\ATIVi: LAND BILL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2848, 14 October 1908, Page 40

\ATIVi: LAND BILL.

WORK OF THE COMMISSION. t: A COSTLY LUXURY." (Feoji Ova Own Coap.ESPoXDiarr.} WELLINGTON, October 9. Mr Herries, in his speech on the Native Land Bill last evening, urged the advieableneeß of appointing permanent Native Eand Court judges in certain districts. These judges, he said, could also act as presidents of the Maori Laud Boards in their respective districts, the Appellate Court remaining a 'peripatetic body. In referring to the Native Land Commission, lie said that the commif&ion had presented, reports dealing with some 3,155,000 acres of Native lands. Of this area, however, it was shown that no less than 915,000 acres had already been leased to Europeans. After allowing for the areas required for the use of the Maoris, there ■would be only soma 473,000 acres to be act apart for European settlement as the resule of the commission. The commis : fiion had in a manner blocked eettlement, as whilst it was dealing with the land all transactions in Tegard to some 183,000 acres were absolutely barred. He thought that if the commission had not been appointed and tho Crown had gone on purchasing under, its existing powers the work of settlement would have gone on just as well as if they had not had a Royal Commission travelling round the country. He d<;d not desire to detract from the undoubted abilities of the members of the com ■ •- ii« t o :» an unnecessary and costly luxury. He thought that if the Native land question were dealt with on proper lines the whole difficulty could be settled without any commission at all. A Member: You mean Fr«etrade? Mr Herriefi: No; I do not advocate Freetrade, but I think the Maori and pakeha should be brought together under proper restrictions. I have as great a detestation as anybody for the old system of Freetrade, which did not benefit either the Maori or the pakeha, but only lawyers and others, who preyed on both parties. Mr Ngata enumerated the areas of land excluded from the scope, of tli« NaHve I>an<i Commission. There were 65.000 acres in the Urewera Country, 400,000 in the- thermal springs district, 500.000 acres of papatapu land in various districts. 316.177 acres under the East Coast Truet Lands Board and special aots, and 193,272 acres under the West Coast Settlement Reserves Act,— making in all 2,059,449 acres excluded from the work of the commission by statute There were also about two million acres leased, making four million acres which the commission coud not touch. Eight million • acres or ] leas were held by the Natives under various titles, and over four millions remained that could be .dealt with by the commission. The total area dealt" with by the commission was nearly 1,800,000 acres, and re-porte were now in course of preparation covering a further area of nearly 950,003 acres. These reports could not be laid before the House this session, but they would be presented to the Governor before the end of the year. Out of some 800,000 acres of Native lands in the North of Auckland, the only area that has not been investigated was some 65,000 acres. It was not one of the functions of the commission to carry its own reports into effect. He said that 13 clauses of the! bill were on the lines of the recommendations of the commission, and would give effect to all that it has recommended this year. Mr Massey, after referring to what was apparently almost the " unwritten law "' of bringing dowft Uia Jki^ori Land Bills is

! -the dying hours of the se&sion, pointed out that the Native Minister had not- ful1 filled his promise of last year to introduce ; a consolidating measure this year. No- ' thing was more necessary than a complete consolidation of these Native Land \ Acts. He referred to the good work done ; by the Native Affairs Committee in striki ing out the proposed amendment of clause 11 of. last year's act in respect to the equal division of lands for sale and leasing. He feared that if the Native Minister haft had his way they would have no land available for settlement on the freehold tenure. As to the Land Commission, he said -that out of 1,295,260 acies only 64,192 acres were recommended for 6ale. The country, Le declared, vras not getting good value for its money in connection with the commission. The work that the commiesion had been doing was only what might have been done by the Native Land Department's clericaf staff Mr Jennings.; It is like the Land Commission. Mr Massey : It is worse thnn the Land Commission. He was rorry. he said, to have to fay anything about the Native Land Commission on account of its personnel, but it was a fact that the recommendations of the commission were useloss, as they had no statutory effect. He •did not think it was right for the Chief Justice to bs taken away from his high . office to pick up iuch information as that to which he. referred. As a lawyer, Sir Robert Stout had no superior, but in. regard to land (settlement he was not a . practical man ; and he (Mr_Ma£sey) had . hearfl of many cases in which he had been misled by both Maoris and Europeans. He also objected to a judge being placed in the position of receiving money for work done outside of his duties as a judge. It was wrong in principle that either a judge or a member of the House j should be appointed to commissjpns. Mr A. L. D. Fraser said he was certain that no civil Government could have done the work done by the Native Land Commissioners, who had made their work a labour of love. He al&o said that Native land "law consolidation would do no good. They should repeal all their Native Acte, and 6tart afresh.