NATIVE LAND TRANSACTIONS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 15824, 24 July 1913, Page 4

NATIVE LAND TRANSACTIONS

A DEFENDANT TAKEN TO TASK.

(Pjb United Peess Association. I AUCKLAND, July 23. Mr C.' C. Kettle, S.M., gave judgment to-day in a somewhat involved case. The plaintiff was James Meredith, farmer and postmaster, of Cabbage Bay, and the defendant A. A. Preece, Native agent at Paeroa and sometime Maori interpreter. The action was one to recover a memorandum of transfer (from several Nativeo to plaintiff), the signatures having been obtained by Preece, who claimed that he had a lien over it in connection with certain work done on it and in other ways by him for plaintiff. There was a counter claim for £55 16s 4d, alleged to be due to defendant for services rendered to Meredith in connection with two transfers.

The hearing had been a tedious matter, remarked the magistrate. He held that Preece had a lien on the transfer, but in the circumstances he was not going to allow costs. Judgment would be for defendant on the claim, without costs, and for defendant on the counter claim for the balance assessed, also without costs. The revised amount was £27 5s 6d.

Since the case had started, Mr Kettle went on to say, the registrar of the Native Land Court had written to take exception to certain statements that had been made by Preece. Preece had said on oath that he had frequently paid search fees and had not signed the search book ot received any receipt whatever. Mr Kettle wished to say that he did not accept that as a statement of fact. He understood that the Native Lands Officc would call upon Preece to prove or withdraw the statements. There was another matter arising from the same to which the magistrate referred pointedly. Defendant had admitted receiving a larjp number of receipts with signatures obtained by the Native agents and sent blank and without stamps. In one case he had admitted dating May on a Teceipt fixed up in September. That sort of. thing was wrong. Such a document might easily deceive the Land Court and cause a gross injustice to be done. It was very important that there should be no tampering with the documents, but that they should be truthful in their contents in every particular. He condemned the practice. of ante-dating documents, and observed that it must be discontinued.