NATIVE LAND COMMISSION.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14507, 26 April 1909, Page 3 (Supplement)

NATIVE LAND COMMISSION.

FINAL EiiPOKT. RECOMMUSDATJO'NS '.CO THE GOVERNS) E'NT WELLINGTON", April 7. The legislation on tiie Statute Book, though it- urgently requires consolidation and sliglit aiuendrnent- to harmonise conliiciing details, is sufficient to sct.-le the Native l.iink of the North Island, declines the Xat-ive Land Commission in ita iiiral ieport t« the "The Legislature," it continues, "has jnn.-oi the '.ai-iotis slepariments of State aid OJovern-iii-:nt with ample powers, and what is requited is prompt and ellicicnt administration.'' The report goes on to slate the difficulties which surround the process of security partition orders ;ix;m ihe Native Land Cour!.. and points out that unless the State lenders liberal assistance in advancing tho lust of these preliminaries and in providing experts the scttietnem- of a large area covered by the commission's rocoinmendatioiis will be seriously delayed and Ihe purpose of tim doiealed. There are 68.752 acres of l'apatuuu land in the North Lsland—land, the titles to which have not been determined by a eonijjctciit tribunal.

"At this advanced stage of the history oi New Zealand,'' the commission state;, " there should not be any such thing as Papatupu land. ]f tho energes of the Native Land Court and tho resources oi tho Native department were directed more to these virgin, and less to tho more titled portions of the North Island, settlement would extend more rapidly and with greater benefits to the Di.mmion.'' The report goes 011 to mention that the business created by the \iuious "washing-up acta" had' disorganised the sittings of the Native Land Court more tlia« usual, and the cause lists were extremely cong-c-st-bd with cases of succession. Until regular circuits are established it appears io the commission thai tlw work of these courts cannot be pioperly and dioclivclv organised. Judges would, in tho commission's opinion, be relieved of much of the routine work (in iV'hit'l) is included lite majority of succession claims) if registrars of the court were appointed sub-commissioners for the purpose of dealing with succession cases, claims for adoption, and the like. The Native Land L'ouit Bench should bo as fai as possible recruilad from registrar.? of the court, men who by their experience and training are familiar with the office. "At present," comments the report, "much of the court work is behindhand because of the inexperience of some oi the judges or ot tho necessities oi' travel, so that the only record for months of an important older may be a brief note in a minute book." ihe comiiii.-sjon estimates the amount of land owned by Maori people in the North Island lo be M 65.000 acrco, while the area which tamo under tho scope of its inquiry totalled 2.731,180 acres, At the outset it appeared to the commission that tli'i Wellington' and Taraiuiki provinces 'except Upper Wanganni) ami the.southern port-ion of tlawke s Jiay, were most favoursituated with regard to settlement of Native lauds, and that, as the most valuable laiuus werP elik-ientlv occupied, th.'-to districts did not present the features of urgency fMCNed | )y Auckland province, to which consequently the most time and labour were extended

In ail 12 reports have been presented, the result of the inquiries being as fellows JiecoiiiineiKled for general .settlement. 696.260 awes; recommended lor Maori occupation, 367.179 acres; subject to special lecyinineml'ition, 477,137 acres —guind total, 2,040.876 acres. In addition there at« 275.256 aw* subject to timber agreements and other leases validated by Parliament, which should be added to the Jotal „f the lands recommended ior European settlement. In educating the consolidation of the 60 different slaintes containing law in re.card to Xativn lands the conmibsion's report piiint.s out that at ovcrv stage <,f revision questions of policy iiwait the decision ol the (loverimient and Parliament, to ocal with only one department—that concerned with the investigation and determination of titles. The rules in regard to succession, and the eli'ccis of wills and adoption jicod revision. "In twes of intestacies the estate to go indiscriniiiiatelv to the next of kin, or .should there be an equitable distribution according to tho value of the inheritance ami tlie number of successors? We have known of a case where an intere.4 of 20 acres lea.sed at ail tUiiiuul rent-ill of 6d ji-ci* acre wsjb aivaided to 43 from wiio-o lii'st ywir's runt the sum of 7s 6d was deducted fo" the order ami swearing fee." The report- suggests that a consolidation' measure would lie valuable as ail cllort lo take stock of the progress made alonomany lines up to present, an<l supjjorters of the rival policies will probably lind that the experience of yea is 1 has produced a workable compromise. The report repents the previous observation of the commission that the paramount consideration is [lie* enMiira.genient and training of Maoris to become industrious settlers, and that in dealing with the rt'itittiuiiig lands the seltlemeiit of the Maoris should he the first consideration. Complaints in regard to taxation of Native land were heard" iiy the commission, the Natives stating thai there were instances where the laud lax absorbed more than halt the rent of the land leased. The commission .states that it appears that if the int-e.re.-1. of eaeii individual Maori, were .'Lssesst-tl and the usual exemptions allowed, most of the Maori land under leaso would not be liable to the laud tax a-„ all. A concession ui one half i-eemed to be no concession at all. The conimissiun is of opinion that the law as at present administered does not seem unfair except in rare cases. The Maoris are realising mure ami more that they must come under the general local taxation of lwal bodies, under whose jurisdiction they reside, ar.d that in order to enable them t ) pay taxes they must uliiise their lands or alietiate them to tlioie capable oi utilising the aui£j

Wo are of opinion thut if the Legislature hal in the past devoted more attention to making |i le Maori an efficient farmer and .«ctt!er the problem of lo«il and general taxation wwthi low* a™ have been solved.''