THE MAORI AND HIS GRIEVANCES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14000, 5 September 1907, Page 3

THE MAORI AND HIS GRIEVANCES

THE EX-KING SPEAKS, ; • (From Oim, Own Corbxemndent.) ,' WELLINGTON, September 3. ■ Messrs Mahuta, AI.L.C., a-nd Iki u, : M.H.R., in an interview .with a New Zea- j land Times reporter, talked of talcing tho grievances of the Maori people direct to tlio. King if thoy did not get satisfaction from the Government. Reverting to the grievances of the Mttori, Mr Mahuta and Mr Kaihati 'explained that tho greatest grievance from their point of view was the cruel 1 manner, in wtiioh, tho Government ignored, tlio right of. tho Maori to: his . •land. . Tnoy seemed rcluctanfc, to give tho l ' Nativo tho fee simple of any of it. Then there'was tho West Coast Settlement Reserves Act. As soon as the land got into ;tno hifnds 'of the Public Trustee under the act he leased it for an indefinite period. It was gono for good, and never came tack again. There was no boundary to that lease. Then, when the Maori who owned the land wanted a piece,'lie had'to go to the Public Trustee and lease it, and pay a rental for what was his own as if it did riot belong to ; him. Another matter was that the major portion of tho rent produoed by the lands was consumed bv tho office controlling it, and the poor Maori owners got only tho minor portion. Questioned as to the Native "Land Commission, Mr Kaihau stated that there was one very good feature—namely, the reeommendatiqn that sales of Native lands should now cease. That was the trouble, Tho Maori was able to sell his land, but ho sold it for a mcro nothing. Ho did not get the fair market price, but ho preferred (o sell because of the price offered by private individuals, l'he Government, in fixing tho value of Native knew that- it would bo the _ buyer itself. It ought to let a private individual fix the value, and tho Government buy it. at that price. If the Government wanted to buy tho land the Maori owner and the Government should oach appoint an_ assessor, and then a third bo appointed by those - two to fix the price. The leaders 6tate that they had received several letters from members of the House of Lords with whom they had communicated, and also. from tho Undersecretary for .the Colonies, and theso documents had given them coin-age to pursue tho course thoy wero following. The Undcr-sccretary for the colonies stated that, while tho British Government could not interfere with tho Government of New Zealand, his Majesty the King would a.t. all times see that'due respect- and full justice were paid to all his subjects,