whole we cannot help agreeing with Mr. Ward, who is reported to have stilted at the meeting, that the promoters of this scheme “ were pursuing a course calculated to plunge the country into confusion," and, with especial reference to Mr. Fitzgerald, to have expressed his fears, " that that gentleman was trading for some purpose with the anxiety on the subject of lauds felt by the working class."